tinabee

To support my earlier post regarding someone being admitted to CMU after having had private health insurance, here is what they took with them to support the application: Proof of residence (EDF bills) . Proof of income (Tax for 2011 "Avis d'Imposition des Impots" for 2010 + a spreadsheet print of current year (2011) pension/annuity income). Proof that 100% Health Insurance has been in operation for the period that the applicant has been outside the CMU (AXA UK European Health Insurance certificates confirming 100% cover from the date we left the CMU). I had a similar problem trying to get employed heath cover because my employment was short term contracts. The local office only knew to count 60 hours within a month to qualify, but I kept going back with the appropriate regulations (in French) and all my paperwork until someone accepted that a salary equivalent of 60 * SMIC was acceptable. Keep trying if you believe you are in the right.

[quote user="cooperlola"] Certainly, Sprogster, the new rules themselves don't seem, to my eye and with only a cursory read, to be very different from the old ones.  The only positive bit that I see is that there is less emphasis on the full PHI, so I do think one might get away with a hospital only policy or similar, whereas before it was quite obvious that that would not do.  But even there they are ambiguous at best.  However, as I say, some people have been let back in before their five years were up. On the plus side also, the accident de vie rules seem to have been clarified at local level by the new rules, and they are being better applied, from anecotal evidence I have. But honestly, I have not been keeping up as I used to.[:)] [/quote] Anecdotally, from an pm received by me - another couple have managed to get back into CMU after having had private health insurance.  Lesson, to quote Cooperlola: "give it a go, Joe!"[:)]

The company we used to do the soil test prepared the plans and completed the necessary forms. All forms were passed via the Mairie to the appropriate authorities. The plans need to be approved before the work starts. The final inspection was arranged by the contractor who installed the fosse.

[quote user="Russethouse"] I think the notifications are coming through ![/quote] Yes! a whole raft of them clearing the backlog [:)]

[quote user="NormanH"]But doesn't a two person household pay half the tax, not double? [/quote] The total taxable income per household is divided by the number of parts. The tax for each part is calculated using the "tranches". Then the tax per part if multiplied by the number of parts to arrive at the tax per household. Hope this makes sense.

[quote user="Frenchie"] I have English friends coming for dinner tomorrow night. For dessert, I intend to make a tarte with pears from the orchard. But I think the English would like it better if it was accompanied with .. - crème anglaise ( French style ... [:)] ) ? - ice cream ? - whipped cream ? Am I wrong ? Any other suggestions ?   [/quote]   All 3 please [:D]

[quote user="NormanH"]Wow that is impressive..I had been scratching my head over that one... [B] Have tinkered twice 1) changed formula in B23  from E17*B10 to E17/B10   to take account of parts, and Changed C19 to be permanantly 0 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuTBbphDzPcwdFdmdFNSNGVrR0FlZV9aRzk2Zk5CRmc&hl=en_US [/quote] Hi If you are 2 parts then you need to multiply the tax per part by 2 to get the tax per household (which is the reason for the formula in B23) otherwise you will get a false result. The division of taxable income by parts is already done in B12. If you are only 1 part, just change B10 to 1 C19? (blank cell)

[quote user="NormanH"]Thanks a lot for your interest and your imput. That is a lot better [:D] There is a basic flaw in my original, which I don't know how to solve. It works fine as long as the income per part is over the 11896 level, but under that you get false negatives in the total.. Try it with 9000  for one part or 17000 for two and you will see what I mean. In my case this doesn't matter, but I can imagine some couples or people with children might well have under 11896 per part .... [/quote] New version uploaded - copes with lower (and higher) incomes https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Am2vUo1_NQtkdEFESzUxVzJrVzFNZlVrZVJJUGI1WlE&hl=en_US (you just need an IF function)

Amended spreadsheet here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Am2vUo1_NQtkdDFoelRfeUZFc0JIMzJIVEx5VEVyU1E&hl=en_US I have made the fields to type in your own figures blue. The allowances are the normal 10% but if different you can type in the actual deductions instead of the calculation. Hope it works    

The basic calculations in the spreadsheet work [:)] To take into account CSG deductible and match to the Avis, use the following changes Revenu brut global (RBG) = pension + other income (rents/savings) less the 10% abatement (or frais réels) Taxable = RBG - CSG deductible The credit is as you have it with Total replaced by RBG (French Tax*Gross govt Pension)/RBG Using the basic figures you supplied, the tax and credit figures come out the same If you can open an excel spreadsheet using OpenOffice, let me know and I will upload the amended version

[quote user="NormanH"]The  French income was for earnings or rents.I was mainly concerned to make something to look at the  UK Government pensions being taken into account at the gross figure and in a new calculation, so I have used only the simplest sorts of income from the spreadsheet I haven't considered CSG, and of course if you paid last year (at least for rents) a portion is deductible. I thought that the 10% was applied to total income. Does it not apply to businesses or savings etc? Genuine question... [/quote] The 10% is just pensions and a standard deduction for expenses if you are employed (don't know about self-employed, and I claim actuals for travel to & from work). Definitely no abatement for savings. If I get a chance tomorrow, I'll have a go at including some of the variables and see if I can get it to work - and then check against the Avis.

i'm not getting any at the moment [:(]

[quote user="NormanH"]Its the Open Office version of Excel It works ok for me, but then I always use the cheap versions.. Will try on google. The one I posted is from free, my FAI https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuTBbphDzPcwdFZlMURLRF9tdDU0VkUwaUYwYlpJRGc&hl=en_US [/quote] Spreadsheet is good - you can "save as" into Excel so no problem Sorry, can't test is easily as we are 2 parts on the Avis and the 10% abatement doesn't apply to our French income. Assume the calculations are for income that is only from pensions and does not include any savings interest or "CSG deductible"  

[quote user="NormanH"]I have now made a simple spread sheet to calculate French tax due, based on a single person with a  UK Government pension, a OAP, and other French taxable income up to  26420€. I would like to test it against a real 'Avis' but haven't had mine yet. Is there anyway of posting a spreadsheet on here so that others can test it if interested? It should be available at http://dl.free.fr/hRy2kCRDO but I am not confident [8-)] The figures are random and there for test purposes...replace with your own. [/quote] Hi Norman, just tried to download your spreadsheet but got a zip file with various content - but no spreadsheet. Was it Excel? If you have a google account, you could try uploading to google docs

[quote user="sweet 17"][quote user="NormanH"][quote user="tinabee"] New simulator to calculate capital gains tax on property http://www.leblogpatrimoine.com/impot/simulateur-de-plus-value-immobiliere-apres-le-24-aout-2011.html   [/quote] I don't see any place in that calculator for the expenses incurred in renovation. [/quote] Yes, I did understand it is just a kind of stab at the plus value minus all the finer details. And yes, I'd still like to know what renovations/improvements are allowed; as listed in my earlier post, ie, woodburners, fitted kitchen, etc.  I am sure the installation of "essentials" like water, electricity must be "off-settable". Most importantly, I'd like to know whether you are still able to "claim" a 2-year period for trying to sell before it's counted as a résidence secondaire. I can see, however, that you might have to pay something like 1000 euros to a fiscal representative to go through all the figures for you [+o(] but I have heard that some people manage to prepare the figures themselves and get them accepted (I don't know how exactly).  [/quote] Me too!  

No - the site says it is just a first attempt at the basic calculation taking inflation into account - they will update the calculator as and when more concrete details of any allowances become clear.

New simulator to calculate capital gains tax on property http://www.leblogpatrimoine.com/impot/simulateur-de-plus-value-immobiliere-apres-le-24-aout-2011.html  

[quote user="Russethouse"] Could the reason that there are a lot less answers be that there are a lot less questions ? The numbers moving to France seem to have dropped somewhat and so much info is available on the internet now (some of it from this forum) that the number of questions has died down.[/quote] Absolutely, just what I was thinking

Just found this website which explains all the different types of payment and how long they take. http://www.ukpayments.org.uk/payment_options/ Also something on PSD and SEPA http://www.ukpayments.org.uk/payment_options/cross_border_payments/

quote user "Louise&Gary"  "Thanks TB, you sound like you know what you are talking about. The person at HMRC said that completion of the P85 was not the process per se, rather than the start of the process by which my pension could ultimately should I wish be taxed here. Was she giving me duff gen?? Is there any other way of getting a cotisation other than working etc? I do not actually need to work from a financial point of view." The P85 simply tells HMRC that you are no longer tax resident in the UK, so you should have already completed one when you left. There are no choices about where you are taxed. If you live in France permanently, then you must declare ALL of your worldwide income here, however, income which must be taxed in the UK, like your Govt service pension, is given a credit, so that you are not taxed twice on that amount. There is no other way of getting into the French healthcare system at the moment if you are "inactive", but this may be changing due to a recent EU ruling. If you are currently getting healthcare by an S1 form from the UK, then you MAY be able to pay into the system of CMU (Couverture Maladie Universelle) - which is a contribution based on your income, once your S1 expires. This thread may help explain the current situation. http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/2573820/ShowPost.aspx For an explanation of the Healthcare system, have a look at this site http://www.frenchhealthissues.eu/health_system/how_health_system_works.htm  

Quote Louise&Gary "As I have mentioned earlier in this post, I am in receipt of a UK Govt service pension which is of course taxed at source. Following a nasty shock from HMRC the other day re their dream that this was to be taxed at 40% (an error funnily enough), on phoning them I discovered that should have completed a Form P85 as I was leaving the UK but receiving income from the UK by way of pension (this also applies for income through property or other means). I have not heard of this, and I am sure many others have not either. Anyway, the conversation led to the discovery that after completing the P85, it is then possible to have your income taxed in France as opposed to the UK." UK Govt Service pensions will still be taxed in the UK, even after completing a P85. If you have other income from the UK, e.g. savings interest, other pensions, then these can be taxed in France. For savings interest you complete a form R015 and send it to your bank, for other pensions, you need to complete a France Individual form and submit it with your next French tax form. "Posters here have mentioned AE as a way of getting into the French system, however presumably if my pension was taxed in France, these contributions would likewise get me into the system." Paying tax in France does not get you into the Social Security or healthcare system, this is achieved by working or running a business and paying "cotisations" (similar to National Insurance). "Not only do I have absolutely no desire in continuing to subsidise the shower of s**t in the UK who live off the backs of the law abiding hard working taxpayer, I have a 10 month old son who will be brought up here as a Frenchman, so I would prefer my taxes to contribute to his education etc. Has anybody any knowledge or experience of having a pension taxed in France, and if so how does this compare to the tax rates in the UK?" Tax rates in France are generally lower, but cotisations generally higher, but with a Govt Service Pension you don't get a choice where you pay tax.

We are currently fighting the same battle - for the nth time!  They did go away for a year or so after we had had the house repointed, but now they have found a new way in and are back. We have tried everything, but the little b**&&rs still come back every year or two. We are currently trialing a "gel" which comes in a small tube that apparently definitively destroys the nest (ha ha!). So far we have found that only a nightly spraying with the product with the long tube keeps them down, but you need to keep the treatments going. Just keep persevering and hoovering.

Not just the French - the Italians are getting a bad press too http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_31677.shtml  

[quote user="Gardian"] [quote user="JK"]With CurrencyFair you'll get about 1.145 and pay €3 for the transfer. This is particularly useful for small sums (eg £300). [/quote] When something sounds too good to be true, it often is. Out of interest, I've just checked out the interbank rates for 17/8. For most of the day, the rate was below the 1.1465 obtained and only crept above it (to about 1.148) towards close of play. Whilst I understand the concept of matching buying and selling clients (which presumably makes the interbank rate irrelevant), I just don't see how a broker can operate profitably on such tiny margins. Wasn't there a broker in the West Country that was offering very attractive rates and went bust a little while ago?  Caveat emptor.  [/quote] It is not CurrencyFair that set the rates but the clients who want to exchange currencies, hence the rates on offer can change minute by minute. I would imagine that being an online service the overheads are pretty low and the returns achieve due to high volume, small transactions (like eBay when it started). The website states that all client funds are held in segregated client accounts with a global banking provider. But, you are right about Caveat emptor - with any financial transaction these days, it is up to the user to do their own research and determine what risks they are willing to take with their money.

[quote user="JK"] So if you need to do the exchange NOW its not so handy. [/quote] On the other hand, if you are not in a rush, you can transfer the funds to CurrencyFair, say what rate you require and then wait and see if that rate is acheived. Once it it, the exchange happens automatically and you are informed by email. This is what I did to get the 1.15 rate. I have also found that transferring from CurrencyFair to my French bank account happens the next day, e.g. transfer from CF requested friday, funds arrive in French bank saturday.