I’m hoping someone here has been through something similar and can offer some advice. I’m an auto-entrepreneur based in Tignes and I’ve been trying to pay my URSSAF contributions for several months, but my online account won’t let me.
The payment system seems completely blocked – I’ve tried different browsers, devices, and even changed bank details. There’s no option for bank transfer either.
Meanwhile, I’ve been getting increasingly urgent and threatening messages in my auto-entrepreneur inbox, including one mentioning a potential bailiff visit.
I’ve contacted URSSAF through every channel I can think of – website forms, email, phone, social media – but I’ve had no response. It’s really stressful, and I feel completely stuck.
Has anyone here dealt with this before? Are there any English-speaking professionals or services that could help?
Had 20 years of URSSAF dealings and we always went in person to their offices and sorted problems face to face. Think that is what you should do. Failing that have you contacted your local Chambre de Mètiers or Commerce depending on your business and what it falls under. Whatever you do, you MUST get this sorted, from experience the majorations will mount up into hundreds of euros and you will not get any recompense without court action. If the huissiers do call, they will take details of any and all vehicles on your land and hold the details of these for ransom if they do not get payment but at the same time, you can pay them direct although more demands for interest may follow. I found out the hard way because we lost thousands of euros that a scam client did not pay and got a visit and when I went to re-register the family car after OH died, the prefecture said there was outstanding debt to URSSAF and that the car belonged to them, however the debt had long been paid and the huissiers had not informed the prefecture - just a warning of how things get out of hand here.
When you mention you’ve used the phone, did you actually speak to someone who can access your dossier ? I can only vouch for my experience, but when I had to ask them to correct something that I couldn’t correct via the online portal, I managed to get hold of someone from the IT side of things who was able to make the appropriate corrections. I had to sit and wait quite a while on hold until actually being able to speak to someone though.
Failing that, try and go in person. Sometimes, it is the only way to solve these stupid issues.
Yes, and as you have indicated your lack of French, try to seek a friend to go with you.
I have had no experience like yours except when I first came here and applied for a carte vitale. I can’t remember the problem but I went straight to the desk and failed to understand fully what was said so came away non the wiser. Just as I was searching for a competant friend for another attempt, the card came through the post.
I do not really understand what you mean when you say you have “been trying to pay” for several months.
There is no system for you to initiate payments (well there is but only in extraordinary situations). All payments are taken by direct debit by URSSAF.
The system is that you submit your declaration of turnover at the end of the quarter or the month, whichever you opted for. On the bottom line of your declaration you instruct URSSAF how you wish the payment to be taken, i.e. the amount you want them to debit and the account you want them to debit it from (normally the full amount, and normally the account you have registered with them). URSAFF then takes the due amount by prélèvement shortly after the declaration window has closed. So if you submitted your quarterly declaration by the 30 April deadline, URSSAF would normally have taken the payment around 3 or 4 May.
If for some reason you get in arrears with a payment eg you submit your declaration late you can ring URSSAF and they will give you instructions on how to pay as a one off by bank transfer. But that is not a normal payment method.
Have you been submitting your declarations and have you been completing the line where you specify the amount to be taken? Sometimes this defaults to 0€ and in that case URSSAF will debit 0€ because they can only take what you instruct them to take.
It sounds as if it has become urgent and there must be large fines accumulating so I think you should ring them or email them. They will respond and they will email you a document with their RIB and also instructions on what reference numbers you need to include on your payment. You need to be careful to use the correct reference numbers to ensure your payment does not get lost in the system otherwise that will be another problem.
It may seem a stupid answer… There’s two “pages” to the declaration. First one you confirm the amounts - then the second you “pay”. Can’t remember exactly the specifics but - somehow missed the second page/pay confirmation once. Some browsers their pages display a bit odd. If that’s simple open up an old declaration and follow it through - confirm the declaration and then make sure you read and scroll down the page that follows.
In e mails to them don’t waffle on…please send me a RIB to regularise my payments is more than enough. They do simple much faster.
