Bank account – Taxes

It is very difficult to open a bank account in France from abroad. You can ask your usual bank if they have a branch or partner bank in France and start the procedure.

Otherwise, once you have arrived, we will give you our local contacts in different banks that can welcome you in English.

Beware: if you’re going to work for a French public institution, their finance department usually refuses to pay salaries into bank accounts belonging to an electronic money institution (EME in French) ! Make sure that the bank you choose (if it’s an online bank) doesn’t offer you an e-money account.

HOW TO HANDLE TAX INCOME IN FRANCE ?

In France, income tax is usually deducted from your salary each month according to a personalised rate (the PAS-prélèvement à la source).
However all incomes must be declared once a year in May to the fiscal administration so they check your global tax situation and if your PAS rate is well adjusted.

We inform/remind you sometime in April about submitting your tax report with an updated guide (see below). If needed, we can also help you filling it in, in the limit of our knowledge.

Remain vigilant when the period of incomes declaration starts in May, as it ‘s a mandatory administrative step.

-> IF YOU ARRIVED IN FRANCE IN 2025 or BEFORE : you must do a tax declaration in May 2026.

Here is what you need to read if you have earned French income in 2025 (salary, unemployement benefit, grants..).

• If in April-May 2026 you are about to fill your FIRST tax declaration : download the form “Formulaire 2042: Déclaration de revenus” (MILLESIME 2026) available from Wednesday April 22nd. You’ll find the form here.
  BEWARE :
  -> Make sure to fill the APPROPRIATE FORM 2042, not 2042-C or 2042 IOM. NO, it needs to be 2042.
  -> Do not download the 2025 Millesime form, it is done to calculate the 2024 incomes. So it would be the wrong form !
  
  Fill your form on its PAPER version, and according to informations presented in the PDF document above.
  YOUR PAPER DECLARATION MUST BE SENT by post BY Tuesday MAY 19th 2026 at the latest !
  
  
• If in April-May 2026, you are about to fill a tax declaration for the second time or more: you can not submit a paper version, it’s an online process. Go to your personal account on the tax website here , check the online form that the fiscal administration has already prepared for you based on your employer’s declaration, confirm with a click that the pre-filled document is correct, and that’s it !
  DEADLINE FOR ONLINE DECLARATION CHECKING IS Thursday MAY 28th 2026
  
  

-> IF YOU ARRIVED IN FRANCE IN 2026:

The only formality you need to take care by the end of the year is to request the creation of your personal tax number to the Tax Administration. To do so, you need to fill in the Cerfa form N°2043 and go to the local Nantes tax office to ask for the creation of your tax number. Go with your residence permit, your passport, proof of housing, work contract and last payslip.

Creation of your tax number is useful to :

– ask for a personalized withholding tax rate (PAS), to avoid overpayment or lack of payment from your salary each month by the tax Office.

– open your personal account online on the official page here, in order to manage your taxes and declare your incomes online in May each year, from the 2nd year (first declaration has to be done paper version).

However, we recommend you’d rater wait to do your first declaration to have this number created then. Fill up the 2043 form and go to the tax office only if the tax number creation is absolutely necessary.

Also keep in mind, if you move out and change postal address within the 6 months following your 1st tax declaration or your fiscal number request, you need to go to your former local tax office in order to let them know you move out and your new address. Otherwise their letters (with the fiscal number and / or tax declaration result) will get lost.

More information about income tax here (in French).