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France Confirms 2025 Christmas Bonus Payments Start December 16

A child-only restriction floated in the 2026 budget was rejected in debate, preserving automatic eligibility for RSA recipients as well as jobseekers at end of rights.

Overview

  • More than 2.2 million households are set to receive the annual payment, according to the Labour Ministry.
  • Payments are made automatically to usual beneficiaries, with no application required.
  • Media cite last year’s reference amounts as unchanged for 2025, including €152 for a single person and €320 for a couple with two children.
  • The government had examined narrowing eligibility to households with children to save roughly €200 million, a move dropped during parliamentary debate.
  • Created in 1998 under Prime Minister Lionel Jospin after pressure from unemployed activists, the bonus has been renewed each year as targeted support for people on minimum-income benefits.