Millions in France to see two tax debits from bank account today

Homeowners in France who also pay income tax may see two direct debits taken from their bank accounts today (October 27) by the tax office.

Millions of households will see at least one of the two deductions, which relate to additional 2024 income tax due and the taxe foncière property tax.

In many cases, households will see both payments deducted.

What are the payments?

The first deduction is for the 2025 taxe foncière property tax.

Those who opted to pay the taxe foncière in one go through an online payment (made through the French tax website or app) will have the amount deducted from the bank account used for the transaction today. 

This is the case regardless of when you confirmed the online payment following your statement (avis) for the bill earlier this year.

Those who pay monthly will see the tax taken from January onwards in ten installments, and those who paid by other methods, such as by cheque, may have already seen funds taken from their account. 

Note the deadline to pay taxe foncière was October 20 (October 15 for some payment methods) so those yet to pay the tax risk late charges. Direct debits come after the payment deadline.

In addition, the second of the four monthly payments for those who owed more than €300 in income tax for the 2024 year (based on the spring 2025 tax return) falls today.

Following the final income tax notice (avis) in the summer, any household with more than €300 left to pay automatically sees the outstanding amount split into four equal payments, taken on the same days for everyone. The dates of these deductions cannot be changed.

Two further payments on November 27 and December 29 are left for those due to pay the extra tax this way. 

What happens if there are issues with payments? 

The deductions are automatic and based on previous information supplied, meaning that payees do not need to do anything. 

However, as combined the taxes could reach thousands of euros today, it is recommended to ensure you have enough funds in your account to cover them.

Team members at The Connexion noted that deductions were made early in the morning however, so it may be too late to pre-empt the deductions with extra funds.

If there was not enough money in your bank account to pay the direct debit, tax authorities do not attempt to re-submit it at a later date.

They will instead send you a message (either through your personal space on the French tax site or through a letter) informing you that you must pay another way, excluding electronic payment. 

Alternative payment options include cheque, cash or bank transfer (not direct debit). 

You will be charged a 10% surplus on the tax in question for missing the original deadline, and your bank may charge you rejection fees for having a payment rejected, depending on your account type and overdraft rules, etc.