How do I go about filing an income tax return in France?

April 15, 2010 8:29 AM

I've got to file my income tax return. The catch? I'm working a one year contract in France and therefore am going to have to do it in a language I'm not particularly good at, with other complications detailed inside. Does anyone have any experience with this? Or alternatively, does anyone know what kind of person I'd need to employ to help me with it? (Accountant? Financial advisor?)

From what I can work out, the French tax year coincides with the calendar year; the UK tax year runs April to April; and my contract runs June to May. I've paid UK tax on my earnings from January last year until mid-May, at which point I moved to France. Income-wise I am fairly straightforward - a little bit of savings (UK), a full time job in France, and a couple of hundred pounds for a part-time blogging job.

posted by handee to Work & Money (4 answers total)

Best answer: The French "revenue service" (administration fiscale) simplified things immensely a few years ago. I've filed my taxes online for seven years now; it's free, they use a secure connection and you're given a unique certificate when you first sign in, that you can (and should) keep on your PC for subsequent years. That said, I can't recall whether you're able to file electronically if you're a first-time filer... your tax form should say so. The website is here: impots.gouv.fr, click "Particuliers".

It's not too complicated on paper either. Your tax form will be pre-completed with the revenue your employer declared. However, your blogging job complicates things a bit, since that could be declared in one of a few different ways, depending on several factors... I'd look for a comptable (accountant), ask them if they help private individuals (particuliers) with taxes, and tell them the details.
posted by fraula at 8:54 AM on April 15, 2010

Best answer: to clarify - what you're looking for is indeed an accountant, but not all freelance accountants here help private individuals with taxes; many focus on freelancers/small businesses.
posted by fraula at 10:13 AM on April 15, 2010

Response by poster: Your tax form...

Er, I should have a tax form? Roughly when do these appear?
posted by handee at 1:05 PM on April 15, 2010

Some time soon, in April or May. I usually get mine around the end of April, although some people don't get theirs until the second week of May. The filing deadline is 31 May, but you get a few more days if you file online. If you haven't got a form by mid-May, call up your centre d'impôts and ask what's going on — if you're employed you'll very probably get one in the mail, though.
posted by fraula at 3:57 PM on April 15, 2010