What do I do if not received France’s €100 ‘inflation bonus’ payment?

Reader Question: I am a British pensioner who is eligible for the French government’s ‘inflation compensation’ scheme. What do I do if I have not received my payment?

France’s €100 ‘inflation compensation’ scheme was announced by Prime Minister Jean Castex in October, in a bid to help lower income households cope with rapid increases in the cost of living.

The tax-free payments began in December for around 38 million people with a monthly income of less than €2,000 net. However, the bonuses are being distributed in stages, with employees receiving theirs first and pensioners having to wait until this month.

Read more:€100 for people in France with income of less than €2,000 a month

The government has stated that this process may take until the end of February for French pensions and so it is advisable to wait until March before taking action, as you may still receive your payment from your Caisse de retraite.

The money will be transferred directly to your bank account, so keep checking your balance just in case it arrives in the next few days.

If March arrives and you have not received your payment, you should get in touch with your Caisse de retraite.

There is no specific telephone number for queries relating to the inflation compensation payment.

If you are a UK state pensioner you should have received your payment from the French Direction générale des finances publiques tax service on February 4.

Therefore, if you have not yet had it, you should get in touch with the service, whose contact details can be found here.

However, if you are prepared to wait a bit longer, the government is expected to create a dedicated website through which some eligible groups including retirees can claim their bonus over the course of March. This may be an easier way to secure your payment when it arrives.

Read more:UK state pensioners can now get France’s €100 inflation bonus

People who are not retired and who have not received their bonus should currently get in touch with the organism which should have distributed their €100. This may be their employer, Urssaf, Pôle emploi or the Caisse d’allocation familiale (CAF), depending on their situation.

Equally, if you have received the payment but are not eligible – for example, if you have two jobs and have received it twice – you should return the money to the government.

This can be done through an online portal on the impots.gouv.fr website.

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