Here is what changes in April 2024 for personal finances in France:
Winter ban on tenant evictions ends
Owners of residential property in France are not allowed to evict their tenants from the 1st of November to the 31st of March each year, as long as the correct legal procedures are undertaken.
Prescription medicines to become slightly more expensive
But don’t worry, the cost remains minimal. At the moment, the part not paid for by social insurance (la sécurité sociale) is 50 cents, which increases to 1 euro from April 2024.
Paramedical acts (nurses, physiotherapists and other non-doctor specialists), which now cost 1 euro per act to the patient, rather than 50 cents previously.
Ambulance costs to increase to 4 euros per usage.
The total of these costs is limited to €50 per year. It should be noted that you often have to pay more money up front in France, such as €26.50 to see a GP/family doctor (médecin généraliste), and you are them reminbursed soon after, as long as you have a carte vitale or more a numéro de sécurité sociale. Most French people also have a mutuelle, which reduces the costs of treatment not covered by the sécurité sociale, such as a lot of dentistry work.
Energy cheques to be sent in April
In April, energy checks (introduced across the whole of France in 2018), will be sent and received by low income households.
MOTs (contrôles techniques) to be made mandatory for motorbikes, mopeds and other light vehicles
From the 15th of April, new rules will be introduced and you can check them out here, if you own a motorbike, moped or other light vehicle.
Car insurance “green card” (carte verte) ends in April
This is a little card that you place behind the car window to prove that you have car insurance. From April 2024, you now need to prove your insurance via a Mémo Véhicule Assuré, available in paper or in electronic format.
“Complementary pensions” to increase by 10% for private sector employed workers
The complementary pension regime for private sector employed workers, Agirc-Arrco, will end a temporary 10% cut and the normal amounts will be paid from April.
Income support to increase by 4.6%
Government benefits for those on very low incomes, such as the RSA in France, are to increase by 4.6% due to inflation. You can check your eligibility here.
Income tax declarations open this month
From the 11th of April, the online portals for income tax declarations start to open. You can submit your tax declaration by logging in here but for your first declaration in France, you often have to submit a paper return. The deadlines depend upon where you live and are in May and June, you can view them here.
Remember to visit our blog regularly for more French personal finance news, analysis and opinion. You can also contact us if you are interested in regulated financial advice for residents or soon to be residents of France (also former residents!).
The views expressed in this article are not to be construed as personal advice. Therefore, you should contact a qualified, and ideally, regulated adviser in order to obtain up-to-date personal advice with regard to your own personal circumstances. Consequently, if you do not, then you are acting under your own authority and deemed “execution only”. Additionally, the author does not accept any liability for people acting without personalised advice, who base a decision on views expressed in this generic article. Importantly, this article is dated and is based on legislation as of the date. It should be noted that legislation changes, but articles are rarely updated. Sometimes a new article is written; so, please check for later articles. Additionally, check for changes in legislation on official government websites. Finally, this article should not be relied on in isolation.
