A beneficiary receives a letter from the Carsat asking for their bank statements from the last three months. On their current account, a transfer of several thousand euros appears, transferred from a savings account two weeks before the submission of their ASPA application. This type of situation today triggers enhanced controls, and the question of what to do with their money before or during the payment of the old-age solidarity allowance deserves to be asked directly.
3% Rule on the Current Account: How the Carsat Calculates Your Resources
The mechanism that traps the most applicants is the flat-rate valuation of movable assets. Article R. 815-25 of the Social Security Code stipulates that movable assets are valued at 3% of their value at the time of the application. This rate applies to savings accounts, securities accounts, life insurance, as well as the balance of the current account.
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In practice, the actual interest earned on your money is not considered. Whether the current account earns zero or a savings account provides a rate well below 3%, the fund retains this flat rate of 3% as fictitious income added to your other resources. To understand the concrete implications between ASPA and money placed in a current account, it is essential to keep this mechanism in mind at every step.
This flat rate dates back to a time when investments yielded more. Several parliamentarians have questioned the government about this discrepancy between the actual yield of regulated savings accounts and the rate used. The official response acknowledges that the 3% rate represents an average taking into account the diversity of investment products, but no revision has been initiated to date.
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Transferring Savings to the Current Account Before the ASPA Application: A Misguided Idea
The following advice is often heard: empty your savings accounts into the current account, or even withdraw cash, to reduce visible assets. In practice, this strategy backfires on the applicant.
In recent years, several Carsat offices have systematically requested detailed bank statements for three to six months, not just balances. The objective is clear: to identify recent transfers from savings accounts or life insurance to the current account just before the application. An inspection report from the Court of Auditors confirms this generalization of controls, which target atypical balance variations in the three months preceding the filing of the application.
The risk is not limited to a refusal. If the fund reconstructs the assets you attempted to hide, it can:
- Include the transferred amounts in the calculation of your resources as if they were still in the original savings account, at the flat rate of 3%.
- Reclassify a cash withdrawal as a disguised gift or dissipation of assets, which allows the valuation to be maintained in the calculation.
- Suspend the processing of your application while a thorough investigation is conducted, delaying the first payment by several months.
In other words, moving your savings does not change the calculation if the Carsat reconstructs the transaction. The assets are assessed globally, regardless of the medium on which they are held.
Current Account Balance: The Distinction Between Cash and Savings
Not all current account balances are treated the same way in practice. The Defender of Rights, in a 2023 decision, reminded that services must distinguish between a cash balance and established savings. A current account balance hovering around a few hundred euros, consumed each month by rent, bills, and groceries, should not be equated with dormant capital.
The internal circulars of the Carsat mention a “normal use” of the current account, without setting a specific threshold. In practice, tolerance applies to small, sustainable balances that reflect the ordinary functioning of a modest budget. A balance that fluctuates between the pension paid at the beginning of the month and the withdrawals at the end of the month generally does not pose a problem.
What Changes with a Permanent High Balance
The situation becomes complicated when the current account shows a stable and high balance, unrelated to current expenses. In this case, the Carsat considers it to be uninvested savings and applies the flat rate of 3%. Responses on this point vary among funds, but the logic remains the same: a balance that is not used for daily expenses is treated as assets.
Recovery on Inheritance: The Money ASPA Recovers After Death
It is often forgotten that ASPA is not a long-term free aid. The amounts paid are recoverable from the beneficiary’s estate, beyond a certain threshold of net assets. Keeping money in a current account or spending it before death thus has a direct impact on what heirs will have to repay.
This mechanism leads some beneficiaries to wonder whether it is better to spend their savings to avoid recovery. The answer depends on the amount at stake and the composition of the estate (a real estate asset often weighs more than a few thousand euros in a savings account). In any case, recovery only applies to the portion of the net estate exceeding the regulatory threshold, not on the total.
What to Check Before Touching Your Accounts
- The total amount of your movable assets (across all accounts) and its impact on the 3% calculation.
- The consistency between your current account balance and your actual monthly expenses, as this is what the Carsat examines.
- The value of your overall estate, to estimate whether the post-death recovery will concern your heirs.
- The history of your bank transactions over the last few months, as recent transfers between accounts will be scrutinized.
Withdrawing your savings to receive the full ASPA is akin to betting that the Carsat will not trace the funds. With the generalization of controls on detailed statements, this bet is becoming increasingly risky. It is better to declare all your assets, accept a possible reduction in the amount of the allowance, and avoid an adjustment that could cost much more than the difference of a few euros monthly.