Who can/must pay social charges?

Banking & Financial Tax & Social charges
1

My wife and want to move from the U.S. to France, and eventually become permanent residents or citizens.

Does paying social charges help in eventually becoming permanent residents or citizens?

Does not paying social charges hinder or delay in eventually becoming permanent residents or citizens?

What are the conditions for paying social charges? For example:

  • Would we be required to pay them if we don’t work for a French company?
  • If not required, could we pay them if we wanted to, and if we could pay them, how?
  • What if I manage a branch office, and am therefore under the labor laws of the U.S. and not France?

Thanks

2

If you are resident in France you must declare your worldwide income here. I don’t know what the tax agreements are between the US and France, but certainly for us we had to pay social charges (approx 17.5%) on all our income barring one income stream that was (is) taxed in the UK. We did not work for French companies. Social charges are not optional. If you are due to pay them then there is no choice.

However once my OH reached pension age and received a pension other income streams also became exempt, which was a pleasant relief.

I know the US is very complicated, so suggest you get professional advice.

But since they are a legal requirement it is a basic essential to any applications for residency or citizenship that you pay whatever is required. To apply you must show you are up to date with your taxes and charges. If you are not, you will be rejected.

Edit…it occurs to me from your other questions that you are perhaps thinking that social charges in France are just one thing? They are not, and employees/self employed pay

  • Contributions sociales : CSG et CRDS
  • Cotisations de sécurité sociale : assurance vieillesse de base (plafonnée et déplafonnée)
  • Cotisations de retraite complémentaire :
  • Cotisations de chômage:
1 Like
3

Thanks Jane. I was thinking that the social charges are taken care of by French employers and by micro-entrepreneurs, but I’m unclear how others (like employees of non-French companies) pay them. From what you said, it sounds like such a person would pay them like they pay the income tax.