URSSAF? Grateful for any tips..any artists signed up with urssaf, here?

Having been long registered with the tax system…I only recently heard of URSSAFand signed up online, as it appears to be an org for independent artists /tax paying etc…
I’m invited to phone to discuss it…but as it might be quite important… Would like to ask for any comments in English… First…so…
I’ve got a sirene/sirete number, for selling art in France, but all my pics go abroad at present. Although may be France, too, soon. Is it useful? Important? What does urssaf do, please ? Any comments gratefully received…

Jeanette

Are you based in France…

You’ve got me confused… since if you are… and you produce pictures and then sell them… it doesn’t matter where they go… you are selling them, surely… gaining the money (never mind where) … and that IMO makes it necessary to Declare in France and pay whoever/whatever … :thinking:

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Hello Stella…thank you for replying… I don’t think I ever met anyone, in the same bracket as me…so you might never have any suggestions, but its very helpful to discuss it anyway. The tax dept has all my information, I’ve lived here in the same house for 21? Years no I dont go away, except to the shows
…I love it that IMPOTS FR. can now fish around in my bank account to work it all out for themselves! Sheer joy!!
I would be glad to cough up any money they ask for, but left the tax threshold, a few years ago. I’m OK with selling paintings anywhere. But …I sell in the country where my son and grandkids live because the company selling my stuff pays for me to go and do shows with them so…free trips plus a month or so of free board and lodging in that country, and visits to family are a part of the deal. Looking at my tax stuff is extremely easy…or would be for any one with a micro scrap of arithmetic brain… Paid by just one bloke, for the last ??? Years. My plan is…having recovered from a totally collapsed roof, a few yrs ago…now rain proofed again! To have some shows in my studio. Two Maire’s in those passing few years, approved the plan…and I got all the rules and regs from the right departments… To open the place for shows…(you have to ask the fire department, and there are restrictions …if you can’t provide wheelchair access… But all of it looks easy enough…I haven’t got any stairs…).
Recently, after some probs with the company reorganising…and a younger guy taking over…, sales have begun to mount up again…I don’t want to miss the chance to chip in with obligatory tax payments! Not at all! But income for artists, is most often a bit haphazard, no pay packet behind the clock! So…somebody looked shocked, at the Prefecture… And exclaimed… “QUOI!! SANS URSSAF!”… so…I thought.hmm hmm hmm…better look into that. So here I am… Theres a German special for_artists tax thing too…and I wondered.as its Europe…praps I ought to pay Germany… as well…or instead of…to be on the safe side…praps not possible… Yup…intense confusion! Thank you if you got this far!

I read to the end… :upside_down_face:

Sounds like you do need to talk with URSSAF… discussing your situation with them… will put everything on the right footing… you may have to pay something… maybe not… but at least it will be dealt with…

good luck

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URSSAF stands for Union de Recouvrement des cotisations de la Securité Sociale et d’Allocations Familiales.
So as the name suggests, it’s the body that collects social security dues from independent workers in France.
What you will be chatting to them about is not income tax, but the social security contributions that you have/should have been paying on your earned income, ie your contributions for healthcare, pension and other social benefits. URSSAF has nothing to do with taxation and they won’t know or care what tax you pay, but it does share information with the tax services.
Hope this helps.

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Thank you …Stella! You are truly ! a star…:innocent: Reading it to the end…that’s like being HEARD! all that a lot of humans need…since it indicates a level of rational coherence in own thinking!! I am not berserk!!

Anna!! THANK YOU!! GOSH!!! NO WONDER THE LADY’S EYES WERE OUT ON STALKS!! You think I should be paying contributions for health care etc…as well as paying for Top up insurance, on my Carte Vitale? Its all fuzzy to me! I’ve paid for Top up insurance and been issued with carte Vitale care…for decades! Was that all a goof? I have zero idea about how it works…when I first came to France.'95, '96? I paid full fees for all meds and treatment. I think it was my doc who told me about Carte Vitale and top up. Perhaps he thought I was already paying whatever else was necessary? He seemed like the best bloke to ask, at the time!

I don’t mind paying them dosh, if I owe it, but everyone accepts my carte Vitale…and I keep coughing up the TU insurance.as usual…its not cheap! Yikes!
You are a perfect treasure to reply at all…I live in a world of semi darkness as far as departments and regulations go…HOWEVER…
Never once…ever before…has anyone (before lady with eyes on stalks) suggested I should have any connection with URSSAF!
I felt inspired to talk to that office, as invited to do so…after signing on, online. I’ve got my own URSSAF online space now…but its impossible to talk to anyone, they are too busy, recorded messages…Was all.
Thank you Anna!!!
Please expand on any thoughts that come to mind, about obligatory payments required?

If you are below the tax threshold, then you are probably eligible for what is called CMU-C or complementary access to health care. You should probably be paying nothing at all! You need to have the conversation with stalk eyed women!

What a wonderful place this is! …I mean Survive France…with top information …best members. Thank you Jane.!!
I got in touch with Fabien, too… I feel overwhelmed by goodwill and solutions to every prob. Thank you!
Im a bit edgey about accepting help, because I’m a very inadequate member of the Village/local community. There are some really nice pals, but the French sense of togetherness matters a lot, to everyone. I’d prob. be less likely to be seen off in a tumbrill, if I pay for my own insurance…but I remember BUPA treatment, once, very expensive, very careful…but kind of deluxe… like a 4 star hotel. I don’t need that kind of comfort… My teeth do…but the rest of me…is OK sleeping on the floor, like real Japanese monks. Very good for backache.