Hi all,
I have been on the Micro Entrepreneur scheme for 4-5 years and was told I didn’t need to do a yearly personal tax return! Is this correct? As I will be needing to apply for the Carte de Jour I don’t won’t to fall foul of the system and be declared non Resident.
Errrrr seriously, no you’ve heard very wrong! You absolutely need to do a tax return for every year you have been here! Don’t panic, get your papers together with what you have earned wiht your AE, overseas income (including interest), a list of each overseas bank account you have, all the usual papers (proof of domicile - from when you arrived and from now, ID copies etc). Then go and see your local tax office and explain that you had recieved bad advice and need to do your tax returns for the last 5 years. Hopefully they’ll be kind and helpful and get you sorted and up to date. Who gave you that advice???
3 Likes
And welcome to the forum! Sorry should have said that first!
Tory said it all - throw yourself on the mercy of your local tax people and hope they feel kind!
Hi,
It was an accountant, this doesn’t sound good. I shall have to get this sorted, would an accountant help?(obviously not the first one I approached).
Sorry meant to thank you for your replies.
Also to make myself out to be a bigger moron than I already seem, does everyone male/female working/none working need to do Tax Returns? My partner has been here 4 years with our son and she hasn’t done one either, she doesn’t earn anything.
Can I have a bigger shovel…
1 Like
Hello Michael and welcome to the forum.
Oh my… first thing to say is … don’t panic ! 
Sounds like you both need to look into things, quietly and calmly.
If the annual Declaration of Your Income (even a zero) has not been done since you arrived… that will need to be put right, as others have said.
Most Tax Offices offer an appointment system and that is what you need.
A face to face meeting, with your local folk… where you can clearly explain what has happened.
Tax Officers are not ogres… tell them the truth and the situation can be rectified.
Personally, I see no point in involving an Accountant.
You, yourself, need to speak with the Tax Folk.
Take heart, you are not the first and will surely not be the last person in such a situation.
but, the sooner it is faced up to… the better the outcome.
cheers
1 Like
Accountancy is one of the most misnamed jobs imaginable… (hard to call it a profession sometimes). In my working life I had to sign disclaimers specifying that they are not accountable for anything. Welcome to the forum and good luck with the fisc who are a totally different kettle of fish to HMRC.
Do you nonetheless have a tax identifiant for you both or any paperwork from the fisc?
I’ve got to ask Michael, have you paid any cotisations as yet or got a Carte Vitale?
I am worried about my son ! He apparently has no money from his succesful restaurants. He turned to me when his expartner asked for money for my grandsons music lessons, and I don’t have any income myself atm. He says all his money is in the business.
( I was more than happy to give the money to help my grandson as I had encouraged them to sort out music lessons for him in the first place)
Secondly I asked for some papers to prove I am his family, he said he would have to ask his accountant. ???
One of the advantages of ME/AE is it is a straightforward regime that shouldn’t need an accountant. A disadvantage of the system is you can’t claim the cost of using one if you do.
Make an appointment with your local tax office and explain your mistake.
In general everyone resident in a France has to complete a French tax return declaring their worldwide income and open bank accounts. This is usually done as a household.
Having evidence of tax returns is a vital part of applying for a CdS so you need to sort it quickly.
Hi Timothy, yes I pay Cotisans and I have a Carte Vitale.
Regards
Michael.
Edited your name, apologies.
Hi David,
We are going to start putting it right in the coming week.
Thank you
Michael
1 Like
Good morning Stella,
Thank you for your reply, I’m sure it will work out ok once we go and explain our ignorance.
I’m not up to speed with it all and am learning by mistakes.
Regards
Michael.
Well done you for at least asking the question and realising your mistake with time to sort it out!
If you have any evidence that this accountant told you not to do one then take it with you! Right now some tax offices are still closed to personal visits so phone yours up on Monday and ask what the procedure is. (Most used to have a walk-in service, so you could just turn up and see someone - but I guess you wouldn’t know that if you’ve never done a tax return 
.)
Overall I have been hugely impressed with tax people here. Unlike some other groups of functionaries they have been unfailingly helpful and polite.
1 Like
Which of the tax regimes is your ME on? Are you paying tax as you go - or not - there’s a choice. It could be a factor in what the accountant said (or you thought he said) - doesn’t mean you don’t need a return but on the flat rate PAYG your tax will be up to date if not the paperwork.
Hi Chris,
I pay every quarter.
Regards
Michael
Tax and Social Charges?
The quarterly return is what everyone on the ME scheme does. You declare income - it takes whatever % your sector attracts in social charges - the tax can be taken quarterly as well at flat rate or when you do the tax return at normal tax rates. It depends how the ME was set up/what choices you made then - it should be clear on the return/statements if its tax and/or social charges.
It’s Tax but I will make sure.
Regards
Muchael
Tax officials come in all shapes and sizes, but just to say that I had a magnificent experience with the office in Dreux both times I needed something - really helpful. The key is to say “I’m not the expert, I need some help”. You may need to spend a little time tracking down the right person but it’s worth doing.
I got more than three hours of help completing my first tax return, and was told to come back when I’d done it so it could be checked before I signed and submitted.
1 Like