Taxation In France

Once a resident in France, you are liable to pay taxes in France on your income worldwide and will need to file a French tax return as an expat.

There are three main types of personal taxes in France: French income tax (impôt sur le revenu); social security contributions (charges sociales/cotisations sociales); and tax on goods and services (taxe sur la valeur ajoutée TVA, or VAT in France). You will also have to pay occupier’s tax (taxe d’habitation) or French property tax (taxe foncière), and if you’re selling land or property or have assets more than EUR 1.3 million, there may be capital gains tax in France and French wealth tax, too.
This guide on taxes in France sets out a basis only, and expert advice should be consulted for your individual tax situation. The guide covers:

Who has to pay taxes in France?

You’re liable to pay taxes in France if:

• France is your main place of residence or home ( if your spouse and children live in France and you work abroad, you may still be considered a French tax

  resident).

• You are resident in France for more than 183 days in a calendar year – not necessarily consecutively.
• Your main occupation is in France.
• Your most substantial assets are in France.

Dual taxation

France has tax treaties with a number of countries that enables certain residents to avoid dual taxation (ie. paying tax in France and their home country).

Calculating your taxes in France

Official residents pay French taxes on worldwide income, which includes earnings from employment, investments, dividends, bank interest, pensions and property.
While the higher income you earn the more income tax you pay, the amount of tax you pay is not based on your earnings as an individual, but on your earnings as a household.
You have to add up the earnings from everyone in the household and then divide by the number of ‘parts’ or people in the family (“parts familiales”). Working adults count as one whole part; the first two children count as half parts and successive children count as one part. That sum is assessed against France’s tax bands and then multiplied by the number of ‘parts’ in the family. A tax advantage for each child is limited to €1,527.

This method of calculating French income tax means that couples who are married or in a civil partnership (PACS), and families with children usually pay less income tax than individuals. Parents who are not married nor in a PACS are taxed separately and only one parent can claim responsibility for the household and so enjoy the lower tax benefits explained above. It may also be that some couples choose not to marry or enter a PACS in order to be taxed in France separately. Income tax in France is not deducted at source from an employee’s wage (although social security contributions are). This means that all resident taxpayers have to complete an annual tax return and have the money available to pay their tax bill.

French tax rates

Starting in 2018, French taxes will be drawn from an employee’s wage in a pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) system.
The tax rates in France in 2018 (for income earned in 2017) are as follow:

• Up to €9,807: 0%
• €9,807–27,086: 14%
• €27,086–72,617: 30%
• €72,617–153,783: 41%
• €153,783+: 45%

French taxes for non-residents

Non-residents usually pay tax on their France-sourced income at a minimum French tax rate of 20%. Property tax in France for non-residents on the taxable gain of the sale of a French property is 19% for EU citizens and 33.33% for all others.

Filing your French tax return

If you are resident in France (or are a non-resident but have earnings from France) you have to complete an annual French tax return (déclaration de revenus) that determines the tax bill for the year. The French tax year is the same as the calendar year. Unmarried couples should complete separate French tax returns; married or PACS couples can choose to make joint or separate tax declarations (see above). If you have previously submitted a tax return you will probably be sent a completed form automatically, for you to check, amend if necessary and return. If you don’t get one or if it’s your first time, you can get one from your local tax office (centre des impôts) or mairie, or online through www.impots.gouv.fr. It is your responsibility to make sure you complete and submit your French tax return, even if you think you will fall below the income threshold to pay any French tax.

You have to return the tax declaration by 18 May for the previous year, or 23 May to 6 June if you complete your French tax return online; exact dates vary according to location). If you don’t meet the deadline you’ll incur a fine of 10% of your tax bill.

French tax refunds and credits

You may be able to reduce your tax bill with French tax refunds, allowances and concessions.
French tax refunds are granted for a range of expenses, including:

• la prime pour l’emploi or PPE if you are working in a professional capacity and you earn under a certain level;
• employee social security contributions
• any professional/employment-related expenses (up to €12,305 in 2018)
• if you support a person in your home over the age of 75
• rental losses from unfurnished properties (up to €10,700)
• losses from business or professional activity
• child support payments for minors not part of your fiscal household
• energy conservation works on your home;
• if you are on a low income you might be able to get relief from local French property taxes.

You can visit the local Caisse d’Allocations Familiales (known as ‘La Caf’) to find out what French tax refunds are available and how to apply.

If you are relocating permanently to France and have a private sector pension, an annuity or interest, contact the tax authority in your home country to see if you can obtain tax relief at source at that end.

Paying your French taxes

You can pay your French tax bill (les échéances) in instalments on 15 February, 15 May and 15 September, or monthly online at www.impots.gouv.fr by the 15th of each month by direct debit.

Mandatory French taxes for residents

‘Occupiers’ French property tax: Taxe d’habitation

Every household in France – whether it’s your main residence or second home, owned or rented – must pay an annual taxe d’habitationor ‘occupier’s tax’. Whoever is the occupier of a French property on 1 January is liable, though this tax is to be abolished on a phased basis from January 2018.
The first phase reduction of 30% applies to single people with incomes of under €27,000 and couples with incomes of below €43,000 – a figure increased by €6,000 for each dependant.
TV licence tax.

The redevance audiovisuelle (currently €138) is a tax on any TV in your house, even if you only use it to watch DVDs, and appears on the same French tax bill. If you don’t have one, you have to declare this on your annual tax return in France.
French capital gains tax.

Capital gains tax in France (impôt sur les plus values) is payable on the sale of buildings, land and shares.

From 2018, a single flat rate tax of 30% is applied on savings and investment income and gains – comprising of income tax at 12.8% and social charges of 17.2%. This tax doesn’t apply to capital gains on the sale of property, which instead stands at 36.2%.

French wealth tax

As of 2018, a tiered system of wealth tax has been brought in, with the charges as follows:

• €800,000 to €1.3 million: 0.50%
• €1.3 million to €2.57 million: 0.70%
• €2.57 million to €5 million: 1%
• €5 million to €10 million: 1.25%
• €10 million+ : 1.5%

As a reminder, non-residents are only taxed on French assets, while residents are taxed on all assets worldwide.

French property taxes: owners and renters

If you are buying or already own a property in France, you will have to pay the taxe foncière or French property tax, even if you’re renting it out.

If you are renting somewhere in France, you will also have to pay taxe d’habitation (local residence tax). The taxe d’habitation is billed annually to the occupier of a property if they were resident there on 1 January that year. If the property is your principal residence, a tax relief of 10 to 15% per each child is granted (as mentioned above). Holiday homes located in regions of housing shortage can be subject to pay a taxe d’habitation of up to 20%.

The amount of this French property tax depends on the size and condition of the property, as well as the rates set by the local communes. High-value homes are also subject to an extra prélèvements pour base élevée et sur les maison secondaires of 0.2% for primary homes, if the rateable value exceeds €4,573; 1.2% for secondary homes if the rateable value is from €4,573 to €7,622; and 1.7% for values above €7,622.

The bill for the taxe foncière arrives in the last quarter of the year and the amount is based on the estimated annual rental value of the property multiplied by a percentage set by the commune (ask for more information at your mairie). You can pay the tax in instalments or in advance by monthly direct debit. The taxe foncière rate for a primary home is around 1%, and 3% for secondary homes. Similar to the taxe d’habitation, it also includes the extra prélèvements pour base élevée et sur les maison secondairetax but no tax relief is offered for children. You’ll also need to arrange insurance.

Inheritance tax in France

Inheritance tax in France is notoriously complicated. For deceased residents of France all worldwide assets are subject to French inheritance tax, while all French-based estates are subject to tax even if the beneficiary isn’t a resident in France. For non-residents, many bilateral tax treaties with France provide exemptions for paying French tax on worldwide assets.
In general, after any applicable deductions and exemptions, plus after adding back any gifts given from the deceased within the prior 15 years, the inheritance rates in 2016 for parents and children were:

• Up to €8,072: 5%
• €8,072 to €12,109: 10%
• €12,109 to €15,932: 15%
• €15,932 to €552,324: 20%
• €552,324 to €902,838: 30%
• €902,838 to €1,805,667: 40%
• €1,805,667+: 45%

Siblings of the deceased are taxed at 35% for amounts up to €24,430 and 45% for more, after a French tax refund of €15,932. Others will be taxed at 55 or 60% depending on their relationship. More information can be found in our guide to French inheritance tax.

VAT in France

Taxe sur la valeur ajoutée or TVA, or VAT in France, is a tax on certain goods and services, which is included in the sale price:

• The standard VAT rate in France is 20%
• There are reduced French VAT rates for certain pharmaceuticals, public transport, hotels and restaurants and tickets to sporting/cultural events (10%); food and books (5.5%); and newspapers (2.1%).

Corporate tax in France

When you are running your own company in France, you may be taxed under the personal income tax system (Impôts sur le Revenu, IR) or French corporate tax system (Impôts sur les Societiés, IS). If you are operating as a sole trader or freelance worker under the new micro-entreprise regime, you will pay tax and social charges based on turnover (income from your business) under the micro-fiscal simplifiésystem.

This is a basic guide to taxes in France and expert advice should always be consulted for your individual tax situation.

Social security taxes in France

Social security contributions (charges sociales or cotisations sociales) are collected by the state to fund France’s welfare system: French healthcare and sickness cover, family benefits, pension, unemployment benefit and workplace accident cover. The charges are split between the employer and the employee, with employers paying around 40–45% and most employees paying around 20–25% of gross earnings. The employer
deducts the money from the salary every month. The self-employed pay around 40% of their earnings in social charges once their businesses are up and running.

New rules are being phased in under the 2018 Social Security Finance Bill. From October 2018, employees will no longer need to contribute to unemployment insurance or health insurance, meaning social security contributions will be cut by a total 0f 3.15%.

French tax authority

Service-Public is the website of the French civil service and has detailed information on all aspects of personal and business taxation and social charges.
www.impots.gouv.fr is the website of the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, the body that collects income tax.

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