French income tax declaration: key upcoming dates
Online declarants must request paper version by June 15
If you made this year’s declaration online, do not automatically expect a paper notice through your letterbox
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Deadlines to complete this year’s income declaration (for 2025 income) have now passed in France, but it is by no means the end of the tax season.
Declarants are now waiting for their official avis (notice) informing them if they have any more tax to pay, or if they are set to receive a refund.
A provisional estimation is given to declarants when they complete the form online but is subject to change based on the tax authorities assessing their declaration.
Only the amount stated on the avis is final.
For those who use traditional paper declarations and do not use their online account on the French tax website, this is the first time they will find out this information.
One change this year is that online declarants will automatically opt-in for online-only avis.
They can request a paper version be sent to them through their online account, but to receive this year’s notice in physical format, they must request this before June 15.
However, they can opt-in for paper letters at any point for future declarations, again via their online account.
Notices sent throughout summer
People who completed the declaration online will receive their final avis via their online account on the website between July 24 and July 31.
This is regardless of whether they will be receiving a refund, have to pay more tax, or have no further action required.
They will be informed via email that a new document is waiting for them on their online account.
For paper declarants, those receiving a refund or with no further action required will be informed by a paper letter sent between July 23 and August 28.
Those who need to pay will receive it between July 23 and August 20.
Authorities note that in rare cases notices may not be available until as late as December, but this is uncommon.
Dates for refunds or further payments
Refunds will be sent through a bank transfer (or where not possible, a cheque) between July 24 and 31.
This means for some paper declarants, they may receive their refund before their avis.
For those who have to pay, deadlines depend on how much they owe.
For those with €300 or less, this must be made through a single installment before September 25. If the tax authorities have your bank details, they can take this through a prélèvement (direct debit).
For amounts over this, it is split into four equal payments on the following dates: September 25, October 26, November 25, and December 28.
If you do not have automatic payments enabled, you can pay through methods such as a bank transfer, authorise tabac, online through the impots.gouv.fr website or mobile app, or by cheque.
More information is available in our article here. If you have difficulty paying this additional tax, you can find advice in our article here.
