France’s Christmas Bonus to Reach About 2.3 Million Households on December 15

French Christmas bonus (prime de Noël) payment December 15, 2026, Digi Mart USA News: The Christmas bonus will be paid to more than two million households on December 15, according to Labor Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou, speaking to La Tribune Dimanche. Despite inflation, the amounts remain unchanged from last year.

The minister described the payment as a boost to purchasing power before the year-end holidays. The prime de Noël, extended into 2026, will be paid on December 15, and it is intended for modest households.

Depending on individual circumstances, the payment will be made by France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi), the CAF (Caisse d’allocations familiales), or the MSA for farmers. Eligibility depends on having received the revenu de solidarité active (RSA), the allocation de solidarité spécifique (ASS), or the allocation équivalent retraite (AER) in November or December.

The bodies that pay these allocations will make the transfers to recipients’ accounts. The bonus is attributed to about 2.3 million households.

Recipients also include all persons who receive other qualifying benefits. The bonus will be paid automatically to those who meet the conditions on December 15.

According to the CAF, depending on the bank, it may take up to eight business days before the payment appears in a bank account. People who began receiving the RSA, ASS or AER only in December 2026 will receive the bonus starting in January 2027.

Only one Christmas bonus is paid per household, and it is not taxable. For ASS and AER recipients, the amount is a flat rate.

Not indexed to inflation, it remains 152.45 euros for a single person in metropolitan France and the overseas departments, excluding Mayotte, the same as in 2025.

For households receiving the RSA, amounts vary according to family composition; for example, a couple with two children will receive 320.15 euros.

The bonus was introduced by the Socialist government of Lionel Jospin in 1998 under pressure from unemployment movements and has been renewed ever since. The draft state budget for 2026 initially planned to reserve the bonus for people with children only, but the proposal was quickly criticized in the National Assembly.