Autoentrepreneur separate business account

I just caught a Twitter post which says that it will now be compulsory for AEs to have a separate business account for their transactions.


I work from home, no trading name, work payments paid directly into my personal bank account so no 'jiggery-pokery' possible in my case (I think they're trying to clamp down on social contributions abuse). My invoices and related bank statements record everything I earn.


Does anyone know if this new regulation covers ALL AEs or just those with a trading name or what? I'm already on less than minimum wage so wouldn't be a happy bunny if I need to open a dedicated account with no doubt an 'admin' charge of €150-odd a year for the privilege of - nothing.


I live on my earnings that are paid into my personal account. Having an independent business account would in effect make my personal account redundant as money would no longer be going in it.


Anyone with knowledge of this please?

Hello Brian, it arrived in the post yesterday. I am lucky.

13 days! That is but the blink of an eye for them. At 13 weeks ask again, but some people appear to have been closer to 13 months! We were both about a month I think, certainly not much more.

What did she say , Suzanne? I've just registered as AE profession libérale. By the way, is 13 days too long to have been waiting for my SIRET number to come in the post - or is that normal ?! Thanks, Angela

I can't see why it shouldn't be John if the only payments in are work-related. Would they class Paypal as a bank? (ie would they be sticklers for a "bank" title). I know online banks are adequate but I wonder if they would make a distinction, even though all transactions are recorded on there so I don't know why they'd have a problem. But then that's the same with a personal account - all payments in/out are there in black & white anyway but they want them separated off. Still don't understand the logic.

Looking forward to your update Suzanne.

I have 2 clients in the US and get paid for marketing services rendered. At the end of each month I withdraw my earnings via separate PayPal accounts, then transfer the PayPal balances to my French personal banque account. I only use those PayPal accounts for my business. Is this not sufficient and considered as my specific business accounts? (assuming that we will need to have a separate banque account for our AE). - John

As I have said already, I read URSSAF's bulletins and the FEDAE newsletters. The powers that be are far too likely to spring up and say that law so and so says and that we should have seen in edition X of ABC. So I read them looking for such things. They never actually tell us that something is changing until after the event when they can tell us we are in the wrong. So I try to be totally correct on the basis of being one of the worst administrators of my own affairs known to humanity. I have already had the painful experience of changing my net enterprises details because my bank advised me to close down my original account when it looked like somebody may have hacked into a large number of accounts, so closed them (with permission) to open a new one with money transferred over. When I changed my details I was all but accused of trying to withdraw my previous details in order to hide money. No doubt they did the same to many other people but each of us was suspected of major fiscal crime. So, thanks but no thanks, thus until somebody actually says something, like notify me in writing, then they can go and do what people do to a Christmas turkey to themselves!

I've just asked my accountant to clarify for my personal situation as AE profession liberale. Will let you know what she says.

Exactly Brian - where is the notification? They know that it wasn't obligatory before and so many of us just use our personal account from which they are happily already deducting their cotisations. They could be helpful and clarify this and remind us how to update our bank details on net-entreprises.

I agree Val - I've just caught up with this and realise I now need to open a separate personal account. What a hassle. I'll also need to change where the cotisations are paid on net entreprises...really looking forward to that!

I should really count my blessings that (a) it's not caviar and (b) at least he's eating, Mr Picky Picky. It's the age thing.

We should form a partnership with McCanns in order to get bulk sales at massive discounts given we probably keep them afloat the amount one of girls puts away ;-)

That's reassuring - maybe they'll come to me one way. I did receive a discount on my leccy bill, I think because I'm poor, which was very welcome. I must admit the French system does seem to be absolutely spot on when it comes to children. It's just a shame the parents have literally to go through the mill to earn the money to feed them. Luckily, mine seems to live on cereal ...

Wibble, wibble, wibble! Totally agree. Now with CFE newly imposed on us. Try CAF for your children though, they eventually came to us to tell us to claim and when they did we got a back payment! That, from all other experience, seems very unFrench.

OOOoo I am hearing that old Beatles fave 'taxman' in my head here!! Tax upon tax upon tax. Indeed, as I keep saying to my friend '26% of not a lot actually amounts to too much!'. I have been informed that I cannot even claim any help as low income yet, I have not been here long enough so I am paying through the nose, my kids are often going without essentials, I constantly get requests from the school for various contributions and am getting to the point where I cannot really afford to pay my 26% every month. It really is crazy. Every month since I have registered as AE there has been another change; another possible cost implied; another additional piece of paperwork to do. I tell you, I found it easier being a limited company in the UK than an AE here. I only had to keep invoices and submit to an accountant, do the VAT returns every quarter and PAYE and it all seemed so uncomplicated compared to this, not to mention cheaper!!

I am seriously considering renting a small place in the Uk for tax purposes and just pretending to holiday here long term. I just want to work, pay my tax and have something to show for it but all these rules are actually making it harder for me to do any of that. This bank account nonsense seems so unnecessary. We cannot claim expenditure so only income is of interest to the authorities, surely any bank account will do!!

I am deeply annoyed. They change things but do not directly notify in many cases. I thought that was the point of the bulletins URSSAF sends out. But they appear to wish us to do it by osmosis, telepathy of some other means that avoid the need to put black on white. I keep an account in the UK for my copyright fees from ALCS, plus publishers royalties and occasional fees for UK publications. Then I have my Swiss post office account for all other royalties. I keep both as a reserve for shortfalls here. I declare the income here though, except the copyright money that is taxed before I get it. So, a single account covers everything here. Since I do my bookkeeping as things arrive I have a record of what goes into the bank here or elsewhere. If they want statements then logically the other countries would have to have them and there I must say they can go to Hades. I know exactly what you mean Sarah, but the work we are finishing for Save the Children (today, hooray) has to be paid into a legitimate account for their accountants, so we can't go black. As it is we occasionally give them money. If we get expenses, such as flights, hotels, car parks and so on reimbursed in a single payment with the fee then we have to declare them as turnover and pay social charges, eventually tax on our own money we are being repaid. When that was on the way to €2000 to begin with then it makes a vast hole in what I/we get (both of us do the same work, sometimes as individual consultants on the same research) in fees. The system is nuts. Now if this is true, which I am happy to see the link you put up implies it is not, then apart from anything else, I am going to find a way (I actually have one) of not declaring all of what I get any longer in order to compensate.

I agree. I know several people, mainly commercants, who sell their wares on markets as part of their business too (one is French, the other 2 are expats) and they basically pocket at least 50% of the cash they take at the markets etc. They say if they did not they would not be able to afford to continue in business really and indeed survive. Unfortunately, I do not take cash but I have been recently considering if it were worth me re-registering into the UK tax system and just pay for private medical cover over here. I bring thousands of GBP into France from the UK every year which equates to more in Euros. Every extra hoop which ultimately has an impact on me being able to work efficiently does make me wonder if there is another way of doing things, preferably legally. Maybe I need to change my type of work to one where I do handle cash!

Online banking is much better now - we use LaPoste (not saying they are better than anyone else) but the 'gizmo' we use for our Irish account has never given us problems.

I recommend you sign up and try it out anyway - it might mean a few less trips, and more time for you at home to work on your "whatever you do, don't forget this" list ;-)

Good point!! Confining everything to one account would be much more transparent.