What income taxes apply?

[RandomJ]

Kind francophiles,

I am 22 and have been offered a job working in france. The company is french and I would be paid in euros. The wage would be €34000 and after basic french income tax I think that comes to €26140. What other income taxes would I be subject to and, a single person renting a flat, what council tax type taxes would I be subject to.

I'm sorry but I've never been to france on anything but a holiday before so this is a bit of a leap in the dark...

Thanks in advance!

J

[Alexis]

The basic deductions here are around 20%.  This is before tax.  Tax is paid twice a year. 

Taxe foncierre and taxe d'habitation is for the house/flat.  Not for how many live there. 

If you are earning that much salary, I would image you will be not in the sticks so the rent on a flat could be very very high.  If you can find one.

[Tourangelle]

On a more positive note, that is plenty to live on for a single person, even if it is in Paris.  (Is it Paris?).  If you rent a flat it is the landlord and not you who pays the tax foncier.  You just pay the taxe d'habitation, which really varies from place to place.  I live in the centre of Lyon, which is pretty expensive in French terms.  I have just paid 352 euros and I live in a 60m flat.  Here we also pay a small tax once a year that is basically for the dustbinmen of about 50 euros.  I would say it is definitely cheaper than London, but, hey, I earn much less than everybody I know who lives there.

I am not quite sure what you mean by basic French income tax, but there are social security deductions that are made on your salary, and probably the company you work for will offer a mutuelle, which should cover more or less any other medical expenses, although you are not obliged to have it, you can take another one.  The amount for this will probably depend on your salary.  Income tax can be paid monthly, but I don't think you will pay it for the first year you are here anyway, because it is based on the previous year.

You will need insurance before you can even rent a flat, and you might even be required to have somebody to guarentee that you will pay the rent on your flat and that if  you don't they will.  I would ask in the company that is offering you the job whether they can help you out with any of these things.

I'd leap if I were you, France is great!

Jane

[Will]

Don't forget that income tax in France is paid in arrears - not through PAYE as it is through UK employment. The employer will, however, deduct the employee's social security contribution which is, on average, just over 20% of the basic salary.

[Val_2]

Jane. Thats not a bad price you pay for rent. My daughter rents a 30m² studio in centre of St.Brieuc (quiet residential street with parking) and that costs us 260€ per month which includes utilities. In Brest and Quimper they charge more and for less space.

[Teamedup]

RandomJ,

I was just wondering if you have been correctly informed by this company.

When people are told what they will earn here as brut and net, the net has nothing to do with french income tax. I can well imagine that the deductions that have been mentioned do not include french income tax at all and you would have to pay that a year later.

And on such a salary, you could well end up, if you are single, with an income tax bill of over 4000 euros.

You would ofcourse have your other things to pay, like local taxes and perhaps a mutualist, although big companies will often help towards mutualist cover.

Your rent would depend on where you live and the local taxe habitation, is related to the rentable value. Rents do vary enormously.