I completed my first application online this afternoon, and saw the section about students. My son was born in Paris but we moved back when he was 6. He is now studying at uni in the UK, so I thought I’d try to claim.
I could put on the form that he was born in dept 75, but I couldn’t work out how to put he lives at a UK address, as the dept number was a drop down field without the usual 99 for “étranger”. I gave up in the end and took the dog for a walk instead.
I’ve just completed mine and it most certainly didn’t remember a damn thing I filled in last year…had to painstakingly re-do all 8 (in my case) 3916 forms with exactly the same details as last year. What you can do is view your forms from the previous year on a separate page but you have to start from scratch on the current year…no auto-fill sadly.
Another gripe is that the button to move back to the previous page doesn’t work, so you have to go right to the end and then right back to the beginning if you want to review anything…a major pain in the neck in what is already a frustrating process. 
I updated the information on the 3916 in this thread a little while ago.
It’s a new form this year incorporating the 3916-BIS so doesn’t remember the previous submission but AFAIK it will remember it next year 
I haven’t done ours yet so unable to comment on the back button but you can leave off at any time and go back over the submission before committing it.
In another thread regarding the 3916 form it has been written:
“For Transferwise as an example, the money is transferred via THEIR account to my account and they say that I do not have a declarable account with them.”
I think that is very bad advice by Wise (indeed, very unwise) given that there are substantial fines for not declaring these types of account - even more so now that the 3916 incorporates the 3916-BIS which was previously perhaps less clear.
Personally, I would never advise anyone not to declare foreign accounts and I believe that Wise are entirely wrong to place their customers in such a position unnecessarily.
If the fisc tell you specifically that you need not declare the account, that of course would be a different matter entirely (but I would want it in writing).
@Danielle_Robins
I agree and told them so very emphatically!
Their argument is based on previous year’s requirements and I advised them that the French rules changed in 2021 and their advice is therefore out of date.
I can’t believe I am the only one to have contacted them on this issue though! So can only assume they are burying their heads in the sand or not communicating the information to their customer service personnel.
Shame as my experience with them has always been good…
A simple descriptive help sheet for filling in your 2021 tax return (updated 6th May 2021)
tax return info.pdf (55.6 KB)
Thanks Graham, that help sheet is very handy.
I have a couple of questions that hopefully won’t come across as being really dumb 
If I transferred savings from the UK to my French bank account last year, must this be declared as income on my French tax return, even though tax was paid on the income in the UK?
I arrived and started working in France on 1 October 2020. Must I declare my income from working in the UK between 1 January - 30 September on my French tax return?
Thanks.
EDIT: PS, this is obviously my first (paper) return. I have informed HMRC that I am now tax resident in France.
I arrived a bit earlier in the year but also had a part year to declare.
Local tax office (Dreux) gave me two meetings with an expert to get everything in the right box. May have to be Skype this year but it’s worth making contact and saying sorry, just came here, please please help. I find that approach often gets the best out of French officialdom.
Doubtful that it would be necessary imo. Sure, your bank account will show some funds in there from a UK source, but provided you can explain the nature of the funds if challenged to do so then I doubt there will be any fiscal interest in them. If the account from which the funds were transferred still exists then don’t forget to disclose it on the 3916 Form.
Only the income from when you arrived in France will be of interest to the fisc (ie 1st October 2020 onwards).
Once you have a French Tax Reference Number (which will be issued after your first return), you can complete the Form France-Individual reference here which will ensure that you are not taxed twice under the Double Taxation Treaty. This is in addition to informing HMRC that you are now resident in France and is a formal requirement.
A simple form to help record your tax information for submission.
fichier help tax-1.pdf (20.1 KB)
That looks useful, thank you! Only comment I would make is that several other advisors give to pound to euro conversion rate as 1.143 whereas it is stated by your source as 1.13
I am aware that people use different rates for conversion but I think it should be pointed out that they should not just take one of them as gospel. This has been discussed elsewhere, of course 
Yes, it has been discussed many times and will continue to be so.
Not sure how to respond there Angela except as to say “whatever you think you can get away with” 
My resource says 1.13 (referring specifically to Charente) and Belvin Franks says:
I wrote to my tax office a week or so ago asking for the rate to use for sterling payments. They gave me .899 which converted (unless I am doing something wrong) is equivalent to €1.112347 to £1. That is a lot lower than the rates of 1.13 or 1.143.
Needless to say, I shall as instructed.
As indicated further up in the topic and in my tax return help pdf, you are doing the right thing (if given a lower rate by the fisc) but other Departments may have a different use rate so not to be taken as a given across the board.
For reference, which Dept are you in?
Actually, it wasn’t the local tax office specifically but the online one where the tax returns are posted, if that is different. We are in 82, Tarn & Garonne. I did an entry by entry conversion as well and that came out just slightly higher but not much.
Same meat, different gravy.
If you had a response in writing, it will be prudent to print it off and keep it with your own tax record.
Good idea, I will just in case it disappears from my inbox…
Morning
As Graham says, print out and keep. You can only do as you are told by the authorities.
Good fun
Andy
As a first time filler-in on paper, I offer you my warm appreciation of the links and the table identifying what goes in which box. Thank you
