Finding and opening the online forms

To start an online declaration, you need the totals of all the income you received in 2025, just as you would to fill out the paper forms. People often complete trial paper declarations first to prepare for the online version.

Residents should declare all income except for a few exceptions, such as interest from tax-free French savings accounts (livret A, livret de développement durable et solidaire (LDDS), livret jeune, livret d’épargne populaire (LEP), Plan épargne avenir climat (PEAC)).

On impots.gouv.fr, click Connexion à mon espace Finances publiques (top right) and log in. 

Since 2025, the homepage has a new look, similar to the public information site service-public.gouv.fr. 

While the information required is the same as on paper forms, the online layout is different.

Once you have accessed your online account, you will see several options, including Déclarer mes revenus (declare my income). An additional security step is now usually required (to enter a code received by email or text).

Last year the declaration opened with a reminder that if you are a property owner you should complete your Déclaration des biens immobiliers property declaration if something changed in the way you use the property as of January 1 compared to information previously provided. This is not part of the income declaration itself but is also found via your impots.gouv.fr account.

The tax declaration has a welcome screen and a reminder that income already known to the tax office, such as French salaries and pensions, will be pre-filled. You should check these carefully and correct if necessary and/or add other relevant income amounts that should be declared in the same boxes.

You may be asked about other administrative issues, such as whether you wish to receive tax assessments online only rather than also by post.

Click Continuer to move to further “preliminary” screens, which give reminders about issues such as updating family situation changes in 2026 via the Prélèvement à la source section of your personal space.

As you proceed, your name, fiscal number, online access number, and a Quitter (leave) button will appear at the top of the page, along with the current stage of the declaration. Links on the left allow navigation between different sections and ancillary forms. At the bottom, arrows let you move backward or forward.

If you return to a previous page, your information will usually remain saved unless a warning appears. If you leave before completing the declaration, the sections already filled in will normally be retained for your next visit.

During the process, look out for a small blue icon indicating common errors to avoid.

In Section 2, you must check that your personal details (Votre état civil) and address are correct. For lieu de naissance (place of birth), your department should be given as 99 if you were born abroad. You should also indicate your French social security number, if you have one.

For more information about personal details and the following page concerning your foyer fiscal (tax household), see chapter 10.

In 2025, declarants were asked to reconfirm that they had not moved house in 2024 or 2025 if no change of address had been entered.

As of 2025’s declarations there is also a new box in the état civil and address section in which declarants are asked to say if they were renting a second home for their own use as of January 1 (this time, this will be January 1, 2026), and if so to give details of this. 

The foyer fiscal page covers changes in 2025 such as marriage, divorce, a new address, or new children attached to your household.

At the start of Section 3 (Revenus et charges), you are asked to generate any required annexe (ancillary) forms. You select these from a list (see chapter 4). Examples include form 2047 for foreign income and forms 3916–3916 bis for declaring foreign bank accounts.

You then choose the required rubriques (sections). A search box helps locate missing ones.

Unlike paper forms, the online system only shows you relevant boxes. If necessary, you can search for a specific box number. For example, donations to general charities are entered in box 7UD. If you do not know the number, enter a relevant French word such as dons (gifts).

Sections include traitements et salaires (wages and salaries) and pension de retraite (pension income).

Each page usually includes a Consulter l’aide (help) button in the top right. This opens a search box and links to common guidance and explanatory notes. These documents and forms are also available via the main search tool on impots.gouv.fr.

A chatbot within your secure messaging service can help with simple queries. For personalised assistance, you can send a private message to your tax office through your personal space. Responses are usually provided within a few days.

If you receive income from rentals or online sales declared by digital platforms such as Airbnb, this information will be shown during your declaration. You must then enter the related income in the appropriate boxes if you agree that it is taxable.

Comparing online sections with the printed forms

The same box names and line numbers are used in the online sections and corresponding paper forms so, as mentioned, printing out the paper versions can provide a useful reference when making an online declaration.

The link between the two is highlighted in the online process by the question mark symbol that appears next to some sections.

If you select this symbol, you will find more information and the corresponding paper form section will be displayed.

In the image below right, for example, relating to salaried work income, the information box states that the online section corresponds to page 3 of the paper 2042 form.

In the other image, below left, relating to non-professional furnished letting, it notes that the sections correspond to the paper form 2042CPRO.