Moving to France - First tax return

[yalaki]

Hi,

Sorry, it's another thread about filing your first tax return.

I have moved to France midway through 2013 and am now in the process of filling in my declaration des revenus. I have 1001 questions and epic confusion, despite just now spending a couple of hours at the centre des impots!

My most pressing issue concerns the foreign income that I need to declare. Until this morning I was under the impression that I need to declare all worldwide income received in 2013 only AFTER I arrived in Franace.

However, the man I spoke to this morning told me multiple things. First he told me I do not need to declare worldwide income for 2013, only for 2014. This made me happy!

However, I asked him about paying CSG - in the double taxation treaty between France and UK it says researchers at universities, like myself, do not pay CSG and other French taxes, some of which have been automatically taken off from my pay (despite me informing the university that it shouldn't be). He then told me, as a result of this, that I will afterall have to declare all foreign income (I am not sure of the relevence to the CSG, maybe it was seeing my French payslips that made him realise that I am tax resident in France for some of 2013). And all foreign income meaning all income for all of 2013. This will be complicated...

So, is he right? Do I declare all income for all of the year I arrived, or just the income since I arrived.

Thanks in advance.

[idun]

 I think you should do one, but strictly on the income you have had since your arrived, prior to do that has nothing to do with France.

[EuroTrash]

Honestly the best thing to do for your first return is to go to the tax office with all your papers and get them to help you. That's what they're there for. Who knows whether they're telling you right or wrong but if they have all the facts in front of them they write the figures on the form in their own handwriting, at least you don't have to agonise over whether you made a mistake.

And assuming they do know what they're doing, you can ask questions and learn and feel more confident next year.

Having said that, I'm on my fifth and I still go in and ask them to check it for me!

[tinabee]

We definitely only declared all worldwide income from the date of arrival in France, so just a part year. All income earned in the UK before the move to France had already been taxed correctly in the UK. You can make a note in box E1 of the date you arrived for permanent residence.

[yalaki]

Thanks for the replies. I went back to the tax office today. The person I spoke to today seemed more knowledgeable and more concerned about being correct in what he said. He confirmed that I only declare income from after I arrived, as you all said. So, thank you [:)]