New Tax Declaration for French Homeowners
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Why all French property owners including those with second homes must complete a new form on the French tax website this year? And why it could be good news in the future.
Anyone who owns a property in France - either a main residence or a second home - now has to complete an extra tax declaration after changes to the tax system.
This is Why
Following the French government decision to phase out the residence tax (taxe d’habitation) for main residences only, the French tax administration now needs up to date information from property owners about the state of occupancy of their properties to apply the correct tax regime.
Who Does it Concern?
Every individual, SCI, company, or other legal entity owning a residential property in France is subject to this new declaration – no matter if the owners are non-resident or non-French nationals. This measure applies indifferently to joint owners (indivisaires) and life tenants (usufruitiers). The government expects 34 million owners to be subject to this new declaration.
What’s the Deadline?
The declaration must be submitted between 1st January and 30 June 2023. It will be a one-off declaration that will only need to be updated if the occupancy status changes. French property owners failing to report their ownership will incur a penalty of €150 per property.
How to Register
For individuals, the declaration needs to be submitted on the French tax authorities online portal called “Gérer mes Biens Immobiliers”. Here’s the link to the English language page which features a short 2 minute tuition video with English subtitles.
For companies and businesses, you will need to login on your professional account and click on “Biens immobiliers”.
The information previously provided to the tax authorities will be pre-filled. You will need to review and complete the form to indicate the occupancy status and the name(s) of occupants/tenants.
The service will also make it possible to collect rents for rented residential premises from landlords as part of the revision of rental values.
The new portal will be developed in the coming years and will enable property owners to manage all administrative and tax procedures relating to their properties online.
Hotline Number for Homeowners
We’ve learned that some non-residents are finding it difficult to deal with this obligation especially when they do not have an account with impots.gouv, the French tax administration.
Luckily, the declaration can also be filed by phone as the authorities have now set up a dedicated line to help property owners dealing with the declaration swiftly: 0809 401 401. We have tested it and the declaration can be submitted in less than 10 minutes! Note, the hotline is in French but we are happy to assist non-French speakers if required.
If you already have an account with impots.gouv and are still facing a problem with the filing of the declaration, you can use the internal “messagerie” on your personal portal and directly post your questions to an agent. Note, we also have a dedicated page for emergency numbers in France.
For Expert French Tax Advice
Our UK based French legal experts specialise in taxation, wealth tax, succession, etc… They have extensive knowledge of French tax system, contact François or Romane at RWK Goodman.
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