Impots.gouv.fr: Your Guide to the French Tax site

Impots.gouv.fr is France’s online portal for everything concerning French taxes, including income tax, property taxes, wealth tax, and business taxes. This is the place to file your annual French tax declarations online, consult your tax notices (avis d’impositions), pay your property taxes, and book appointments with your local tax office.

Here, we take a look at some of the main functions of the website and how to navigate your online tax account.

Setting up your online account

Impots.gouv.fr provides a wealth of official resources on French tax, including a section in English (mostly aimed at non-residents), which you can find here: https://www.impots.gouv.fr/international_en.

However, to access your tax returns and avis d’impositions, you will first need to acquire a French ‘numéro fiscal’ (tax number) and set up your online account.

Read our guide to How to Get a French Numero Fiscal & Open Your Online Tax Account.

Once you’ve set up your online account, you will be able to use this login to access either your personal or professional space (the latter is for businesses only). On the first page, you’ll see the login options in the top right corner.

Votre espace particulier

For the purpose of this article, we’re going to focus on your ‘personal space’  (‘votre espace particulier’), which is where you will find your income tax returns, property taxes, etc.

Votre espace professionnel

However, for businesses and auto-entrepeneurs, you’ll also have access to the ‘espace professional’, where you will file any business tax returns, TVA (VAT) returns, and pay any income or property taxes related to a property owned under a Sociétés Civiles Immobilières (SCI).

Contact et RDV

There’s also a link here where you can contact the French tax office, which should be your first port of call for any tax-related queries or concerns.

Simply select your situation:

Particulier – individual

Particulier domicilié hors de France – individual resident outside of France

Professionnel – professional/business

Entreprise étrangère (sans établissement stable en France) – business based outside of France

Partenaire – partner

…and the reason for your question:

La gestion de vos impôts (déclarer, payer, contester) – Managing your taxes (declaring, paying, contesting)

La gestion de votre patrimoine (donation, succession, cession de titres, déclarations foncières…) – Managing your assets (donation, succession, transfer of titles, property declarations, etc.)

Une autre démarche fiscale (quitus fiscal, conciliateur fiscal) – Other tax procedures (tax clearance, tax conciliator)

Le paiement d’une facture publique (cantine, crèche, hôpital…) – Payment of a public bill (canteen, crèche, hospital, etc.)

Le paiement d’une amende ou d’un forfait de post-stationnement – Payment of a fine or post-parking fee

L’accès à votre espace particulier et à vos services en ligne – Access to your private space and your online services

 You can then choose a contact method:

Par messagerie – by online message

Par téléphone – by telephone

Prendre rendez-vous (sur place, par téléphone ou en visio) – book an appointment in person, by phone, or by video conference

Trouver un point d’accueil – find your local tax office

Trouver la réponse à votre question – search the online help articles

In your Espace Particulier, use the tabs at the top to access the different areas of the site.

Prélèvement à la source

If you work in France or have income subject to France’s PAYE system (pay as you earn), you can see details of this here. This is also where you can declare any changes that may affect your tax during the current year, such as a change of marital status or job.

Paiements

This is where you can make any necessary payments, such as paying your tax or property tax bills (click ‘impôts’), paying any official bills such as a hospital or canteen bill (click ‘factures publiques’) or paying any fines or late-payment fees (click ‘amendes’).

Click ‘payer en ligne mes impôts’ to access to set up your payment details, add bank accounts, or make a payment.

Documents

This is where you will find your past avis d’impositions (tax notices) and other important tax documents. It’s also a good idea to download copies for your own records.

Biens immobiliers

This is where you will find details of any properties that you own, including property taxes and the new declaration d’occupation form.

Déclarer

This is where you can make any tax declarations that you need to make online, such as your annual French tax return (also linked to from the homepage)

Autres services

This is where you can purchase timbres fiscaux (tax stamps) and run various tax simulations.

You can also send a message to the tax office from your personal space and this is typically the best way to get in touch with any particular queries or concerns as it will already be linked to your tax account and fiscal number. Simply click the ‘messagerie sécurisée’ in the top right hand corner and follow the instructions.

One final tip – while some tax forms are provided in English, the majority of the impots.gouv.fr website is, of course, in French. A handy tip to work around this if your French isn’t up to scratch (and frankly, even if it is, it’s still really useful!), is to use the google translate function available on web browsers such as Safari – click the language selector in the navigation bar and it will auto translate the pages into your chosen language. Just be careful to double-check if you’re unsure, as auto-translators are not always 100% reliable! 

Whether you are moving to France, own French property, or have business interests, assets, or investments in France—FrenchEntrée is here to help with all your tax questions. Our Essential Reading articles are designed to give you an overview of the basics, from income tax and social charges to wealth tax and property taxes. However, tax laws and rates are always subject to change, and international tax liabilities can be especially complicated, so if in doubt, we always advise discussing your personal situation with one of our recommended financial or tax advisors.

Disclaimer: This guide is provided for general information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice regarding any aspect of your tax planning or tax liabilities in France. FrenchEntrée cannot be held responsible for the consequences of decisions or actions you may choose to take in connection with French tax declarations or tax liabilities.