Does January tax credit paid by French tax office have to be repaid?

Some people will have had payments for charity ‘gifts’ they never made

We look at how the French tax system processes tax credit and reductions
Brian McCulloch Brian McCulloch
Published Modified

Reader question: I had a payment from the tax office in January because I donated to charity in 2021 but I did not donate in 2022. What should I do?

The tax office assumes people will have similar expenses from one year to the next giving rise to tax credits and reductions (amounts off tax) so it supplies an amount equal to 60% of your last amount of credits/reductions in January.

Once you have made your declaration for 2022 income, if you put nothing in the tax credit/reduction boxes, they will factor in the ‘overpayment’ in your tax bill payable in September to December.

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