P60’s are only relevant to a point when filing a french tax return due to the different accounting period of April to April in UK and January to December in France as has already been mentioned.
An otherwise intelligent person would surely keep a flow chart of income each month for French tax purposes?
I present all my detailed income to my French accountant which I am completely competent in doing.
I employ my accountant as an expert in French taxation to collate the figures l provide correctly.
Each year I read of people asking does it go in this box or that box and of course the warning of what happens when it is in the wrong box.
And the classic disagreement of posters suggesting what the official exchange rate will be.
No thanks, I’ll pass on getting involved, life’s too short.
once the return is submitted should any queries be raised then it is the accountant who answers them so no stress for me.
As for the UK return as I am a French resident and completely the relevant forms to HMRC forms my Uk tax return takes all of 10 minutes to do.
Not so, ever since I became a French resident in 2017, the French tax authorities have accepted my UK pensions’ P60s despite the difference in tax years. No need to faff around with flow charts.
Re the exchange rate, each year The Connexion’s tax guide gives a single exchange rate for the whole tax year that is accepted for use in a tax return.
I still maintain that for most people filing tax returns in the countries I mentioned previously is very straightforward.
Sorry, I can’t give a firm answer because a) I’m a subscriber, and b) the new guide hasn’t yet appeared. However it’s usually available as a PDF and/or hard copy for about €15 and I imagine it’ll appear very soon.
I buy a fresh copy every year because the numbered boxes on the tax form change from year to year. I always order the printed version because I like handling paper and physically highlighting relevant sections
I think that the most awkward thing for many people is the way that the French Tax Inspectors at the various Hotels des Impots require the same types of income to be declared in different ways. The problem is clearly one of inadequate training, and this results in people with identical incomes, from identical sources, being taxed differently according to where they live.
For example: The Tax Inspector at our local office is unable to understand the difference between a pension which is paid by the UK Government, and a pension which is a “Government Pension” paid from the UK. Therefore he insists that both the UK State Pension, and a “Government Pension” paid in respect of public service employment in the UK, are lumped together and declared in the same box which is of course incorrect.
However, being the Tax Inspector in charge of the Hotel des Impots he cannot be wrong or mistaken in any circumstance, and anyway it would be impolite for me (a mere foreigner and Third Country National to boot) to argue with him. Therefore, I just submit our return on paper as he specifically instructed, and put a note in with the return that it is submitted in accordance with his specific written instructions, and all is well.
So in the event of anyone having trouble with their French tax return, I would recommend obtaining a rendez-vous with the tax inspector, taking all the paperwork with you (especially that which shows the UK tax already paid), pleading confusion and seeming to be a bit thick, and asking him ever so nicely if he could note down on a spare form that you happen to have with you, exactly which income he wants put in each box. Then thank the Inspector profusely, beat a hasty retreat, and guard those written instructions most carefully having noted his/her name and the date and time of the interview there upon.
You may find that following the Inspector’s instructions might well save you money which you can then donate to the charity of your choice. (Of course you will keep the receipt for said donation so that you can deduct it from next years income.)
I wish you all many happy returns.
Ah, but I’m not called ‘Tech Guru’ nor would I wish to become ‘Accountancy Guru’, instead I simply enjoy filling in our tax forms, finding it a satisfying task.
Will this be the thread for the 2022 returns, similar to the great thread that @graham so kindly did last year?
If so, I’d like to pose a frontalier question - last year I agreed a calculation method with the France tax inspector for the month of UK salary to declare in France as worldwide income. Very happy with the deductions that he allowed.
The one deduction I totally missed was that 10% of gross salary is allowed as a deduction… does anyone know how this is applied? - e.g. is it an auto calculation from the amount one declares in the foreign income box on the 2042? Like pensions. Or do some people deduct it at the outset before putting in the amount in the 2042. I haven’t actually checked my last years tax calc yet, so sorry if the answer lies there…
ooops… seems it’s not just me who makes a mess of things trying to do the on-line declaration. I did take a peek on Thursday… but this botch-up wasn’t my fault… not this time…
i have just tried to do my 1st tax declaration online, but received this warning,
Selon nos informations, vous déclarez pour la première fois. Pour cette raison, vous ne pouvez pas déclarer en ligne cette année. Vous devez déposer une déclaration de revenus au format papier auprès de votre Centre des Finances Publiques.
Vous pourrez déclarer vos revenus en ligne à compter de l’année prochaine.
La direction générale des finances publiques
The question I have is does the paper return get sent to me directly from impots .Or do i have to apply for the tax return locally. I am worried that I may end up breaching the time frame required to fill in and return the forms.
@digitracker I’ve by coincidence received the same “warning” today. I immediately wrote to the Service des Impots and have already received a reply, which is impressive. They apologised that they have themselves only just learned that this year, first time filers cannot file on line (despite the established online guidance that this is the expected route for first time filers!). The SIP advised that very shortly the forms will be available online to download (not yet, as I’ve already tried). They added that you need to print them off, sign, date, add an RIB and proof of ID and send to them,
We collected ours from the tax office - the inspector handed us them, and photocopied all our details. It was very close, so not out of our way, the advantage was we had someone to phone and e-mail to confirm numbers and boxes.
I’ve now reviewed the calc and yes indeed see it was applied - in fact it seems there is a minimum deduction - 440 odd euros for salary and 390 for pension - so more than 10% with low amounts
I posted a question somewhere about despite declaring interest on the france tax return, I had nothing to pay. I recall replies suggested the amount might be too low to tax, though I cannot find my post or responses anywhere - hopefully it’s not an imaginative figment.
Anyway on reviewing my return and a few impot bulletins, I think I’ve cracked it - and curiously the solution seems to be the minimum deductions.
My declaration was low - only one month of income, so no tax. The 390 euros deduction on the pension taxable in france was used to offset the 30 odd euros tax on interest - it appeared as a tax credit. This according to the tax bulletins seems to be a function of the calculation of the effective rate - deductions are applied after the tax calculation at the effective rate, so as my tax calculation was zero, the 390 euro deduction appeared as a tax credit?
Amazing - I wonder if the unused credit is carried forward!
Selon nos informations, vous déclarez pour la première fois. Pour cette raison, vous ne pouvez pas déclarer en ligne cette année. Vous devez déposer une déclaration de revenus au format papier auprès de votre Centre des Finances Publiques.