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Government Moves to Limit France’s Christmas Bonus to Families With Children in 2026 Budget

Ministers frame the change as a refocus to safeguard Social Security finances.

Overview

  • The measure would reserve the CAF’s automatic year‑end payment to RSA/ASS/AER beneficiaries with children, excluding childless recipients and jobseekers at the end of their entitlement.
  • The 2026 draft budget cuts the allocation from €466.5 million this year to €261.5 million next year, aiming for roughly €200 million in savings.
  • Jean‑Pierre Farandou defends a “recentered” policy and says he could reconsider only with offsetting revenue or savings to keep Social Security accounts balanced.
  • Opposition parties and aid organizations condemn the plan as harmful to isolated people, as a government spokesperson argues the “cheque policy” is no longer tenable.
  • Payments for 2025 are unchanged (about €150 for a single person and €228 for a childless couple), and any revision would take effect in 2026 only if Parliament adopts it during the ongoing budget debate.