Will we have to pay back any of the French Aspa pension top-up money we have received?

Reader Question: We have been receiving Aspa pension top-up money but are planning to sell our house and move away from France. Will we have to pay back any of the money received?

No, there is no obligation to pay back Aspa (allocation de solidarité aux personnes âgées) money received due to being retirees on a low income, simply because you are moving abroad.

However, your entitlement to go on receiving this income support money will stop.

Legally, the only way in which Aspa may become repayable is after the recipient’s death, from their estate, if the net assets of the estate exceed a certain threshold (currently €107,616). 

In this case, Aspa money received may be recuperated up to a certain maximum amount per year in which it was received (currently €8,328 for a single person or €11,222 for a couple).

When a person dies leaving French estate, the notaire handling the estate should check on this.