The deadline for submitting proof of eligibility for the electricity buffer and tariff shield has been extended from March 31, 2023 to June 30, 2023.
Protecting businesses from the sharp rise in energy prices
The electricity buffer and tariff shield were introduced by the Finance Act for 2023 with the aim of protecting businesses from rising energy prices.
The tariff shield benefits both individuals and companies with fewer than 10 employees, sales or balance sheet total of less than €2 million, and an electricity meter with a capacity of less than 36 kVA. It helps contain the rise in electricity prices by an average of 15%.
TheElectricity Buffer is aimed at companies that are not eligible for the Tariff Shield because they do not meet the required conditions. To qualify, they must be SMEs or VSEs, and not subsidiaries of a group. The aid is calculated on the average annual price of electricity, excluding the cost of feeding electricity into the grid and excluding taxes. In principle, the price reduction induced by the scheme is deducted directly from the bill paid by the company. To find out if you are eligible for this scheme, you can run an online simulation on the impots.gouv.fr website.
Certificate of eligibility: postponement to June 30, 2023
To qualify for the electricity buffer and tariff shield, companies are required to submit a certificate of eligibility to their energy supplier. While they had until March 31, 2023 to submit the document, the date has been extended to June 30, 2023 for electricity supply contracts signed before May 31, 2023. Beneficiaries who signed contracts after this date will have to return the attestation within one month of the effective date of the supply contract.
The government has provided a model certificate that certain suppliers may request in order to set up these subsidies. You need to fill in one certificate per legal entity, which means filling in one certificate per customer's SIREN number for all sites, meters and contracts with the same supplier.
Business assistance | Electricity ⚡️
- Prefect of Normandy and Seine-Maritime (@Prefet76) February 24, 2023
To benefit from the tariff shield and electricity cushioning, VSEs and SMEs must submit a sworn statement in the customer area on the electricity supplier's website 💡
📢 More info: https: //t.co/CqDbY0Z5A2 pic.twitter.com/5YrhcXkZKJ
Electricity cushion, tariff shield, payment facilities, deferred payment of taxes and social security contributions... the French government is stepping up its assistance to help as many individuals and businesses as possible to cope with the energy crisis. The postponement of the deadline for submitting proof of eligibility for the electricity buffer and tariff shield is part of this same approach.