The year 2024 is fast approaching. And as usual, the month of January comes with its share of developments and new devices. Le Figaro takes stock:
Like every year, the minimum wage will be increased on January 1st. It will experience an increase of 1.13%, thus increasing the gross hourly minimum wage from 11.52 to 11.65 euros. Full-time, the gross monthly minimum wage will reach 1,766.92 euros, via an increase of 19.72 euros. In net, this will give 1,398.69 euros per month, or 15.61 euros more.
As of January 1, 2023, no less than 17.3% of private sector employees (excluding agriculture) received the minimum wage, or 3.1 million people, according to annual data from a group of experts on the minimum wage. Note that in a few years, the share of private sector employees receiving the minimum wage increased from 9.8% in 2010 to 14.5% in 2022, before reaching 17.3% in 2023.
General system pensions will also see an increase in their amount from January 1, 2024. This is how a 5.3% increase was decided “to cope with changes in consumer prices” , indicates the Retirement Insurance website. For an average monthly pension of 800 euros, this represents an increase of 42.4 euros.
The solidarity allowance for the elderly (Aspa) should experience the same increase, going from 961.08 euros gross per month in 2023 for a single person to 1,011.06 euros gross in 2024.
The first increase took place in May 2023: the price of cigarettes will increase again on January 1, 2024. Due to inflation, most packs will increase by 50 cents. Packs of Marlboro could therefore reach 12 euros. The Lucky Strike and the Winston should approach 11 euros, compared to 11.5 euros for the Vogue. Packs of rolling tobacco, cigars and heating tobacco are also affected by this increase. Ultimately, all packages will increase by 40 to 50 cents.
Note that this increase was planned for a long time. It is linked to a provision voted on last year in Parliament in the Social Security budget (PLFSS). This changes tobacco taxation based on inflation in year N-1 and no longer in year N-2. It is therefore a safe bet that the measure will not go unnoticed by the 12 million French people who smoke daily.
Also read: Tobacco: the price of cigarette packets will increase by 50 cents to 1 euro in 2024
Tobacco shops will be able to sell shotgun ammunition from January 1. To obtain the required certification, tobacconists will have to pass an exam after completing a two-day training course. This decision is part of the process of diversifying the activities of tobacconists encouraged by the government.
We have known this since July 2023: the various stamps will increase on January 1, 2024. Thus, the green stamp will increase by 11.20%, going from 1.16 to 1.29 euros. The services plus letter goes up 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 will go from 1.80 to 1.96 euros. Only the red e-stamp launched in 2023 escapes this increase.
The measure was to end in 2023, but was finally extended for one year. The 5.4 million employees who benefit from it will therefore still be able to use their “meal voucher” to carry out their food shopping in 2024. Be careful, however: non-food products and alcohol remain excluded from the list planned by the government .
On the road side, it will now be possible to obtain your driving license from the age of 17, instead of 18. Until now, only young people who had done accompanied driving could obtain the precious pass at this age, but they had to wait until they turned eighteen to drive alone.
With this measure, the government’s objective is to increase the autonomy of young people, particularly in rural areas where public transport is less accessible. According to INSEE, the measure will concern around 870,000 young people, born in 2007 and now old enough to take their driving license in 2024.
Also read Driving license at 17: is it reasonable?
It is an understatement to say that the measure did not go unnoticed when it was announced last June by Gérald Darmanin. From 2024, speeding below 5 km/h will no longer be penalized by the loss of points on the driving license. However, fixed fines remain applicable. Speeding between 5 km/h and 20 km/h will result in one point being deducted.
The government is setting up a long-term rental offer for electric cars at 100 euros per month, to “accelerate the ecological transition of vehicles”. The aim is to enable the most modest households to switch to electricity.
To benefit from it, simply go to the “My electric leasing” platform and fulfill the necessary conditions. More precisely: you must be of legal age, domiciled in France, have a reference tax income of less than 15,400 euros, live more than 15 km from your place of work and travel more than 8,000 km per year as part of his professional activity…
Also read “Social leasing”: Macron wants electric cars at 100 euros per month “before Christmas”
The fuel check system, implemented in 2023, will evolve on January 1, 2024 into a new compensation: “worker fuel compensation”, amounting to €100 per vehicle. This aid is supposed to limit the effects of rising fuel costs.
The system targets the poorest half of French people who use their vehicle to work or get to work. It should therefore be allocated to 1.6 million additional motorists. Retirees will not be eligible. To benefit from it, you must request it on the impots.gouv.fr website.
Established by the government just a year ago, the repair bonus which encourages repairing electrical or electronic devices rather than replacing them will be increased. Indeed, from January 1, 2024, this package will be increased by a range from 15 to 60 euros.
The price of the registration document will increase in three regions. These are Île-de-France, Normandy and Centre-Val de Loire. In the Paris region, the amount of the registration certificate will increase from €46.15 to €54.95. An increase of 19%.
From January 1, 2024, the price of the Navigo pass will increase by €2.30 to reach €86.40 per month. A controlled increase, thanks to an agreement signed between Île-de-France Mobilités and the State, which makes it possible to “preserve” the purchasing power of travelers until 2031.
The year 2024 will be the year that sees Pôle emploi transform into France Travail. The operator will benefit from increased resources to support people looking for work and support companies in their recruitment.
This development, resulting from the “Full Employment” law, includes the creation of an “Employment Network”, bringing together France Travail, the State, local authorities, local missions and Cap emploi.
The government also announced that the internship bonus will be increased to reach 4.35 euros per hour of effective presence, compared to 4.05 euros on January 1, 2023.
Women who experience a spontaneous termination of pregnancy will benefit from sick leave without a waiting day. The measure aims to provide adequate support to women facing this difficult situation, allowing them to take the necessary time to recover physically and emotionally.
Food waste is no longer allowed to be thrown away with household waste. Each household will need to set up a sorting solution at source, whether it is a personal compost bin or a sorting bin.
From January 1, 2024, in accordance with European law and the anti-waste law of 2020, the sorting of bio-waste will be generalized and will concern all professionals and individuals. This is why the government supports communities in implementing solutions for citizens, and reminds professionals of their obligations.
MaPrimeAdapt’ is an aid system which was launched on January 1 and which aims to finance the carrying out of housing adaptation work for the elderly and those with disabilities.
The adaptation work financed by MaPrimeAdapt’ concerns, for example, the replacement of the bathtub with a walk-in shower, the installation of an electric stair lift, the installation of handrails, the widening of doors, the adaptation of coverings or even direct access to housing.
Supposed to disappear at the end of 2023, the zero-rate loan (PTZ) has been extended until 2027. Enough to delight the millions of French people who wish to acquire their first property. According to the government, the measure will benefit 6 million additional households. The access conditions are therefore relaxed and the income scales for eligibility increased for the first time since 2016. As Bruno Le Maire pointed out, “if you earn between 2,500 and 4,000 euros, today you do not have not entitled to PTZ. Tomorrow you will be entitled to it.”
The remuneration of housing savings plans (PEL), which will be opened from January 1, 2024, will be 2.25% before taxes instead of 2%. This rate applies for the entire savings period, up to 10 years at most.
The rate of the home savings loan, which depends on the rate of remuneration of the PEL, will be 3.45% excluding insurance for PELs opened from January 1, 2024. Old PELs retain the rate of remuneration fixed on the date of their opening .
Good news for parents: scholarships for their children enrolled in middle or high school will be automatically awarded. Parents of students will no longer have to take any action with the public administration. And for good reason, the information collected by the establishments during the child’s registration will be cross-referenced with that of the Ministry of Public Accounts, which holds the parents’ income tax returns.
As of January 1, 2024, the annual Social Security ceiling (PASS) is set at €46,368 (compared to €43,992 in 2023), i.e. a monthly ceiling of €3,864 and a daily ceiling of €213.
The Social Security ceiling constitutes an element in the calculation of certain social contributions and benefits (unemployment insurance, old age insurance under the general system, daily allowances, etc.), the tax deduction of certain retirement products (individual PER, etc.) or the addition of employee savings (PEE, collective PER, etc.).
