dontnoowt

Hello Everyone

We (BH) and I have recently completed rennovating our house and have started an Autoentrepeneur business in April.

The business hasn't done much yet and we have some savings.

Does anyone know much about the new RSA scheme which allows low income families to claim financial support. ?

What impact does having some savings make. ?

Thanks to anyone who has any experience of this.


Regards

Courgette

Hi,

It looks like you should be able to find some information here:

http://www.rsa.gouv.fr/

Perhaps you could work your way through the "Puis-je en bénéficier?" section.

The Questions/Réponses link on the left is also quite good.

dmu

Hi,
If no one on the forum can help, go on www.rsa.gouv.fr and click on the "Points d'information près de chez vous pour vos démarches" map, then enter your Département and/or nearest town, then go along in person to your nearest RSA offices, together with all your Auto-Entrepreneur paperwork. They'll tell you what you're entitled to.
Hope this helps!

Courgette

Before going, I would read through the Questions/Réponses link, and perhaps try to work through the "Puis-je en bénéficier?" link.

A golden rule of interaction with French officialdom is never to volunteer information. I'm not at all suggesting that you cheat, but if nobody at any point asks you about savings, then you should assume that it's not relevant.

On other expat forums there are sometimes grumblings about people with huge amounts of money stashed away who are benefitting from things like RMI because technically they have no income.

So perhaps that loophole still exists, in which case you are within your rights to claim RSA, even if seems wrong.

dmu

Just out of interest, I clicked on the two items you mentioned and, although there are questions about other ressources and have you set up an entreprise?, among other pertinent ones, you don't get much further unless you actually enter and give personal details to see whether you are entitled and for how much, which I didn't do. The OP could do this, of course, but personally I'd prefer a face-to-face meeting to dialoguing with a computer...

dontnoowt

Hi Evereyone
Amazing at the time of writing the number of view to this article is 51.
Since posting I have done some research. Not 100% sure about any of these points but these seem to be general Ex Pat. opinions from those that I know who have tried to ask for financial help.
The main issue generally agreed it that this is a new European directive to ensure any European has a basic minimal income.
It would seem that the main criteria for qualifying are:
1) Have been a resident in France for > 5 years, (2 years for europeans in Britain)
2) That you are European
3 Have a residents permit (titre de sejour)
4 Have completed tax returns
5 Have previously paid cotisations and thus paid or been evaluated for social charges
6 Are not "a house wife widow" whose husband worked and paid before he " unfortunately passed away"

It would seem that many who meet the criteria are being refused, for reasons unexplained, determined by their assistant sociale (I wouldn't even know where to find one)

Thankfully we have some savings, they may be sufficient to see us through the winter or until our business gets up to speed but even that requires initial investment.

Bank loans ....forget it. No income no loan.!! Not even equity in your home is good for security.

Regards to all

dmu

Hi again, you've done well to start by asking other ExPats, but now you need to find out from OFFICIAL sources, which would be by taking the test on the website or going to your nearest RSA office.
If the website isn't sufficient, the Assistante Sociale can point you in the right direction (presumably if she considers you meet the criteria) and you'll find her at your Mairie (or if you live in a village, your Mairie will tell you where the nearest one is).
You're registered as Auto-Entrepreneurs, so you must be used to French bureaucracy by now....
I can't help any more, so I'll say Bonne Chance!
P.S. You don't say whether you have children - contact your local CAF office if you have dependent children, you might be eligible for Family Allowances.

Courgette

This is what it says in the Questions/Réponses on the official site that DMU posted.

Si vous êtes ressortissant étranger
Pour bénéficier du rSa, il faut une résidence stable en France métropolitaine, c’est à dire résider en France métropolitaine au moins 9 mois sur 12.

Par « résidence stable », on veut parler de résidence stable sur le territoire métropolitain, ça n’a rien à voir avec la notion habituelle de domicile fixe.

Si cas particulier d’une personne alternant des séjours en France et à l’étranger ou en cas de séjour hors de France de plus de 3 mois (de date à date ou sur l’année civile) : vous pouvez faire le test d’éligibilité en ligne en cliquant ici.

MAIS ATTENTION, il y aura en plus d’autres conditions relatives à la régularité du séjour exigées par la CAF et la MSA qui s’ajouteront à la résidence stable. C’est valable pour tous les membres du foyer (enfant(s) et conjoint). Si vous souhaitez en savoir plus, nous vous invitons à contacter la CAF ou la MSA.

Rappel : les résidents à l’étranger n’ont pas droit au rSa.

Courgette

And this is what it says about what resources are used to calculate your eligibility:

Quelles sont les ressources prises en compte ?
14 avril 2009

Il n’est pas possible d’être exhaustif.

Ce qu’on peut dire :

a) Ressources prises en compte
Toutes les ressources sont prises en compte : salaires et autres revenus que salaires.

Parmi les autres revenus que salaires sont à prendre en compte notamment :

les indemnités chômage (sauf chômage partiel),
les indemnités journalières de maladie, accident du travail – maladie professionnelle après 3 premiers mois de perception,
les pensions (réversion inclus), retraites, rentes,
les pensions alimentaires.
b) Les revenus professionnels
Les revenus professionnels (salaires) font l’objet d’un traitement particulier.

c) Ressources exclues du calcul
Un certain nombre de ressources est exclu du calcul. Certaines PF seront exclues pour l’examen précis du droit par les CAF ou les MSA. Sont également exclues les bourses versées par l’Education Nationale ou le département.

À savoir : lors de votre déclaration de ressources, il faudra indiquer les revenus NETS.

dmu

Thanks for printing out what the website says
OP hasn't said how long they've been in France, they also don't say whether they have children (CAF). We don't know whether their auto-entrepreneur business has anything to do with Agriculture (MSA = Soc.Sec. for farmers). Regarding excluded ressources, I have to confess that I don't know what PFs are (Primes de Fidélité?). (added later, French OH doesn't know either. There's no mention of savings anywhere in the ressources, but OH says, if they generate taxable interest, the bank declares the interest to the Impôts (presuming it's a French bank) and the official bodies which distribute financial aid always check that sort of thing.... )
So, I repeat, it's now up to the OP to do the test and/or get an appointment with the Assistante Sociale or RSA directly.

dontnoowt

Hi again

Just as a a matter of interest in case needs must in the future we did the test.

Came back positive.

We don't have any children
Our Auto Entrepeneur is nothing to do with Agriculture it's actually to do with communications, Sat. TV, Internet by Satellite, etc.
We don't have any dependents
Primes de Fedilite means Loyalty bonuses

We are advised to deal directly with RSA as there seems to be a lot of "local opinions" when dealiing with social assistants.

About a year or so ago didn't the similar localised issues occur for a while when there was a threat of withdrawing Carte Vitales for non contributors.?
It all settled down eventually when local CMU's etc. completely understood new directives.

dmu

Just as a matter of interest, are the PFs what long-standing employees who have been made redundent receive from their employer?
It's quite possible that some Assistantes Sociales are very subjective, although they shouldn't be, which is why I advised a direct dealing with the RSA from the start...
Good luck, anyway!

Courgette

I was only trying to help.

dmu

I realize that! The Smiley was there to show that my comment wasn't as snide as it might have sounded. Maybe a wink would have been better...

dontnoowt

Courgette

You certainly dod help....you all have

Thank you