Gas price, MaPrimeRénov’, flat rate contribution to the CPF… What changes on May 1st

From May 1, several new measures will apply and will affect the French on a daily basis. Participation in the CPF account, MaPrimeRénov’, European elections, tax declarations… Le Figaro takes a look at the changes that will take place in May.

Hard blow for the French wallets. From May 1, the price of natural gas will increase by 1.4% compared to April. It was the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) which announced this by publishing its monthly estimate focused on the evolution of the natural gas price.

Concretely, the variable part will increase by 1.48 euro/MWh compared to the month of April for typical cooking/hot water and heating consumers. “This increase is explained by a slight increase in wholesale market prices of natural gas, which had been falling since the end of 2023,” explained CRE. Please note that the price increase will only concern French customers located in the area served by Gaz Réseau Distribution France (GRDF).

Good news for owners. From May 15 and until January 1, 2025, the conditions for obtaining MaPrimeRénov’ are becoming more flexible. From now on, it will no longer be necessary to provide an Energy Performance Diagnostic (EPD) for insulation work or boiler replacement. Owners of thermal strainers, housing classified G or F, will also be able to obtain aid for their renovation.

Households that will soon be owners will also be able to request assistance before the sale is effective, by providing a sales compromise when submitting their MaPrimeRénov’ file. A title deed will be required later. More details on the government website.

From May 1, for any training financed by the CPF, a flat-rate contribution of 100 euros will be requested, with the exception of job seekers and employees for whom the employer contributes to the payment of the training. This participation - the fixed amount of which may be revalued each year following inflation - aims to replenish the State coffers. The personal training account of a private sector employee provides access to qualifying or certifying training.

After the doubling of medical deductibles, it is the turn of the flat-rate contribution to increase. As of May 15, the amount of this patient contribution, which cannot be reimbursed by either Social Security or mutual insurance, will double from 1 to 2 euros for each consultation, radiological examination or biological analysis. With the consequence for patients of an increase in the out-of-pocket cost. The French patient today only pays 8.7% of health expenses out of pocket, compared to 14.4% on average in the European Union. For Social Security, on the other hand, the measure should make it possible to save more than 400 million euros over a full year.

Fixed-rate contributions paid annually per person may not exceed the limit of 50 euros. A ceiling is also set at 4 euros per day per doctor.

Registration on the electoral lists of the municipality of your choice is only possible until May 1st online and until May 3rd directly at the town hall. To do this, you must provide proof of identity and proof of address dated less than three months ago.

Without this formality, it is impossible to vote in the European elections on June 9. Please note that new voters aged 18 who have completed their citizen census are automatically registered.

The deadline for completing your tax return in paper format is May 21. Regarding the online declaration, the deadline is Thursday May 23 for departments 1 to 19, Thursday May 30 for departments 20 to 35 and finally Thursday June 6 for the remaining departments.

The deadline for submitting your student social file in order to benefit from a scholarship and/or accommodation for the start of the 2024 school year is May 31.