What is the popular savings book (LEP)?
A regulated savings booklet
Created in 1982, the popular savings book (LEP) is a regulated savings book intended to help people with modest income to place their savings in conditions promoting the maintenance of their purchasing power. According to the Banque de France, only 11.5 million French held a LEP in 2024, while millions of people could claim it.
The opening of a LEP is limited to two booklets by tax household
L’LEP opening is reserved for people whose tax domicile is located in France. A single account can be opened per person, within the limit of Two booklets per tax household. Payments, withdrawals, transfers: all operations carried out on a popular savings book must be with the banking establishment where it was opened. His balance cannot be debtor. The establishment in question must have signed an agreement with the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) to be able to offer this type of booklet.
Note : There are no compulsory periodic payments on this regulated savings account. Only obligation, the amount paid should not be less than 10 euros.
What are the eligibility conditions to open a popular savings book in 2025?
The popular savings book is reserved for people taxed domiciled in France, over 18 years old and justifying a tax income of reference less than or equal to the ceilings mentioned by article 1417 of the general tax code. These ceilings are subject to periodic modifications by the public authorities. The LEP holder is required to present an annual tax proof at his bank on March 31 of each year. If this obligation is not fulfilled, the bank is in theobligation to close the LEP.
Note : The Avenir Climate Savings Plan (PEAC) can be a good alternative to LEP for minors.
What tax income to open a LEP in 2025?
For the openings made in 2025, a taxpayer domiciled in mainland France is eligible for LEP if his reference tax income is less than or equal to a certain income ceiling. Reference tax income N-2 or N-1 is indicated on the tax notice. For example, to be able to open a LEP in 2025, you must refer to the 2024 tax notice on the revenues of 2023 or that of 2025 on the 2024 income.
Resource ceilings in mainland France
Here are the resource ceilings not to be exceeded in mainland France depending on the number of family quotient shares to be able to open a LEP.
When a taxpayer’s income exceeds these ceilings during a year, he can keep his LEP if the income of year N + 1 go below this threshold.
Resource ceilings overseas
In which bank to open your LEP to?
Crédit Agricole, Savings Fund, La Banque Postale, LCL … Most traditional banks offer their customers the LEP. The operation of this booklet being regulated, the conditions are the same in all these banks. On the other hand, only one online bank, Hello Bank !, Markends this regulated savings account.
What is the LEP rate in 2025?
Yield since August 1ᵉʳ 2025
Still 6.10% on February 1, 2023, the yield of the popular savings book (LEP) has continued to retreat, reaching 3.5% on February 1, 2025. Since the August 1the LEP rate is experiencing a new decline. He now rises to 2.7%. This lowering follows the recommendation of the governor of the Banque de France. It is based on a regulatory formula taking into account each semester the average of the interbank rate of the euro zone and the average of the evolution of the consumer price index.
In accordance with this calculation, the rate of the popular savings book should have dropped to 2.2%. But Éric Lombard, Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, wished give a boost to savers. He thus deviated from the formula in order to limit the drop in the rate.
Interest calculation
As for the booklet A, the interests of the LEP are calculated the 1ᵉʳ and the 16 of each month. The date of the value taken into account for the calculation of interest varies according to the date of the operation (deposit or withdrawal). The sums paid on the booklet only produce interest if they are kept there by whole fortnights.
For the most modest savers, the drop in the rate in August will have consequences on their savings. For those who have put aside 6,900 euros – the average outstanding held on this booklet in 2024 – the LEP will be prolonged 77.62 euros in interest From August 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025, date of the annual payment of interest. Or 23 euros less than over the same period with an unchanged rate (100.62 euros). And for 39% LEP exceeding the ceiling of 10,000 euros, interest will amount to 112.50 euros Until the end of the year, against 145.83 euros at a rate of 3.5% (or 33.33 euros less).
What is the minimum payment on a popular savings book?
The minimum initial payment on a LEP is 30 euros. Thereafter, the payments are free with a minimum of 10 euros. It may be cash payment, by check or by bank transfer. Since July 1, 2023, it is possible to make a transfer from an open -visure account in another bank.
What is the LEP ceiling in 2025?
Maximum amount
The maximum amount that could be placed on a popular savings book was to 7,700 euros. Since October 1, 2023, he has gone to 10,000 euros. Only the capitalization of interest makes it possible to exceed this ceiling.
Sums covered by the state guarantee
The sums deposited on a LEP are covered by the guarantee of the State, because it is a regulated and centralized savings booklet at the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations to serve the financing of public policies. This guarantee goes up to 100,000 euros by holder. It is the deposit guarantee fund and resolution (FGDR) which is responsible for allocating this compensation on behalf of the State.
How much is a full popular savings book in 2025?
Calculation of LEP according to the different rates
To calculate the interests produced by a LEP, it is necessary to apply its various yields of 2025, according to the fortnights concerned: 3.5% from February to July and 2.7% from August to December. Thus, for a full booklet (10,000 euros), interest will reach around 310 euros at the end of the year.
The interests of the LEP are exempt from tax
The cumulative interest in the year is added to the capital on December 31 of each year. They are exempt from income tax and social security contributions. Gains from a LEP therefore do not have to be declared.
Note: The content of the LEP can be removed without any penalty, as long as the balance remains positive. It can also be transferred from one bank to another, without loss of remuneration.
When to withdraw your LEP?
The best time to make a withdrawal
It is possible to freely withdraw the money from your LEP. However, withdrawal can be more advantageous at certain times. For a payment Made between the 1ᵉʳ and the 15th of the month, the date of value selected will be 16 and, if it comes between the 16th and the end of the month, this value date will fall on the 1ᵉʳ of the following month. Logic is the same with regard to withdrawals. If they occur on 30, 31 or 15 of the month, the interests produced during the past fortnight are lost. It is therefore advisable to wait until the start of the next fortnight before withdrawing funds.
LEP fence
If a taxpayer no longer fulfills the conditions required to benefit from a LEP, he must ask his bank to close it. This process must be launched no later than March 31 of the 2ᵉ year following the production of its tax notice.
LEP inactive account
A LEP is considered inactive if no operation has been carried out for five consecutive years. If, after 10 years, no one has manifested itself, the LEP funds are transferred to the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) which will keep them for 20 years. This expired period, the funds fall into the leg of the state if they have not been claimed.
Can we have a LEP and a booklet A?
It is quite possible to accumulate several regulated savings booklets. The saver can have a LEP, a booklet A and an LDDS (Sustainable and Solidarity Development Booklet), as long as it meets the conditions of access to each. On the other hand, it is not possible to open two popular savings booklets per person.
LEP or booklet A, Which one to choose?
Several elements are to be taken into account before choosing between a popular savings book (LEP) and an A booklet. The LEP offers a higher return with a rate of 2.7% against 1.7% for booklet A since February 2025. However, it is reserved for people whose income does not exceed certain tax ceilings, while booklet A is accessible to everyone. The deposit ceiling is also different: 10,000 euros for the LEP against 22,950 euros for the L book.
Good news, it is possible to hold the two products simultaneously. For people eligible for LEP, the optimal strategy therefore consists in first filling its LEP to the ceiling, then placing the surplus savings on an A book.
>> Our service – save money by testing our comparator of savings booklets
