Visit the Tax Office or not?

[Carolski]

My husband and I have lived permenantly in France now for 10 months. We have no property in UK and own outright our property in France. We don't work and recieve a small incapacity pension from the UK government which is just about enough to live on! We are pretty sure that we are not liable for tax in France. Do we still have to go and inform the tax office that we are here or do we wait until they approach us? We have had various bits of advice which seem to confirm this, however, we need to be sure.Our finances are very simple, no offshore accounts or investments abroad!!!

C

[Ron Avery]

Its worth asking at the Tax office because as residents in France you do have to declare all income received in France, whether you will pay tax on it or not.  It will be useful long term as you will  need a statement of income when you come to join the French Health system when your E 106 expires.  There are some exceptions to what you have to declare to the French Tax people, I know that certain UK pensions taxed in the UK are exempt, have a look on the Inland Revenue Centre for non residents web site or give them a ring

[Boiling a frog]

You need to complete a tax return in France every year Go to the tax office or your Marie and get the tax form it has to be submitted by begining of April

[LesLauriers]

First of all you are French tax resident and therefore should visit the tax office to ask for a form. In my experience they will help you to complete it. You should not be paying any tax in the UK unless, as said, you have a government pension.

If you are receiving interest on any UK or offshore bank, building society ISA or Pep savings then these are taxable here and subject to 11% social charges.

From the sound of it you are not in receipt of a large income and therefore your tax bill should be very low, as said, completing a return will assist in your entry to the French health system and will dictate the amount you have to pay.

You may find that on a low income that it will also reduce your tax d'habitation bills.

Anyone moving to France on a permanent basis is tax resident from the day after arrival, and should submit a French tax return at the start of the year following.

[Sabina]

[quote]You need to complete a tax return in France every year Go to the tax office or your Marie and get the tax form it has to be submitted by begining of April[/quote]

Will be difficult to return tax form for April as not been sent one yet despite writing last year to request one be sent to my English/current address.

What to do next - advise please

sabina

[Sabina]

[quote]Will be difficult to return tax form for April as not been sent one yet despite writing last year to request one be sent to my English/current address. What to do next - advise please sabina[/quote]

Have just read next topic on paying tax and realise my form may still arrive.

Sabina

[Battypuss]

They will penalise you for sending the form in late, so go and get one! I don't pay any tax, but still have to turn the form in, especially as it might cover your taxe d'habitation and consequently TV licence as well from this year. Just put '0' in every box and sign it; providing you are not sitting on hidden millions.......

[Washy]

You sound in a similar position to us. Everyone  resident here has to fill in a tax form as others have said.  I have just downloaded the forms from the government website.  www.impots.gouv.fr .  It looks a nightmare, and I speak fluent french!!! 

There is also a page on this site to calculate your possible tax bill.  The first time I filled this in it calculated I would owe 20,000 euros in tax....!!!  On my second try it reckoned I owed nothing which is more like it, and it should be the same for you.  I printed two copies out so that I can fill one in in rough.  Have a go.  And post it before the deadline.

[Battypuss]

Download the forms, which are a nightmare. You even get money off if you fill them in on line. But, they don't send you the cash if you have no tax to pay....

[chirpy]

yes go to tax office and you can ask for an estimate if you decide to pay in france you will most likely be paying less tax than you do now to u.k. and you can ask uk to refund your tax since you arrived in france and pay the tax to the french office.i have done this and i did get a translator to go with me so i could ask questions.

i actually got 2 years back tax  from u.k.

 

and repaid to french office a year later their calculated amounts for each year.

this year i am paying a monthly estimate and will at the end of the year have to fill in a form as normal to enable any small corrections.

you can if you wish pay a year in arrears .

[Tourangelle]

It is about 10% more if you don't pay your taxes on time, (not sure if this counts for declaring them). My experience with the tax people here is that nothing beats going to see them in person if you really want something done, writing and phoning does not have the same effect!

[Sabina]

[quote]They will penalise you for sending the form in late, so go and get one! I don't pay any tax, but still have to turn the form in, especially as it might cover your taxe d'habitation and consequently TV...[/quote]

Would love to go and get one but am here in UK until May!

Will try and down load forms - hope they are now for 2004 as last time I looked they were dated 2001.

Sabina

[Ron Avery]

[quote]Download the forms, which are a nightmare. You even get money off if you fill them in on line. But, they don't send you the cash if you have no tax to pay....[/quote]

Yes, you can do the return on  line, the advantage is that in certain departments, you can send the return in later than the postal date, in midi-pyrenees it is about 8 days later.  However, you only get the €20 off your bill if you pay by preleve ( Direct Debit), which you have to set up with your local Tresor Public

 

[Hereford]

Beware if you file your tax return online if: you have an exempt pension (i.e.govt) or rents in the UK.  Last year the website could not cope with this, no available form to fill in the figures for these items.

It is a myth that Govt. pensions and rents in Uk do not have to be declared to the French.  They have to go on the main form and also on a form 2047k. They affect the rate of tax you pay in France.

We were told that the first year you have to collect the forms yourself. We did that last year and this year they have arrived by post. The two forms came separately - and only during last week.

Hereford

[Chas]

[quote]Beware if you file your tax return online if: you have an exempt pension (i.e.govt) or rents in the UK. Last year the website could not cope with this, no available form to fill in the figures for th...[/quote]

Myth or not my local tax office says that if tax is paid in UK they appear only on 2047K.

[Hereford]

Such items also go on section 8 of the main form. The French make an allowance for any tax paid but the amount still features in the total on Avis d'impot called "Taux effectif (revenue mondial). French taxable income shows higher up on form as "Revenue imposable".  Tax on revenue mondial is taken from the bareme and then the tax figure is divided by "mondial" and multiplied by "imposable".

This is very hard to expalin but will become clear when you receive your tax demand.

This is very similar to how "top-slicing" works in the UK - e.g on chargeable events.

H.

 

 

 

[Treviades]

[quote]First of all you are French tax resident and therefore should visit the tax office to ask for a form. In my experience they will help you to complete it. You should not be paying any tax in the UK unl...[/quote]

Hello !

You mention: 'If you are receiving interest on any UK or offshore bank, building society ISA or Pep savings then these are taxable here and subject to 11% social charges.'

Do you know where I declare this revenue? Is it in section 8 TIof the 2042 form? Where do I need to fill it in on the 2047-K form !?

Many thanks for your help,

Rebecca

PS I assume tax is payable on the Cash ISA/PEPs and not the share ones?

[Guest CFrost]

UK (taxed) pensions also noted on 2042 page 4 para 8 line TI.

Interest (not subject to franco–english convention) noted on 2047 page 3 para 4 line TS and on 2042 page 3 para 2 also line TS.

Hope this helps.

[Hereford]

Update to my earlier posting ("beware if uou want to file online"):

This year have had no problem filing tax return (French!) online.  All necessary forms offered.

You get a bonus of 20 euros for filing online so seems like a good deal.

Hereford

PS You can only file online from your second year of completng a French return.

[Carolski]

Sorry, probably explained myself badly! We actually did NOT pay any tax in the UK as we were on a small government invalidity pension and carers allowance. (Never enough to be taxable). Our pension is still exactly the same apart from probably being a little less due to the fluctuating exchange rate. My question is: as we didn't pay tax in the UK, can we assume (given that our financial situation has not changed), that the same would be true here in France? Can it not be a nice simple answer??!!

 

Carolski

[chirpy]

nothing is simple with tax buti i would expect you would be treated the same but why not visit tax office -you may be entitled to some help in France due to your low income.

[Coco]

[quote]Sorry, probably explained myself badly! We actually did NOT pay any tax in the UK as we were on a small government invalidity pension and carers allowance. (Never enough to be taxable). Our pension is...[/quote]

If you want a nice simple yes or no answer Carol then it would have to be "probably, erring towards yes".  But you MUST complete a tax form.  If you haven't been sent one, go and get one.  And also ask at the tax office for help completing it because it is very complicated and you will probably have to fill in the one for overseas income.  They are very helpful and don't seem anywhere near as distant or unfriendly as the UK tax office staff (sorry if anyone here works for them)  We went last week and the lady was extremely helpful and I'm 99% certain that we won't have any tax to pay as our earnings are only fractionally more than the previous year when we had none to pay.  So fingers crossed!