Jump to content

Bastet

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    228

  • Joined

  • Last visited

    Never

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Bastet

    Change from CPAM to RAM

    in Health

    Posted

    Hello,

    Thanks everyone.  The RAM cotisations therefore "take priority" over CPAM, that's helpful.  So much for what the accountant implied.  So presumably, as the  CPAM cotisations we're currently paying were calculated on income from 2005, we will carry on paying these as well as RAM.  

    OK, I have to send a copy of the old CPAM attestation to RAM.  If my husband sends back his CPAM carte vitale as requested, will mine still be active until I get a new one when they get around to adding me officially as a dependent?  It's all very confusing.....

    Finally, what is the "loi Madelin" please?  

    Thanks again.            

    Change from CPAM to RAM

    in Health

    Posted

    I've made a similar posting in another section but have had no response so I thought I'd try here; it may be more appropriate.

    Husband has registered and has had expected demand from RAM, new carte vitale etc. We're in the middle of paying the CPAM cotisations for the current year.  Do we end up paying twice, does one lot get refunded - what happens to my cover? His RAM attestation only mentions himself as beneficiary.  I have nowt to do with his business.

    Also, the Avis d'appel de Cotisation says: cotisation exigible le 01/04/07,  € xxx à regler avant le 01/05/07.  He's hoping this means he has until 1st May to pay as he hasn't paid it yet on the advice of the accountant who was supposed to speak to them & confirm the position. Daily phone calls to her (constantly out of the office) have produced no answer yet.  As much use as a chocolate teapot.

     

    I know there are lots of lovely knowledgeable & helpful folk out there.....

     

     

    Which Caisse?

    in Earning a Living

    Posted

    We are expected to pay CMU cotisations this year (to cover Oct 06-Sept 07) and my newly registered OH has also had demands to pay RAM from Jan 07, for which the attestation only covers himself.  I have opted out of anything to do with his business due to complete inability to do anything useful.   

    OH is actually waiting for our accountant to confirm as to whether he should pay the RAM demand or not, having said in her opinion, as we're in the middle of the CPAM year, RAM should back off until the next cover year. (ie Oct 07-Sep 08)

    To which caisse will I be accountable to and will cover me in future?   Or have I completely misunderstood the situation?

    Thanks.

    PS. I dithered about which section to post this in so if any of the mods feels it belongs elsewhere, be my guest...

    Perfect Pronunciation?

    in French Language

    Posted

    A french friend our ours, (who is trilingual so knows a bit about languages) says that his girlfriend speaks much more 'correct' french than the natives of our region, Poitou Charente, by which I take to mean her grammar is more by-the-book and her pronunciation is certainly very clear and comprehensible.  She comes from Vendôme - not a million miles from Tours.   Maybe it dates back to all those aristocrats in their châteaux..!!

    rate of pay for cooks

    in Earning a Living

    Posted

    Hi Sharon,

    I wouldn't want to comment on what to charge for the gîte cooking but the starting rate for cooks in 'collectivités' ie maisons de retraite, schools, contract catering implants etc, is nearly always the minimum wage of  €8,27 per hour.  FYI, it's very hard to get a job like this without a french qualification. I don't know what the rate is in 'restaurantation traditionelle', as the ads always say is according to capability & experience.

    Hope that helps.

    CPAM cotisations

    in French Finance

    Posted

    Sorry, I don't know how the wires have crossed; I realise URSSAF are the collection agency; I always intended to deal with CMU/CPAM, if anyone.   I thought Owen was saying that once the bills had been issued by URSSAF, there was no right to appeal.   I am encouraged by all your help and advice and will re-post with any news in the future. 

    Thanks.

    CPAM cotisations

    in French Finance

    Posted

    So you're saying that there is no chance of getting them to review the cotisations,  for which the CMU have very obviously made a mistake, once we've received the URSSAF bills?  That seems pretty inflexible, even for France. I stated in my first posting that we've just received the bills for two trimestres, both to be paid by the end of the month. I know we will have to do that but I was hoping they could later adjust the total liability for the year, if they accept the correct figures.

    (I have double checked the previ accounts and they both seem to be classified as insurances and I'm pretty certain we've never had any interest.)

    CPAM cotisations

    in French Finance

    Posted

    Thanks again. 

    Do you know if 'they' take into account anything from Previ-Options or Previ-Retraite accounts?   I don't think we get any interest from them but I guess I should send them all the details anyway..

    CPAM cotisations

    in French Finance

    Posted

    [quote user="Sunday Driver"]

    You will find full details of the process, together with a sample complaint letter [url=http://www.ameli.fr/assures/droits-et-demarches/reclamations-et-voies-de-recours/comment-contester-une-decision/les-differentes-voies-de-recours-aff_deux-sevres.php]HERE[/url].[/quote]

    Thanks SD; I obviously hadn't examined this option too closely...could you point me to the letter please? I can't seem to find it. Sorry to be so dim......thanks to Teamedup too; I might prepare everything as above and take it all in to Niort myself, to cover all bases.  I just hope I'm not too late.

    Yes, the accountants are disappointing, to say the least. They were recommended, plus they had the extra bonus of an English speaking assistant - who left a month after we started the saga and has not yet been replaced. Communication is a bit of a problem but if they can manage the OH's work accounts efficiently, they'll be forgiven.

    CPAM cotisations

    in French Finance

    Posted

    Has anyone successfully disputed the amount of cotisations determined by CPAM? 

    Long story short, last year after taking incorrect advice and declaring just our fiscal reference number to CPAM, they sent round a chap who appeared sans rendez-vous demanding to know how we were managing to live on such a meager amount.  When confessing that we had income tax-free interest from (French) savings accounts that we thought were not relevant, he went through all the statements and came up with a total figure to which I agreed.   On re-examining the statements later on, I decided he had made a significant error. 

    This was then put in the hands of accountants, (last october/nov) on their invitation, when Mr Bastet & I went to check them out for his iminent business.  Since then we have heard nothing helpful. They initially kept saying they were waiting for CPAM to return their calls, then that they would write. I've chased them again this morning, having had actual bills from URSSAF for two trimestres to be paid by two weeks time, but the guy is out, naturally.

    I feel it's time to try to take matters into my own hands now, so would like to know if anyone has had experience of sorting out a similar situation. I have a couple of french friends I could rope in if necessary to correct a letter or maybe even come with me to a meeting - my french is Ok for daily living but not up to dealing with difficult beaurocracy.  My understanding is that this chap came from a department of CPAM with which it is difficult to make contact; if possible, I'd just like a pointer in the right direction.  I know there's a conciliator service but on looking at the website I get the feeling this is just for the medical aspects.

    I would like to emphasise that we are NOT trying to avoid paying our way; just to ensure we don't pay more than we are really liable for.

    phrasing question for invoice

    in French Artisans

    Posted

    Hi everyone

    Can someone please tell me the French expression for 'stage payment'

    I need to send an invoice, by way of a receipt, but can't find the best way to say it. One web-based translator said paiment d'etape but it doesn't sound right to me. This is for my first clients so I want to make sure everything is 100%.

    Thanks for any help offered![:)]

    Mr Bastet

    Siret Application

    in French Artisans

    Posted

    Hi Chris

    I've just been through the process your considering. You'll need to have trade qualifications to register with the chambre de metiers, translated by an official translator of course. My city & guilds was accepted no question. If you don't have the formal qualifications you can ask your accountant or employer in the UK for a declaration of competence. Then do the 5 day stage at the chambre de metiers. After this you can register & get your siret within about a week (can someone explain the ad's marked 'siret en cours' that you see for months on end?)

    Looking at the list of tasks, I would say you'd have to be covered under a policy for charpentier & menuisier, shop around for quotes but I reckon you'll be looking at €2000 - 2500 per year for civil liability & decennale cover. Think long & hard about the work you are realistically going to do,  as it's expensive to cover yourself for work you might or might not do. I've decided to limit myself to menuisier & it's chopped the insurance 'down' to €1000 a year. There's still plenty of work in this to fill my time!

    I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide to do mate

    Lemon tree or failed graft??

    in Gardening

    Posted

    Friends of ours have what should be a small lemon 'tree' which they keep inside, but the abundant new growth so far this year is suspect. It's growing from the base in long thin branches which have thin thorns about 2" long and soft long oval leaves. Opinion is divided as to whether it is indeed the new lemon tree or the host plant onto which the now defunct lemon tree was grafted.

    Does anyone have an informed opinion please?

    Category of driving licence

    in Driving in France

    Posted

    Bonjour all,

    I have an on-line form to fill in, and one of the required fields is for having a permis de conduire.  The options are:

    VL     PL    SPL    TC

    I've left mine (I do have a french one) in the car which my OH has at the moment, and an on-line search, while telling me all about the different categories of vehicles one can drive, doesn't give me the info I'm looking for.

    I'm sure it's a really obvious answer that I'll kick myself for not guessing.......

     

     

    A Question of Grammar....................

    in French Language

    Posted

    [quote user="cooperlola"]

    As a little aside about punctuation, capital letters and computers.  If you were taught to touch type, as I was, it is extremely irritating that some of the punctuation, plus the way the shift lock is organised, on a computer key board, is different from conventional typewriters . 

    The thing that really gets my goat - "could of" and "should of" etc instead of could 've or have and should 've or have!  Grrr...

    [/quote]

    I agree.. and then to use a French keyboard with a ZERTY keyboard and completely different key functions is yet another challenge..

    I cringe when I hear " got off of the..." instead of "got off the ..."      

    Auctions

    in French Antiques, Arts & Crafts

    Posted

    Every July, in La Mothe St Héray, in the Deux-Sèvres, there is a large weekend brocante. For the last two years, the town has organised an auction (followed by bar-b-q and dance) on the Saturday night at the Orangerie, one of the town's restored historical buildings.   The prices achieved are ridiculously low; I just wish we had a bigger house.   It's worth a visit if you're not too far away.

    I'll post a reminder nearer the time.

    What is the easiest way to learn the language (based in Lincoln, England)

    in French Language

    Posted

    Just to add to what's been said so far, the CLE International publications include Grammar, Conjugation, Vocabulary, Communication (real life situations) Literature and Pronunciation. I, and French friends who help me learn, think they are brilliant.  Each range usually has a beginner, intermediate and advanced book and some have accompanying cds. 

    You can get a limited selection on Amazon.fr or .com or if you live near a university town , you will usually find them in the bookshops.

    In Poitiers, "Gilbert Joseph" has a comprehensive languages department and will order what they may not have it in stock.

     

×
×
  • Create New...