The year 2024 has only just begun and your wallet is already experiencing changes. Whether they bring you more money or, on the contrary, they displease you, many systems are evolving this year. While some have already entered into force, others will arrive in the coming months. Salaries, aid, purchasing power… Le Figaro lists the good and bad news for your budget.
The French will only see it at the end of the month on their pay slip, but the minimum wage has been increased since January 1st. With an increase of 1.13%, the gross hourly minimum wage increases from 11.52 to 11.65 euros. Concretely, full-time, the gross monthly amount now stands at 1766.92 euros, an increase of 19.72 euros. In net, this represents 1398.69 euros per month, or 15.61 additional euros.
In the public service, all agents will be increased by around 25 euros gross per month. Nurses and non-medical healthcare staff who work at night will be paid 25% more than during the day. The fixed amounts of compensation for days saved on the time savings account are also changing and increase to 150 euros gross for one day for category A (instead of 135 euros), 100 euros for category B (instead of 90 euros ) and 83 euros for category C (instead of 75).
If you are no longer active, the general system pensions also see an increase in their amount. The government has decided to apply a revaluation of 5.3% “to cope with changes in consumer prices”, underlines the Retirement Insurance website. For example, for an average monthly pension of 800 euros, this represents an increase of 42.40 euros. The solidarity allowance for the elderly (Aspa) also benefits from this development, going from 961.08 euros gross per month in 2023 for a single person to 1011.06 euros gross in 2024.
On the banks’ side, two changes should be highlighted, starting with the extension of the zero-rate loan (PTZ) until 2027. Its access conditions are relaxed and the income scales to be eligible are revalued for the first time since 2016. “If you earn between 2,500 and 4,000 euros,” you can now benefit from it, emphasized last October the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire. With these developments, six million additional households will be able to open a PTZ.
Other good news for your savings: the remuneration of housing savings plans (PEL) opened this year increases from 2 to 2.25%. This rate applies for the entire duration of the savings, up to ten years at most. With these new PELs, the home savings loan stands at 3.45% excluding insurance. Please note that old PELs retain the remuneration rate set on their opening date.
On a daily basis, employees who benefit from meal vouchers still have the possibility of using them to purchase their food groceries, with the exception of bottles of alcohol. Enough to reduce (a little) the food expenses of French households. The measure was due to end in 2023 but was ultimately extended until the end of the year by the executive.
Established by the government just a year ago, the amount of the repair bonus has just increased, with a range from 15 to 60 euros, compared to 10 to 45 euros last year, depending on the type of device. . “Accidental breakage” also becomes eligible for assistance. For example, if your smartphone screen is broken, you can benefit from a bonus of 25 euros to be deducted from your bill. The objective of this bonus is to repair electrical or electronic devices rather than replacing them with new products.
Among the government’s other initiatives is the new long-term rental offer for electric cars at 100 euros per month. It is now possible to benefit from it by going to the “My electric leasing” platform, provided that you meet certain criteria: you must be of legal age, domiciled in France, have a tax income of less than 14,400 euros, live more than 15 kilometers from his workplace and travel more than 8,000 kilometers per year as part of his professional activity. With this offer, the executive wants to “accelerate the ecological transition of vehicles” by allowing the most modest households to switch to electric.
Still on the car side, exit the fuel check and make way for “worker’s fuel allowance”. Amounting 100 euros per vehicle, it targets the poorest half of French people who use their car to work or get to work. To benefit from it, simply make the request on the impots.gouv.fr website. In total, 1.6 million additional motorists – who were not eligible for the check – will be able to benefit from this compensation.
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Energy is also evolving, with a benchmark sales price for natural gas decreasing slightly this January. For hot water and cooking, the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) set the average price per kWh at 0.12284 euros (including tax), compared to 0.12699 euros (including tax) in December. For heating, the average price is 0.09990 euros per kWh. If they are slightly down for the start of 2024, they remain up compared to the month of November. Subscription prices remain identical to previous months, with an annual benchmark price of 102.94 euros (including tax) for cooking/hot water and 257.18 euros for heating.
Last good news for this year: the launch of MaPrimeAdapt’ assistance. The latter aims to finance the carrying out of work to adapt housing for the elderly and those with disabilities. This concerns the replacement of a bathtub with a walk-in shower, the installation of an electric stair lift, the widening of doors, the adaptation of coverings or even direct access to housing. “MaPrimeAdapt’ can finance up to 50% or 70% of the amount of your adaptation work”, “within the limit of a work ceiling of 22,000 euros excluding taxes and depending on your household income”, specifies the site monparcourshandicap.gouv.fr.
If certain measures will allow you to recover purchasing power, others may, on the contrary, increase it. This is for example the case of the increase in the Navigo pass, of 2.30 euros, which now reaches 86.40 euros per month. On the roads, the price of the registration document will also increase in three regions, in Île-de-France, Normandy and Center-Val-de-Loire. In the Paris region, the amount of the registration certificate thus increases from 46.15 to 54.95 euros.
Stamp prices are also not immune to price increases. The green stamp thus increases from 1.16 to 1.29 euros and the service letter increases from 2.95 to 2.99 euros. Registered letters with acknowledgment of receipt will also cost a little more: 5.36 euros compared to 4.83 euros currently. Same fate for international letters which soar from 1.80 to 1.96 euros. Only the red e-stamp launched in 2023 escapes this increase.
For the 12 million French smokers, this is an increase that will not go unnoticed. Since January 1, some packages have seen an increase of 50 cents. Packs of Marlboro thus reach 12 euros, Lucky Strike and Winston are approaching 11 euros, compared to 11.50 euros for Vogue. Packs of rolling tobacco, cigars and heating tobacco are also affected by this increase.
If you were planning to carry out renovation work, the eligibility conditions for MaPrimeRénov are tightening. The government wishes above all to encourage individuals to carry out large-scale work, as mentioned by the Ministry of the Economy last October: “Households wishing to engage in renovation work allowing a minimum gain of two classes on their DPE will benefit from systematic support and an increased bonus. If all homes are concerned, thermal strainers (energy performance F and G) are particularly targeted.” The level of assistance depends on the level of resources and the extent of the work undertaken. Up to 70,000 euros of work is taken into account in the event of a jump of four classes.
In terms of forecasts, food inflation is expected to slow. In other words, shelf prices will continue to increase this year, but less quickly than in 2023. Last spring, food inflation peaked at 16% year-on-year. In the last quarter of 2023, it should have fallen by 1.9%, according to INSEE forecasts. Next step: commercial negotiations between distributors and agro-industrialists, which should open in the coming days. The government had brought them forward to the beginning of 2024, instead of March, to contain price increases on the shelves. And give a little hope to the French.
