Tax bills, traffic, school aid: Important dates in France this August

August 1

France’s national summer sales – extended due to the recent riots in some areas leaving some stores unable to open – will now end on August 1. This was so as to allow stores more time to sell products after being affected by closures and attacks.

In addition, a last-minute sale of 300,000 August train tickets – including for high-speed TGVs and Intercités trains – is running for two days on July 31 and August 1.

The tickets will provide travel for late holiday arrangements, with the SNCF hoping people will take the train instead of a car, or that the tickets will allow those who cannot plan holidays in advance to still have an August break.

Read more: France’s summer sales period extended to help shops recover from riots

Read more: TGVs among 300,000 low-cost train tickets to go on sale soon in France

August 2

The online service for correcting any mistakes - or adding items you forgot - in your French income tax declaration opens on August 2.

Select Accéder à la correction en ligne, then Corriger.

Avis d’impôt income tax assessments have been arriving in recent days and should be available in all taxpayers’ accounts at impots.gouv.fr by August 4. Paper copies will arrive by August 30.

Read more: Is it too late to change French declaration of 2022 income?

August 5

This is expected to be the worst day this month for traffic as people head off on holiday. It is the only predicted ‘black day’, meaning extremely difficult travel, listed by the service Bison Futé.

This is specifically in the ‘direction of departure’, referring to roads heading from Ile-de-France towards the other regions, or from major cities towards the coast.

Friday August 4 is also expected to be ‘very difficult’ for departures, and the same goes for Monday August 7 in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Saturday August 12 generally.

For people returning home the worst dates are predicted to be August 11-12, 18-20 and 25-26 and 28.

August 15

This is the Assomption bank holiday. As it falls on a Tuesday, some places may close on Monday to create a long weekend.

August 16

Families who are eligible for the back-to-school Allocation de rentrée scolaire payment by the Caf (caisse d'allocations familiales) will be paid on August 16.

The one-off payment is made just before the school year and is intended to go towards materials and equipment the children may need at school.

The benefit is automatically available to households with children aged up to 18 in full-time education or apprenticeships, though there are income ceilings to benefit, for example €31,723 for a household with two dependent children. The relevant figure is net taxable income (shown on page 2 of the avis d’impôt for income tax).

The amount depends on the age of the child and is €398.09 for ages six to 10, then €420.05 from 11 to 14 and then €434.61.

Read more: How are Caf income support benefits changing in France?

August 23

Homeowners will begin receiving their avis d’impôt (bills) for the taxe foncière local property tax between August 23 and September 15 if they requested a paper copy and chose not to pay in monthly instalments from January to October.

Bills can be viewed online at impots.gouv.fr from August 30 and the payment deadline for those who did not pay instalments is October 15.

If you did pay by instalments, you will receive a tax statement in September or October. If any surplus is payable it will be taken from bank accounts in November and December.

Also in August

Two of the largest cultural events this month are La Feria in Dax, Landes and the Rock en Seine musical festival.

La Feria will include several days of folk and world music as well as bullfighting (corridas and course landaise) and local gastronomy, from August 11-15.

Rock en Seine, from August 23 to 27, is at Saint-Cloud, near Paris and has a line-up including Billie Eilish, Florence and the Machine, and The Strokes.

Read also: Recap: Two key changes coming in in France from August 1, 2023