France extends deadline to apply for fuel grants
France's Finance Minister has announced an extension to the deadline for low-income motorists to apply for a €100 grant to help with fuel costs.
Motorists on low incomes who rely on their vehicles to get to work will now have another month to apply for government aid, France's Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire has announced.
Le Maire announced an extension to the application process for those eligible for the fuel aid - a €100 grant intended to help motorists on low incomes who rely on their vehicles to get to work. Eligible households and individuals will now have until the end of March, instead of the end of February, to apply.
"The application process was supposed to close at the end of February, but we will extend it until the end of March so that the millions of eligible people who are entitled to it can go and get it", the finance minister explained to French radio channel, RTL, on Monday.
The finance minister explained that only half of eligible households - of which there should be approximately 10 million across France - had applied from the grant as of mid-February.
The aid (called the indemnité carburant in French) became available on January 16th on the French government's tax website, and it is only available to people on a low income who use their car for work (therefore it cannot be claimed by retirees) - and you also need a French-registered car.
It was first announced in January and was intended to replace the previous fuel rebate of €0.10 per litre - which helped French motorists counter high fuel costs amid the cost of living crisis.
The French government has put in place several income requirements for this means-tested aid. For example, single persons should be able to show that they earned less than €14,700 in 2021 to qualify.
You can apply for the aid directly on the government's tax website. The Local has created a guide to help you determine if you are eligible and to help you through the process - you can access it HERE.
READ MORE: How to claim the €100 fuel aid for motorists in France
Additionally, the French government set up a telephone assistance service at "0 806 000 229" to help those who have run into issues when attempting to apply for the aid.
Are there any other fuel discounts on the horizon?
The head of oil giant TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné said that he was considering re-introducing a fuel discount to be applied at the pump at Total filling stations, should the cost of petrol rise above €2 per litre again. The announcement came after the multinational company amassed record profits in 2022.
Previously, in the fall of 2022, TotalEnergies offered a discount of €0.20 (and later €0.10) per litre of fuel at their stations. This was discontinued at the start of 2023.
In response to Pouyanné's comments, Le Maire said that the oil boss had "made promises and that it is best to keep promises that are made". The Finance Minister also added that it would be up to TotalEnergies to determine the amount of the fuel rebate, should they offer one.
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Motorists on low incomes who rely on their vehicles to get to work will now have another month to apply for government aid, France's Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire has announced.
Le Maire announced an extension to the application process for those eligible for the fuel aid - a €100 grant intended to help motorists on low incomes who rely on their vehicles to get to work. Eligible households and individuals will now have until the end of March, instead of the end of February, to apply.
"The application process was supposed to close at the end of February, but we will extend it until the end of March so that the millions of eligible people who are entitled to it can go and get it", the finance minister explained to French radio channel, RTL, on Monday.
The finance minister explained that only half of eligible households - of which there should be approximately 10 million across France - had applied from the grant as of mid-February.
The aid (called the indemnité carburant in French) became available on January 16th on the French government's tax website, and it is only available to people on a low income who use their car for work (therefore it cannot be claimed by retirees) - and you also need a French-registered car.
It was first announced in January and was intended to replace the previous fuel rebate of €0.10 per litre - which helped French motorists counter high fuel costs amid the cost of living crisis.
The French government has put in place several income requirements for this means-tested aid. For example, single persons should be able to show that they earned less than €14,700 in 2021 to qualify.
You can apply for the aid directly on the government's tax website. The Local has created a guide to help you determine if you are eligible and to help you through the process - you can access it HERE.
READ MORE: How to claim the €100 fuel aid for motorists in France
Additionally, the French government set up a telephone assistance service at "0 806 000 229" to help those who have run into issues when attempting to apply for the aid.
Are there any other fuel discounts on the horizon?
The head of oil giant TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné said that he was considering re-introducing a fuel discount to be applied at the pump at Total filling stations, should the cost of petrol rise above €2 per litre again. The announcement came after the multinational company amassed record profits in 2022.
Previously, in the fall of 2022, TotalEnergies offered a discount of €0.20 (and later €0.10) per litre of fuel at their stations. This was discontinued at the start of 2023.
In response to Pouyanné's comments, Le Maire said that the oil boss had "made promises and that it is best to keep promises that are made". The Finance Minister also added that it would be up to TotalEnergies to determine the amount of the fuel rebate, should they offer one.
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