A few days ago, the Minister of Public Accounts, Gabriel Attal, announced a tightening of the conditions for receiving social benefits from 2024. As part of a plan to fight against fraud and save money, the government wishes to restrict the conditions of residence to pay the least social allowance.
Harmonization of conditions
In an interview with our colleagues fromEurope 1, the Minister clearly mentioned two amendments. First, it will be necessary to reside at least 9 months per year in France to receive a social benefit. Today, the conditions are more or less restrictive depending on the type of social assistance.
For example, family allowances, the minimum old-age pension, widowhood insurance or the supplementary invalidity allowance only require you to be present for a minimum of 6 months per year in order to be paid. The APL are paid for accommodation occupied at least 8 months per year. Only the active solidarity income (RSA) is granted on the condition of residing there for 9 months. Gabriel Attal therefore wishes to apply the residence conditions of the RSA, i.e. the most demanding, to all social benefits.
Why this sudden turnaround? Ten days ago, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire was full of sums defrauded and sent “to the Maghreb or elsewhere”, arousing strong criticism from the opposition. According to figures provided by the Minister of Public Accounts, fraud in social benefits would amount to 8 billion euros per year. Gabriel Attal, however, was unable to specify the amount directly linked to the fraud in the conditions of residence.
Exit payments outside the EU
Second measure endorsed by the executive, the abolition of the payment of social benefits on foreign accounts outside the European Union. While this measure should come into force in 2024, it was finally brought forward to July 1, 2023. From this date, the government will no longer pay social benefits to bank accounts domiciled outside the EU.
Transfers of allowances abroad: “from next July 1, there will be no more payments of social allowances to foreign accounts outside the European Union” declares @GabrielAttal on #Europe1 pic.twitter.com/1aDTF1Fu5a
— Europe 1 (@Europe1) April 21, 2023
Already announced last October, this measure was finally brought forward by a few months. It will concern the solidarity allowance for the elderly, family benefits, the RSA or even the supplementary disability allowance. On the other hand, retirement pensions will not be affected by this new restriction. It will therefore be necessary to have a bank account in the countries of the SEPA zone (EU, Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra or the Vatican) to receive these allowances from the CAF.
These new restrictions seem legitimate and should allow the government to achieve some valuable savings. This situation of fraud is all the more frustrating as 600,000 households do not apply for their RSA allowance, even though they are legitimately entitled to benefit from it. It will however be necessary to wait until the beginning of May, when the announcement of a global plan to fight against tax and social fraud, for the measures to be ratified.
