We are French residents and sold a UK flat in November 2025, which had been rented out for the last three years, and declared on our French tax return. We have notified the sale on this year’s tax declaration, but as the Uk CGT allowances resulted in a zero tax liability in the UK, will we still have to complete the 2048 -IMM -SD French form, resulting in a potential French liability of 8,000 €? Has annyone else had a similar experience?
Thanks
Simon
If you are french tax resident then you need to declare worldwide gains and losses.
Make sure you work out the gain correctly though as you do not simply translate the uk gain…it will be the cost price in euros as date of the purchase compared to the selling price in euros at date of sale. You can also deduct selling and purchase costs like estate agents fees and lawyers again euro value at date of transaction
Depending how long you held it for there are extra reliefs such as the 15% of the cost for works done at the property if held over 5 years (or claim actual costs if you can evidence), then various taper reliefs may apply.
I had this issue. I’d been a French resident for 6 years. I sold a house after almost 20 years ownership in the UK. I went to a notaire for them to do the free form filling and liability workings. To my horror they wanted €5200. UK was about £800. I noticed that he worked out the ‘gain’ using the same £ to € conversion rate for both the date of sale and purchase and it was the ‘sale’ date he used. This was 2023/4 so something like €1.15 to the £. I bought the house in 2005 (i think) when the € was over 1.5 to the £. Using the conversion rate at the date of purchase for this calculation made a huge difference and left me with nothing to pay.
I rang and emailed the notaire about this error and he stood firm saying that they were the rules. I arranged another meeting with him via his secretary, which the notaire then cancelled, then avoided all my correspondence.
I had a friend who had been through the same process and his workings matched mine with respect to the conversion rates. So I checked with AI and it agreed, and also found me the law that stated that the correct £-€ conversion rates apply to purchase and sale.
I emailed the notaire with this and he simply said that he would put my figures on the Plus Value’ return for me. Which he did, I paid the fee (something like €65?) and heard nothing since. I also gave a copy direct to impost when I handed my paper tax return in.
Remember you pay 2 forms of capital; gains tax in France, one is social charges and they are worked out differently with different sliding scales. Still, it is pretty easy to work out when you have the correct sums in place. And as Paul Robson says, you can also deduct 15% for work on the building. You also pay less tax if you’re a pensioner I think. Anyway, google it, or ask ChatGPT. Jon
Hi. Thank you for your speedy and detailed response. Can you remember what documentation the notaire required in respect of the original purchase price and the price you sold at? `We may have problems laying our hands on the original purchase price docs.
Thanks
My pleasure. I don’t recall proving it, but i probably did. I had the original documents drawn up by the solicitor back in 2005. Try here Search for land and property information - GOV.UK . I would recommend getting a Notaire to calculate this for you. It’s free, and if you want them to submit it there’s a small fee. But maybe avoid the Notaire in Pamiers - the fluent English speaking one there was wrong and too proud to admit it.
The Land Registry website link is down for extended maintenance.
This sounds like a classic case indeed of trust but verify. Good you challenged the sums…
You mention the taper reliefs then it does get into quite a complex area as its indeed different periods for income tax and soxial charges (who knows why)…probably wise to use a notaire then double check the maths with a couple of different AI tools…
I imagine that if it was submitted by yourself it might go through some kind of verification process, and not when done by a notaire. There are online Plus Value calculators, but they never seemed to work when I tried them. The sums aren’t tricky, but providing you have your numbers and the precise £ - € conversion rates for the date of purchase and sale (and proof of what you paid) you should be fine. The notaire only proceeds if you ask them to. So they’ll do all the workings out for free at your RDV. Good luck.
ps - i found the UK CGT much harder, probably because i spent days trying to pad out expenditure for work done on the place 
oh, and i think you were supposed to do your Plus Value declaration in France either 1 or 2 months after the sale… But i don’t think this is strictly adhered to like in the UK. I know a couple who didn’t mention their house sale at all. so far so good for them.. I wouldn’t risk upsetting the French Tax system if i wanted to remain a resident though