Allowances, bonuses, rebates… what favors can you claim for the start of the school year?

While inflation does not weaken as the start of the new school year approaches, households can benefit from several aid schemes to compensate, at least in part, for their declining purchasing power.

The start of the school year is drawing near and with that comes part of the worry. This is especially the case for underprivileged households struggling to make ends meet in this period of high inflation (+6.1% over a year in July). To support their declining purchasing power, a lot of help is available to them, both inside and outside the school framework. BFM Business reviews the main existing systems and the terms and conditions for utilizing them.

Back to school allowance

No less than three million French households benefit annually from the school allowance, the amount of which is determined by the number of children and household income. This year, it increased by 4% under the recent law on purchasing power protection. Therefore, the amount varies from 392.05 euros for children aged 6 to 10 years to 413.69 euros for those aged 11 to 14 years and goes up to 428.02 euros for those between 15 and 18 years old. It is paid automatically to recipients of the Family Benefit Fund, on August 2 for Mayotte and Reunion residents and on August 16 for others. An additional fifteen euros corresponding to a 4% increase will be subject to a second payment in mid-September.

Return bonus

This is also an aid that is part of the back-to-school period, but its extraordinary nature as it was voted on on August 4th by deputies, still supports purchasing power. The back-to-school bonus is intended for minimal social beneficiaries and APL as well as scholarship recipient students, which are under 11 million households. On September 15, the latter will be automatically paid a sum of 100 euros to which a supplement of 50 euros will be added per dependent child. Recipients of activity bonuses will also benefit from this system, but the amount that will be specifically allocated to them has not been determined.

BBM Discount

This is a helpful aid for all French people regardless of income, in any case for those who take the road. Inflation is high and the commodity that contributes the most is energy, which explains the spike in prices at the pump for more than six months. It was therefore decided to apply a discount of a few cents per liter of fuel. Currently 18 cents, this discount will rise to 30 cents in September and October before dropping to 10 cents from November through the end of 2022.

Help for buying a bicycle

For those who prefer bicycles to get around, bicycle purchase assistance is extended to electric models from August 15 to December 31. The government website shows that the ecological bonus for acquiring a new bike can now be as much as 400 euros and this, without benefiting from previous local assistance. This bonus even reaches 2,000 euros for the purchase of cargo bikes, folding bikes, electric bike trailers or even bicycles adapted for people with disabilities whether equipped with electric assistance or not. Indeed, persons with disabilities are now entitled to this bonus, which is no longer only awarded to French people whose reference tax income per share is less than or equal to 13,489 euros.

Value sharing bonus

This new version of the “Macron bonus” is an optional salary addition, as it depends on the good intentions of the employer. For employees earning less than three times the minimum wage, this bonus is fiscally advantageous as it provides an exemption from social contributions and income tax, the ceiling of which stands at 3,000 euros against the previous 1,000 euros. This ceiling can even reach 6,000 euros under certain conditions, especially in the case of signing a profit-sharing agreement or payment by a public interest organization. Regarding the terms of payment, the latter can be made in one or more installments, within a limit of one per quarter. According to figures provided by the government, fifteen million employees benefited from the “Macron bonus” between 2019 and 2022 for an average amount of 542 euros.

Pass’Sport

Valued at 50 euros, this assistance is intended for underage students receiving back-to-school benefits, scholarship recipient students under the age of 28 as well as recipients of educational allowances for disabled children under the age of 19 and those receiving disability benefits. adults under the age of 30. Pass’Sport makes it possible to finance enrollment in the sporting structure for the 2022-2023 season. More than a million young people benefited from it last year.

Tax credit for dependent children’s school fees

Last important help: tax deductions on school fees for dependent children. Parents must meet two conditions to qualify. On the one hand, their children do not have to be paid. On the other hand, he must not be bound by an employment contract and must be free from any commitments during and at the end of his studies. The amount of the tax deduction varies according to the education level of the child concerned, from 61 euros for students to 183 euros for students to 163 euros for high school students.