When it comes to paying tax, for UK expats in France, it can sometimes seem like a complicated process with rules for this and that. We answer some of the most common questions that UK expats ask when it comes to tax in France.
Question: I moved to France last year. I have a teacher’s pension and state pension which are taxed in the UK. Does that mean I don’t have to complete a tax form in France?
Answer: You have an obligation to complete a tax form in France now that you are resident here. For the current tax payment year you need only complete for the portion since the date you arrived. The tax forms aren’t available until April/May of each year and then the response from the tax office is due by August of each year.
You must list all of your income on the tax return and the Double Taxation Treaty between the UK and France will dictate whether it is taxable or not. In this case the UK state pension is taxable in France. Your teachers’ pension remains taxable in the UK.
The teachers pension must be listed on your French tax form, but you will receive a credit for tax already assumed to have been paid.
You will currently receive a tax allowance in France as well as a tax allowance in the UK.
During the time that you transfer to France and set up the administrative processes. There may be a period where your state pension continues to be taxed in the UK and this can be reclaimed using a specific form https://www.gov.uk
The downside is you can’t have this form certified until you have a tax reference number known as a ‘numero fiscal’ issued by the French tax office. Completion of the p85 form to confirm to HMRC that you have left the UK isn’t enough to get the changes made.
This question was answered by Financial advisor Jennie Poate at Beacon Global Wealth
If you have a question about tax in France, feel free to contact Jennie direct with no obligation.
The information on this page is intended only as an introduction only and is not designed to offer solutions or advice. Beacon Global Wealth Management can accept no responsibility whatsoever for losses incurred by acting on the information on this page.
The financial advisers trading under Beacon Wealth Management are members of Nexus Global (IFA Network). Nexus Global is a division within Blacktower Financial Management (International) Limited (BFMI).All approved individual members of Nexus Global are Appointed Representatives of BFMI. BFMI is licenced and regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission and bound by their rules under licence number FSC00805B
