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Why French homeowners face higher property taxes in 2023

Homeowners will likely have to face higher property taxes in 2023, so if you are a homeowner in France, you may want to consider putting some money aside.

Published: 23 September 2022 15:34 CEST
Updated: 1 January 2023 07:44 CET

Why French homeowners face higher property taxes in 2023

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

The taxe foncière – a property ownership tax levied at local level – is a tax paid by all property owners in France. It is separate to the taxe d’habitation, which is paid by whoever occupies the property (whether they are an owner or a tenant) and applies to anyone who owns a building or land. The latter is being progressively phased out.

Why the possible increases?

A large reason property ownership taxes may increase in 2023 is due to the fact that property values are reevaluated each year in November according to inflation and other factors that have changed the value of the property such as home extensions or new swimming pools.

In general, the rate of taxe foncière has increased in France in recent years is due to gradual scrapping of another property tax, taxe d’habitation that left local authorities short of cash.

Why did my bill go up for 2022 and what’s the deal for 2023?

For 2022, property tax payments were due on October 15th or 20th, depending on payment method. Many French homeowners were already met with an unpleasant surprise when they received their tax notices this year.

The revaluation to reflect inflation allowed for a 3.4 percent increase in 2022, which increased the property tax on all homeowners. Additionally, municipalities voted to increase local taxes. In Marseille, rates went up by 13.1 percent, for Tours it was 11.6 percent and Pau saw a rise of 10 percent.

In 2023, these values could be even higher.

Theoretically, property values across France ought to be reevaluated to reflect skyrocketing inflation, which would lead to an increase of 7 percent (in comparison to the 3.4 percent rise that was seen in 2022). In June, the French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire assured property-owners that this issue had been identified and that the government was considering capping the rate.

However, according to reporting by French daily Le Parisien, several senior officials have indicated that “no capped rate for the taxe foncière will be included in the finance bill to be presented in late September.”

In effect, this means that the 2023 budget would allocate for an increase of property taxes by approximately 6.5 to 7 percent – a rise that would impact at least 30 million homeowners in France.

Various suggestions have been put forward aimed at keeping the taxe foncière bills down, such as capping increases to 3.5 percent or linking the the level of government assistance to local authorities to inflation (meaning local authorities would be less inclined to raise taxes).

Nevertheless, as of September 23rd, these solutions had not yet been put into place.

Second home owners to be harder hit

Second-home owners in France have to worry about the taxe d’habitation (residence tax) on top of the taxe foncière.

Even though the former is in the process of being phased out for most French residents – apart from the highest earners, those with second homes are still required to pay it.

And for many of those that do, the rates are going up.

In 2022, more towns have voted to increase it, while others gained the ability to add a surcharge for second-home owners, with French daily Le Parisien reporting that the taxe d’habitation “continues to soar.”

Municipalities in zones tendues (areas with a housing shortage) have the ability to choose to increase taxe d’habitation by up to 60 percent for second home owners.

From 2023, several new areas – including Nantes – will join the list of zones tendues, meaning they will be able to vote to increase taxes for second-home owners.

In 2022, large cities such as Bordeaux, Lyon, Biarritz, Arles and Saint-Jean-de-Luz saw their city councils vote to increase the tax at the maximum 60 percent.

How is taxe foncière calculated generally?

The formula is complicated, and it is calculated each year for you by your local authority (though under the auspices of a formula set by the French finance ministry). Basically, it has to do with the rentable value of your property divided by two and then multiplied by the tax level set by your local authority.

The local authority’s tax rate varies hugely from place to place, which is why two people with similar sized homes in different areas can end up with wildly different bills.

In fact to make it more complicated it’s actually three local authorities – the commune, the département and the région – which all set their own tax rates then divide up your tax to pay for local services.

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URSSAF: What is it, how it works, and how it affects you

Unions de Recouvrement des Cotisations de Sécurité Sociale et d’Allocations Familiales – more usually known, because that’s a mouthful, by the acronym Urssaf – are the administrators who collect social security contributions that fund a large part of France’s labyrinthine social security system, including, notably, health insurance.

It is responsible for collecting some €534.4 billion from 9.8 million users every year to help fund social security in France.

If you’re an employee in France, you will probably have nothing directly to do with Urssaf, because – for the most part – dealing with it will fall into the realms of Somebody Else’s Problem (ie your employer).

But if you are freelance, a contractor or set up your own business you will almost definitely have to deal with Urssaf.

Type of regime

Many people working for themselves in France use the simplified Micro Entrepreneur regime – often still referred to as auto entrepreneur – which sets up a basic sole trader-style business.

Its advantage is (relative) simplicity but it has limits on earnings as well as other limitations like being able to write off business expenses.

Micro-entrepreneur: How to set up as a small business in France

Other options for freelancers or sole traders include the Entrepreneur individuel à responsabilité limitée (EIRL – basically a limited liability sole trader); Entreprise unipersonnelle à responsabilité limitée (EURL – another sole trader option), Société par Actions Simplifiée Unipersonnelle (SASU); or Société à Responsibilité Limitée (SARL).

These allow for higher earnings but are more complicated and may require an accountant to set up.

If you start off as a micro-entrepreneur but then your earnings go over the threshold you can switch to another regime without attracting a penalty.

How to register

These days the whole registering a business thing can be done online. For a simple micro enterprise, you can create an account on autoentrepreneur.urssaf.fr, then give details of the business you intend to run, and your social security numbers.

If you’re looking to set-up a more complex business structure such as a EURL, SARL, SASU, or SAS, you should start with the portail e-procédures at procedures.inpi.fr.

You must then send off the declaration, which is registered with the relevant Centre de formalités des entreprises;

For commercial businesses eg shops or bars, this is the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie;
For artisans, craftspeople, tradespeople and some other commercial businesses, it is with the chambre de métiers et de l’artisanat;
For professions libérales – including, for example, freelance journalists – it is with Urssaf.

Within 15 days of registration, you should receive your business registration number, known as the SIRET number.

Notice that you have been signed up to the relevant social security regime should follow in a few weeks.

Since 2020, all independent workers belong to the Assurance Maladie health regime, and a few professionnels libéraux are signed up to the standard Assurance retraite for their pensions.

How much does it cost to set up a business?

That depends on your business. Setting up as a micro entrepreneur (auto entrepreneur) costs nothing administratively and is the simplest way for freelancers to set up for themselves.

Technically speaking it is a tax status rather than a business structure.

Then what?

Once you’re up and running, the most regular contact with Urssaf should be when you file your earnings online, which – for micro entrepreneurs – can be done monthly or quarterly using the auto entrepreneur website.

You will then be informed how much you owe in cotisations, (social security contributions) which will be taken out of your bank account around a month later.

If you have a French-incorporated business, such as EURL, SARL, SAS or SASU, you will use URSSAF’s main website www.urssaf.fr, or get your accountant to do so. Some business set-ups in France require you to use an accountant.

Banks

Note that you will need to set up a dedicated bank account for your business. As a micro entrepreneur, despite claims from banks, it does not have to be a business account (which attract larger fees). But it should be separate from your personal bank account, and just used to pay your charges, for any business expenses (which you cannot claim for, if you’re a micro entrepreneur).

Other business regimes, such as the Entrepreneur individuel à responsabilité limitée (EIRL – basically a limited liability sole trader); Entreprise unipersonnelle à responsabilité limitée (EURL – another sole trader option), Société par Actions Simplifiée Unipersonnelle (SASU); or Société à Responsibilité Limitée (SARL), have certain advantages on allowable earnings, compared to the very basic micro-entrepreneur regime – but will incur a sliding scale of charges on set-up, and require different book-keeping and accounting systems. Some will also require you to be registered for VAT.

Do I need an accountant?

This is really a personal choice – the micro-entrepreneur regime is designed to be simple and to be used by individuals, but some people still prefer to use an accountant.

The business structures for higher earners are a little more complicated and may require an accountant to set up. Most people use accountants if they are within these structures, unless they are confident in both their French and their book-keeping abailities.

If you have an accountant you can nominate them to be your representative in any dealings with Urssaf, although note that you are still responsible for any fees and charges, even if they are incurred by your accountant making a mistake.

Okay — how much do you pay in charges?

For micro-entrepreneurs, social charges can be paid monthly or quarterly. They are calculated as a fixed percentage of your earnings, depending on the type of work.

Rates are 12.8 percent for the sale of goods, 22 percent for artisanal and commercial services, 22 percent for professions libérales attached to the standard Assurance Retraite for retirement, and 22.2 percent for a small number of professions libérales attached to Cipav.

A levy of 0.1 percent to 0.3 percent is also charged. It goes to the CPF fund giving all workers the right to a financial contribution for training.

Note, micro-entrepreneurs are limited in the amount they can earn: for business activities and the supply of accommodation (hotels, bed and breakfasts, rural cottages classified as furnished apartments, furnished apartments), the threshold is €188,700.

For service and professional activities, the threshold is €77,700.

Micro entrepreneurs will be obliged to step up to another business regime if they break these earnings thresholds.

For other business types, these maximum earnings thresholds do not exist, but bosses will have other requirements, for example, they may need to use the services of an accountant, and will have to be audited once they cross a certain earnings threshold.

Taxes

It’s important to note that Urssaf deductions are only part of the story – there are also other taxes to consider.

Personal income tax is covered in the annual income tax declaration, while businesses taxes fall under a range of tax regimes, depending on your type of business.

Commercial, industrial, or manual/trades/crafts businesses fall under the Bénéfices Industriels et Commerciaux (BIC) system. Professional businesses fall under the Bénéfices non Commerciaux (BNC) system. Agricultural businesses use the Bénéfices Agricole (BA) system.

Don’t forget, either, the Contribution Fonciere des Entreprises (CFE) property levy, a local tax payable by any company or self-employed person earning more than €5,000 per year, even if they conduct their business at home, at the kitchen table. This one is due every December.

What if I have a problem?

You can contact Urssaf staff online via the website, or arrange an appointment for a face to face meeting at their offices, if you prefer. Contrary to popular opinion, they’re there to help you.

Urssaf, in the past, had a poor reputation. But, as with all French bureaucracy, it’s better to work with it rather than try to fight or resent it.

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