Millions to get email from French tax officials: be sure to read it

Almost 11 million people are set to receive an email from today (April 10) onwards from the French tax authorities if they are eligible to automatically declare their income for 2023.

Tax officials estimate that there are 10.6 million people who last year were taxed only on incomes already known to the tax office and prefilled in their 2023 declaration (of 2022 income), and who did not notify any change in their tax household or new income streams during 2023.

These people can benefit from the déclaration automatique, in which they are only required to check information about their situation pre-filled by the authorities, including known incomes received in 2023.

If you have been sent an email and are eligible for this, all you have to do is to check the information provided in your personal space on the French tax website to ensure that it is correct and up to date. If so, there is nothing further to do.

If your situation has changed, however, you will need to complete a tax declaration.

This will include confirming changes to personal information such as your address, if it changed, and if you have got married or divorced or had a new child. 

Note, however, that if you had a new baby, or adopted a child, and declared this during the year via your personal space, then you will still be eligible for the déclaration automatique.

Certain other groups will not qualify for the déclaration automatique, such as self-employed workers, non-residents, rental property holders, and people with incomes from abroad, as the French tax office does not have direct access to information on these incomes as it does, for example, with income paid to employees in France.

Read more: Key errors foreigners may make with French tax declarations

Up to two months to update information

The DGFiP warns that people who fail to accurately report their income or situation in a way that reduces the overall tax they pay or otherwise puts them in an ‘advantageous’ position, will face a penalty of an extra 10% surcharge on their final payable tax amount. 

You have up until the declaration deadline (which varies depending on where you live in France) to announce these changes, without the risk of a fine. 

Read more: Three ways your taxes will be eased in France this year

As a reminder, the deadlines for income declarations this year are:

• Before midnight on Thursday May 23 for departments 01 (Ain) to 19 (Corrèze), and for non-residents who have French income that must be declared

• Before midnight on Thursday May 30 for departments 20 (Corse-du-Sud) to 54 (Meurthe-et-Moselle)

• Before midnight on Thursday June 6 for departments 55 (Meuse) to 95 (Val-d'Oise) and overseas departments