What is the housing savings account (CEL)?
A regulated savings product
The housing savings account (CEL) is a regulated savings product whose funds are available at any time. It allows you to benefit, under conditions, from a real estate loan or a works loan, as well as from a State bonus if it was opened before 2018. The sums deposited in a housing savings account (CEL) are covered by the Deposit Guarantee and Resolution Fund (FGDR) within the limit of 100,000 euros (per depositor and per establishment).
Please note: Created by the law of June 25, 1999 on savings and financial security, the FGDR is an organization of general interest whose mission is to protect bank customers in the event of failure of their bank.
Opening conditions
Any individual, adult or minor, can open a housing savings account, with a initial contribution of a minimum amount of 300 euros. He can only hold one CEL, at the risk of losing all the interest. However, it is possible to combine it with a PEL (housing savings plan), provided that these two products are domiciled in the same bank.
What payments and withdrawals are made from a CEL?
Initial payment
To open a CEL, a minimum initial payment of 300 euros is required. The amount of future payments must not be less than 75 euros.
Withdrawals
Conversely, the amount of withdrawals from a CEL is free, provided you maintain a minimum balance of 300 euros. If this balance is pressed, the account is closed.
What is the maximum amount and the ceiling of the CEL?
There is no maximum payment to respect. But the saver must not exceed the cumulative deposit ceiling, set at 15,300 euros. Only the capitalization of interest allows this amount to be exceeded.
How much does a CEL bring in in 2025?
Rate of pay since August 1, 2025
The CEL remuneration rate decreased on August 1, 2025 to reach 1.25%. From February 1, 2023 to January 31, 2025, it amounted to 2%, then it increased to 1.5% in February 2025.
CEL interest calculation date
The method of calculating CEL interest is done every fortnight. For a payment made between the 1st and the 15th of the monththe value date is the 16th. For a payment made between the 16th and the end of the monththe value date is set at the 1st of the following month.
For a withdrawal, the value date is equal to the last day of the previous fortnight. Thus, if it occurs between the 1st and the 15th, the value date is the end of the previous month. For a withdrawal made from the 16th to the end of the month, the value date is the 15th.
Interest payment date
Interest is capitalized on December 31 of each year. Acquired interests are added
What are the conditions to benefit from the State bonus?
CELs opened before January 1, 2018 are entitled to a State bonus. Capped at 1,144 eurosthe amount of this bonus is proportional to the savings effort made. It is not subject to income tax, but subject to social security contributions (17.2% since January 1, 2018). CELs opened from January 1, 2018 no longer allow you to benefit from the State bonus.
Is interest from a home savings account subject to tax?
Taxation for an account opened before 2018
Interest from a CEL opened before 2018 is exempt from income tax, but subject to social security contributions.
Taxation for an account opened since January 1, 2018
Interest on CELs opened since January 1, 2018 is taxed at the single flat-rate levy (PFU) of 30% (income tax of 12.8% + social security contributions of 17.2%), when paid.
If the CEL holder has opted for the progressive income tax scalethe flat rate withholding amount of 12.8% does not apply. The tax due may be lower (or higher) than this percentage depending on the taxpayer’s marginal tax bracket (TMI). The latter will either have to pay additional tax, or will, on the contrary, be credited with a refund made by the tax authorities.
How to obtain a property loan with your CEL?
Minimum interest amount required
The holder of a CEL can obtain a real estate loan if it is open for 18 months and that a minimum amount of interest has been accrued. This period can be reduced to 12 months when the loan applicant uses the rights from an account opened for at least 18 months or the rights from his own PEL or those of his co-borrowing spouse.
The minimum amount of interest required depends on the purpose of the loan. It is:
- 75 euros in the case of the construction or acquisition of housing;
- 22.50 euros if it involves energy renovation work (insulation, heating);
- 37 euros if the loan finances repair or improvement work on the home.
Type of eligible real estate transactions
The loan can only be taken out if it finances one of these real estate operations:
- purchase of a primary residence ;
- purchase of land and construction work on a main residence;
- extension, repair or improvement work on the main residence;
- acquisition of SCPI shares for residential purposes.
Maximum loan amount
You can borrow up to 23,000 eurosfor a period of between 2 and 15 years.
Please note: in the event of combining a loan linked to a CEL and a PEL, the maximum amount of the total loan is set at 92,000 euros.
Loan rate
The rate of the home loan is equal to the rate of interest on deposits in the account plus a commission of 1.5%. For CELs opened from February 1, 2025, the rate amounts to 3%.
What are the differences between a housing savings account (CEL) and a housing savings plan (PEL)?
There are several differences between a CEL or a PEL. The choice must take into account:
- the motivation for subscription (savings, borrowing, temporary investment of capital before its reuse),
- the rate of pay,
- the duration,
- the amount of the loan envisaged,
- the wish to have the possibility of partial withdrawal or not at the start of the operation, etc.
The table below summarizes the main characteristics of the two formulas and their points of difference/convergence.
