Residents of several French departments will be fined by the tax authorities if they do not file their tax return quickly.
The countdown is coming to an end. Almost 40 million French taxpayers are expected to complete their tax returns this year. If many citizens have already completed this administrative formality, either online or through a paper form, those who have not yet done so must hurry. Indeed, the deadlines set by the tax administration are fast approaching, and latecomers are exposed to monetary sanctions.
Penalties foreseen in case of delay are calculated by the Directorate General for Public Finances (DGFiP). If the taxpayer forgets to register before the deadline, but quickly takes care of his situation, the amount of tax he has to pay to the tax administration will be increased by 10%. On the other hand, if the tax administration is forced to send an official reminder, the bill will be increased by 20%. The taxpayer then has 30 days to complete and sign his tax return. If he still fails to meet the new deadline, the rate of increase doubles to 40%.
In addition, default interest of 0.2% per month will be applied. For example, an individual who owes 800 euros in taxes, but who reports several days late, will end up having to pay 880 euros. If he does this only two months after the deadline and after he has been officially dismissed, the bill will amount to 963.2 euros.
Residents of departments 1 to 19, as well as French people living abroad, must submit their declaration online no later than Thursday, May 23 at 11:59 p.m. They therefore have just one week to fill in the various boxes of the form and provide the tax authorities with details of all their financial assets.
Taxpayers in Corsica and departments 21 to 54 have an additional period, but it remains short. They have until Thursday, May 30 at 11:59 p.m. to send their statement to the board. In total, more than 18 million people must fulfill this obligation by the end of May.
In order to complete their tax return, every taxpayer received an e-mail or letter in paper form from DGFiP in mid-April detailing the procedure to be followed. Most tax households are invited to complete this procedure online, on the website impots.gouv.fr. After logging into your personal area, simply click on “Report my income”, then check and fill in the information pre-filled by the administration (family situation, wages, benefits, etc.). You must then enter any other income received in 2023, as well as allowances and reductions or tax credits you may be entitled to.
After all the fields have been filled in, all that remains is to confirm and electronically sign your declaration. A simple gesture, but one that should not be forgotten, otherwise you will be in for an unpleasant surprise when you receive a tax notice in the summer.