Both residents of France, and non-residents with French income such as from property rental, are obliged to submit an annual income tax return.
The French tax year is equal to the calendar year. The presentation deadlines this year are as follows:
Non-residents
Manual returns: 20 May
Returns filed by internet: 25 May
Our annual charges, before VAT when appropriate, for the preparation and submission of the returns for a single property depends on whether your property is furnished or unfurnished, and if your property is registered formally for the full income and expenditure disclosure (Regime Réel), as follows.
Unfurnished 168 Euros
Furnished – Micro Regime 105 Euros
Furnished – Full disclosure Regime 263 Euros
SCI tax declarations 263 Euros
The full disclosure tax regime (Regime Réel) is generally favourable and economically viable to register if you have significant rental income, and your rental expenditure is more than 75% of your rental income. Our charge to register you for this regime is 150 Euros, and processing times by the Tax Office are currently around 2 weeks.
For the more simplified Micro Regime, in order to benefit from the increased tax allowance available, your property should be registered as a tourist rental (Meublée de Tourisme) at the local Town Hall (Mairie). We can also apply online for registration on your behalf, for a charge of 100 Euros.
Residents
For manual returns, the deadline is 20 May.
For returns filed by internet;
25 May: Départements 01 to 19;
1 June: Départements 20 to 54;
8 June: Départements 55 to 976.
Our charges, before VAT where appropriate, are 205 Euros for a single return, and 263 Euros for a family return. For manual filing, an additional 10-11 Euros is added to cover postal charges.
If you would like us to prepare and file your tax returns, please complete our attached tax questionnaire and return to us by e-mail.
The questionnaire is in spreadsheet format. If you do not have Excel, there are very good free equivalents available such as Open Office.
Returns can be submitted from the following dates:
Online filing: 13 April
Manual filing: The manual returns are normally released by the first week of May.
After we file your Tax Return, the Tax Office will calculate the tax due and send you a payment notice, avis d’imposition. The date of issue is by late September.
In France there are monthly payments on account of income tax which are based on the income tax bill in the previous year. Any balance of tax due is paid in August / September in your final tax assessment, and this will also be debited directly to your French bank account.
Wealth Tax on Property: Impôt sur la fortune immobilière (IFI)
Residents of France are subject to Wealth Tax on their worldwide property, with a 30% reduction to the taxable amount for the taxpayer’s main residence. There are exemptions available for the first five years of residence, please contact us for details.
Non-residents only pay Wealth Tax on their French property.
You need to declare if the net value of your owned real estate is over € 1,300,000.
Wealth Tax is now declared as part of the income tax declaration (2042C).
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on returns@europeaccountants.com . You will also find informative articles on non-residents’ tax on our blog and website www.franceaccountants.com