One-off French state Covid-19 aid payments due this week

A special coronavirus-related aid payment will be paid into the French bank accounts of modest-income households in receipt of certain government benefits from November 27.

The money will be paid automatically to those entitled to it, from November 27, 2020, by caisses d'allocations familiales (CAF), caisses de la mutualité agricole or Pôle Emploi. The exceptional aid will be added to social assistance payments made monthly throughout the year.

Aid to scholarship students will be paid by the Crous at the beginning of December at the same time as standard monthly scholarship payments.

To qualify for the special payment, households must be in receipt of:

• Allocation de solidarité spécifique (ASS);
• Prime forfaitaire pour reprise d'activité;
• Allocation équivalent retraite (AER);
• Revenu de solidarité active (RSA);
• Revenu de solidarité (RSO);
• Aide personnelle au logement (APL) for those households with at least one dependent child.

The amounts payable starts at €150 for a single person household in receipt of RSA, rising by €100 for every child up to four.

For those who do not receive RSA or ASS, the base sum payable is €100.

Young people under 25 (apprentices, salaried students or non-students) who receive personal housing assistance (APL) will receive assistance of €150. Students on scholarships will also receive an additional €150 at the beginning of December, at the same time as their regular payments.