The tax filing period begins this Thursday, April 11. Despite the implementation of withholding tax, the taxpayer must still complete his declaration, so that the total amount of income tax due for the tax year is updated – here these are the income for the year 2023.
The declaration also takes into account expenses (donations, expenses eligible for tax credits, etc.). Thus, the administration can establish whether the taxpayer owes a balance, in addition to the contributions for which he has already been paid by withholding tax, or whether he can benefit from a refund. It allows you to update the withholding tax rate for September, so that it is as adapted as possible.
How to file your declaration online?
The online declaration is made from the site impots.gouv.fr, using the tax identifier appearing on the last tax notice as well as a password. The latter is already pre-filled with the information known by the tax authorities (family expenses, amount of salaries, pensions, compensation, unemployment benefits, etc.) but this should be checked and completed.
Regarding the calendar, taxpayers living in departments numbered 01 (Ain) to 19 (Corrèze) have until May 23 to validate the tax document. For departments 20 (Corsica) to 54 (Meurthe-et-Moselle), the online declaration ends on Thursday May 30, while it lasts until June 6 for departments numbered 55 (Meuse) to 95 (Val-d’Oise) as well as overseas.
For those wishing to favor the paper declaration, whatever the place of residence, this must be sent before Tuesday May 21. A surcharge may be applied in the event of delay.
The revalued income tax scale
This year, the tax return is experiencing some changes, the first concerning the tax scale. In principle, a large part or even all of your taxes have already been paid via withholding tax. This year, the tax scale changed with inflation, on January 1, 2024, increased to 4.8%. Here is the scale according to each bracket:
– Up to 11,294 euros: 0%
– From 11,295 euros to 28,797 euros: 11%
– From 28,798 euros to 82,341 euros: 30%
– From 82,342 euros to 177,106 euros: 41%
– Greater than 177,106 euros: 45%
The amount of tax then varies depending on the situation of the household: family quotient, reduction for modest incomes, reductions and tax credits, contribution on high incomes, etc.
An incentive for energy renovation
Again fiscal advantages were created this year to relieve the taxpayer. The first concerns the incentive for energy renovation: to encourage landlords to renovate their energy-intensive rental accommodation, the “land deficit” deductible from overall income has been doubled to reach 21,400 euros per year. This mechanism concerns owners whose rental charges are higher than income.
Benefits for tourism landlords
This year, lessors of furnished tourist accommodation whose rental is not located in a real estate tension zone will also benefit from a new tax advantage: a flat-rate reduction of 92% on their rental income. Previously, this reduction amounted to 71%.
Expanded donations
Donations from individuals to associations qualify for a 66% tax reduction. This year, the latter is extended by up to 75%: “payments made to associations which help people in difficulty entitle them to a tax reduction of 75%, within the limit of an amount increased at 1,000 euros since 2020. This ceiling is maintained until the end of 2026,” indicates the Ministry of the Economy.
Once the declaration is completed and sent, it is examined by the tax authorities, who issue and make available a tax notice between July 24 and August 2, mentioning the reference tax income, the family quotient, the amount of tax to be paid, the portion deducted at source, the balance to be paid as well as the payment deadline. If everything has not already been paid via withholding tax, two solutions exist: for amounts less than 300 euros, the deduction is made in one go. For higher amounts, withdrawals will be staggered between September and December 2024.