Tax in France for Expats tax years 2022 and 2023

If you are a resident in France you are likely to be required to complete a French tax return, primarily to cover tax on your income, property sales or have significant personal wealth. As in the UK, you may also be liable for capital gains tax on gains main from the disposal or sale of assets.

It’s important to remember that the information found in this article is only a guide and before making any decisions or submitting any tax returns in France, you should seek specialist advice, which you can do by requesting an introduction to a trusted French tax specialist from our network.

French double tax treaties

Since December 2009, the UK and France have had a double taxation treaty in place which means that you can legally avoid being taxed for the same income in both countries – however you will have to pay tax somewhere. If you are not a British Expat, you should check to see if your home country has a tax treaty with France.

Are you a tax resident in France?

At a basic level, if you spend more than 183 days in France you would be considered a tax resident. However, you will also be considered a tax resident if France was considered your main residence.

Main residence depends on many different things such as the center of your main assets and personal and professional interest, for example where your company(ies) are based or where your family lives.

French income tax information

Permanent residence in France are required to pay income tax on their worldwide income. One of the major differences between income tax in France and income tax in the UK is that, unlike in the UK, income tax in France is calculated based on the household income – not the individual’s (Foyer fiscal in French).

The income tax owed is based on the number of individuals in the household. That is, the total income of the household divided by the number of “parts” in the house. Typically one person is the equivalent of one part, with the exception of the first two children who are counted as half a part.

Therefore if you are a household with two adults and a single child, your income tax band will be calculated by dividing the total income by 2.5 (i.e. 2 parts and a half for the first child). This is compared to a household which has two adults and five children which will be divided by 6 (two parts for the two parents, 1 part for the first two children and 3 parts for the next three children).

However, the two adults need to be either married or in a formal civil partnership, otherwise only one of the parents can claim responsibility for the household.

Once the tax band has been established, the tax calculation can then be made.

Typically, the larger the French household, the smaller the tax bill is likely to be.

One other major difference between the UK and France income tax is that in France everybody is required to complete a tax return. Even if tax is now deducted at the source of income for different types of income a final tax return is still mandatory and will decide whether you still owe money to the tax office or if you are due a refund. The French PAYE is called PAS (Prélèvement A la Source).

The French tax year and completing a tax return (déclaration de revenus)

The French tax year is the same as the calendar year (i.e. January to December) and tax returns need to be submitted by the end of May if submitting offline or the end of June if you are submitting online.

The French tax return is called a déclaration de revenus and is required if you are a resident in France and receive an income OR if you receive a French source of income. If you are married or in a legally recognised civil partnership you can choose to submit individual or joint tax returns. If you are unmarried, you are required to submit individual tax returns.

French income tax rates for 2022

French income tax rates for 2023

Late filing penalties

If you file your tax return late, you will be faced with a fine of 10% of your final tax bill.

Paying your tax bill

Thankfully, the French government does not require you to pay your tax in one instalment. You are entitled to pay in instalments in September, October, November and December.

That said you’ll be asked to pay advance payments in the future in order to follow the French PAYE scheme.

Other taxes for expats in France

Aside from your income tax, you are also required to pay both a television license and a form of council tax called “Taxe d’habitation”.

TV License (redevance audiovisuelle)

As in the UK, if you own a television you have to pay a TV license, regardless of your intention. Currently the cost of a TV license in France is €133. It is assumed that each household has a TV in their household and therefore if you do not own one you need to declare as such on your tax return.

Taxe d’habitation

Taxe d’habitation is a form of council tax which is based on the average rental cost of houses local to you multiplied by a percentage set by your commune. The taxe d’habitation is owed on every property in France regardless of whether it is a primary residence or not and is owed by the occupier as at 1st January of that year. It is due to be paid in October.

Non-compulsory taxes for expats in France

In addition to the compulsory taxes, you may also be liable for a number of other taxes in France including capital gains tax, wealth tax and a property tax called taxe foncière.

Taxe foncière is a tax which is owed by property owners, regardless of whether they live in the property or not. As with the taxe d’habitation, the amount of tax owed is calculated by multiplying the average rental cost in your area with a percentage set by the commune.

Capital gains tax in France

Selling a French property with a capital gain would make you pay a capital gain tax (plus value in French) unless you owned the property for more than 30 years.

It is important to underline that non-EU citizens will also mandatorily have to appoint a tax representative (representant fiscal) for the sale of a French property whose sale value is over 150,000 euros. Thus British citizens must appoint a tax representative for the sale of their French property (> 150,000 euros) since the 1st of January, 2021.

French inheritance tax

French inheritance tax is known locally as droits de succession and is significantly affected by the status of both the person who has died and the beneficiaries.

The primary factor to consider is the tax residency status of the people involved.

If the deceased is deemed to be a tax resident in France (i.e. their primary residence, primary place of work, France is a focus for their primary investments, or has spent more than 183 days a year in France), the entire worldwide estate of the deceased could be exposed to inheritance tax.

If the deceased is deemed to be a non-resident, only property in France will be subject to inheritance tax – regardless of where the beneficiaries live.

This rule is due, in part, to various tax treaties which have been signed between France and other countries – including the UK – which exclude other assets to be exempt from French inheritance tax.

In the likely situation that you are still a UK domicile, your worldwide assets are subject to UK inheritance tax, regardless of your tax residence situation in France. You may also still be liable to French inheritance tax, however, due to the tax treaty in place, if handled correctly, tax should inheritance tax should not be applied twice to the same assets.

It is important that you seek advice from an expert in both French and UK tax if you have any concerns around your exposure to inheritance tax.

Assurance Vie and French tax

Assurance vie provide it’s holders with a tax-free wrapper for their investments.

If the holder of the assurance vie dies, the assets held within are distributed to the beneficiaries (net of social taxes), although may be subject to French inheritance tax laws, unless the following apply:

• The beneficiary is the spouse or partner of the deceased
• Each beneficiary can receive up to €152,000 tax-free from assurance vie

For a full explanation of assurance vie, please read our article which explains everything an expat needs to know about assurance vie. 

Tax changes

As with tax in any jurisdiction, French tax rules regularly change and with the emphasis on the individual to file their own tax return, it is easy to make a costly mistake.

Therefore it is advisable to seek regular advice if you are unsure about any changes which may have been made to the French tax system.

Get help from a trusted, English speaking French tax specialist

French tax is complicated, not least because you have to be able to determine your French tax liabilities and submit tax returns in French.

We offer a free introduction service to foreign nationals who need help from an English speaking French tax specialist. Once you have provided us with your details using the forms found here, we will hand-pick our best available French tax specialist to contact you and arrange your initial, free consultation.

The consultation last for 15 minutes and provides you with answers to your general questions and allows you to see if you need formal advice and services. Following the consultation, if you decide to proceed with additional services, our partner will produce a proposal details the services and fees without any obligation.

Request your free French tax introduction >