What counts as a 'Pension de vieillesse'?

[NormanH]

Is there a difference between the ordinary retraite du régime génerale and a 'Pension de vieillesse'?

I had a feeling that this latter was something specifically for very old people ( over 80) with very low incomes, but looking at various sites it also seems to be used for the normal 'retraite' that I get (from France)

This makes a difference to me, since I recently sold a résidence sécondaire and paid the taxe on the ' vos plus-values immobilières'

But I see this

Retraités ou invalides de condition modeste

Si vous êtes  titulaire d'une pension de vieillesse

ou de réversion ou d'une carte d'invalidité (de 2ème ou 3ème catégorie),

vos plus-values immobilières sont exonérées d'impôt à la double

condition suivante :

• ne pas être soumis à l'impôt de solidarité sur la fortune (ISF) au titre de l'avant dernière année précédant celle de la vente,

• le revenu fiscal de référence de l'avant dernière année
  précédant celle de la vente doit être inférieur à un certain montant
  (pour une vente en 2011, votre revenu fiscal de référence de 2009 doit
  être inférieur à
  9.876 €
  pour la 1ère part de quotient familial, majorée de
  2.637 €
  pour chaque demi-part supplémentaire).

on the site

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F10864.xhtml#N101FA

both of which conditions I fulfill if the 'Pension de vieillesse' is in fact just a normal French Pension.

The Notaire didn't ask anything about my financial situation, and I wonder if I can claim a rebate. Any views on the two issues of whether what I have is a 'Pension de vieillesse', and If I can claim a rebate would be welcome, especially from our French natives and our tax experts [:)]

[Pommier]

My mother sold a maison secondaire about 4 years ago. She was in her 70s and in receipt of UK OAP (no French pension). I'd read of the concession you quote, so she printed out the legal text and showed the notaire.

He allowed it on production of her 2 latest tax returns showing that she hadn't been liable for any tax.

He didn't mention it until she did, whether it's something you have to ask for or whether it's not widely known by notaires I don't know.

[NormanH]

Thanks! There may be hope..

It was your post in another thread that started me thinking.[B]

[Pommier]

Good luck! it ought to be ok, but I bet it's a slow process getting money back from the French authorities.