UK police pensioners get French social charges repaid
The couple were originally charged over €14,000
Alison and John Watson said they were refunded the overpaid amount
Alison Watson
A retired police couple are celebrating after confirmation from their local tax office that their UK police pensions will not, after all, have French social charges levied on them.
Alison Watson, from Vienne, was facing a €10,000-plus bill after their 2024 declarations, as she had taken her pension in 2023, including a one-off ‘lump sum’, as is usual under the scheme.
Together with husband John, who has declared his pension since 2020 and has not been charged before, they had a bill of more than €14,000.
Her part for 2023 was cancelled after she showed she was not reliant on French social security in 2023, as she had a private policy as part of their move to France, but that is no longer the case moving forward.
Read more: Fact check: Does France offer world’s most generous health reimbursement?
Usually, UK public service pensions do not attract French tax or social charges, under the UK-France double tax treaty.
Lawyer involvement
They turned to a French tax lawyer, Laurent Gravelle.
He showed the tax inspector in charge of the file why the pensions should not be charged, and gave an analysis of the treaty, as well as previous case law interpreting it.
“It was complicated – the couple had already spent a lot of time over this, going to see the tax office and sending letters, but it was technical,” Mr Gravelle said.
He said if you are “100% sure” of your rights, it is possible to pay only the part of your tax bill that is correct, having made a réclamation contentieuse (contentious claim) and a request for a sursis (suspension) with regard to the part you are not going to pay.
Otherwise, it is best to pay in full and then obtain a reimbursement. If you do not and the tax office disagrees, you risk also late payment penalties.
Mrs Watson said they have a revised bill and “they quickly refunded the money we had overpaid. Laurent was very efficient. Thank you for listening about the issue and publishing it in The Connexion. Without it, we would have been at a loss”.
Read more: How to change bank account in France - and points to consider
Other good news
Also in good news, the mother of a British teenager from Isère who, as we reported in November, was refused Caf benefits after delays obtaining a Brexit Withdrawal Agreement card, reports her daughter now has her card.
The family hopes the problems will shortly be resolved.
