Taxpayers, it's time to declare your 2019 income. Postponed because of the coronavirus crisis, the income tax campaign finally starts on Monday. You have probably already received an email from the tax department that day asking you to connect to the tax site.
Households that opted for a paper version last year should receive an envelope from the Directorate General of Public Finances (DGFiP) in the coming days (and until mid-May depending on the postal service). Here are the steps to follow.
Do I still have to complete an income tax return?
This is the big news this year! With the withholding tax, 12 million tax households - those who did not change their address or family situation in 2019, who do not benefit from property income or income from independent professions, from a return to school unusual money… - will have nothing to report.
If you are concerned by the "automatic" or "tacit" declaration, you will be informed by the tax authorities. "If taxpayers consider that the information known to the administration is correct and exhaustive, that they did not have any income changes between 2018 and 2019, they will just have to do nothing," explains Gérald Darmanin. Otherwise, if there is an error, they can correct it and return their amended tax return. "
How long do we have to declare?
"We are giving taxpayers more time than usual to declare their income this year," insists Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of Action and Public Accounts. If you live in a department number 01 to 19 or you are non-resident in France, you have until June 4 11:59 p.m. to report. The inhabitants of departments 20 to 54 have until June 8 and those of departments 55 to 974/976 have until June 11. Finally, taxpayers who send a paper version have until the evening of June 12.
Can I go to a tax center to ask a question?
Last year, 4.5 million of French people went to the counters of the public finance departments during the tax declaration campaign. Until May 11, these tax centers are not open to the public. Taxpayers can however send their questions by email or contact tax officials by phone.
"We have increased the resources of the DGFiP to meet the demands," said the Minister. I will propose to the Prime Minister an organization of deconfinement for the agents so that they are able, from May 11, to set up physical meetings or to welcome the public without an appointment. "
Can we pay less tax if we are affected by the health crisis?
It is possible to report a loss of income to taxes, if you are an employee on short-time work or if you are self-employed, for example. This loss of income will then be taken into account after one month. Since mid-March, many self-employed professionals, massively affected by the crisis, have asked for the abolition of down payments (63,003) or postponements (37,776), as their status allows.
But individuals also used it: 38,681 French people asked the tax authorities to lower their rate of withholding tax. These rates modulated with the crisis will be in effect until the end of the year. And the tax return will have no impact on this rate in 2020.
