[enchantedcobwebs]

We are moving to France next year. Hubby is French but lived in UK 50 years so doesnt really know the system. We want to understand tax and insurance implications for us. We will be low pension income earners who will also attempt to be self employed. What sort of adviser do we need to look for?

 

[Bevdeforges]

I'm not sure there is really an adviser for you. Actually very few French people seem to use tax advisers - if they do, it's an expert comptable, very often one they use in connection with their business. Where you say you want to try being self-employed, you should realize that the French don't actually have a "self-employed" statut as such. Just about any sort of money making enterprise you'd want to set up needs to be registered with the relevant tax and social insurance authorities.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[95995]

This site may be of help, at least as an overview. https://uk.ambafrance.org/Le-retour-en-France-12102

 

[enchantedcobwebs]

I'm not sure there is really an adviser for you. Actually very few French people seem to use tax advisers - if they do, it's an expert comptable, very often one they use in connection with their business. Where you say you want to try being self-employed, you should realize that the French don't actually have a "self-employed" statut as such. Just about any sort of money making enterprise you'd want to set up needs to be registered with the relevant tax and social insurance authorities.
Cheers,
Bev

we will both be auto entrepreneur, hubby is 75 I'm 60 and I dont even know if our ages have any bearing. Hubby receives a French state pension alongside the UK one. I have only pension from previous employer and wont get UK state pension for another 6 years (if they dont change the goalposts again!) Would expert compatable be what I need?

 

[Bevdeforges]

Frankly, an expert comptable would be massive overkill for your purposes. For something like 40€ you can get ClickImpot or another computer based tax declaration program. As long as your husband still reads French reasonably well, he should be able to figure it out - the instructions for the foreign source income form have been rewritten in recent years to be pretty clear, especially on the matter of pensions.

If you're thinking of going the AE route, just be advised that as part of the "simplification" of the system, you are not obliged to keep financial records other than recording all turnover. If you were to engage an expert comptable, you get no deduction nor credit for that expense in your business. Oh, and also, just a note - an AE is a one person operation. You each need your own AE registration (and need to keep separate track of your respective revenues).
Cheers,
Bev

 

[enchantedcobwebs]

Frankly, an expert comptable would be massive overkill for your purposes. For something like 40€ you can get ClickImpot or another computer based tax declaration program. As long as your husband still reads French reasonably well, he should be able to figure it out - the instructions for the foreign source income form have been rewritten in recent years to be pretty clear, especially on the matter of pensions.

If you're thinking of going the AE route, just be advised that as part of the "simplification" of the system, you are not obliged to keep financial records other than recording all turnover. If you were to engage an expert comptable, you get no deduction nor credit for that expense in your business. Oh, and also, just a note - an AE is a one person operation. You each need your own AE registration (and need to keep separate track of your respective revenues).
Cheers,
Bev

Thank you Bev
Hubby is fluent in French just isnt fluent in anything relating to any form of paperwork! Its probably advice before the event, what will work best for us and to understand liabilities before we start off. I have found an English adviser who is in partnership with a French firm who will tell us if they can help and how much. Will let you know how we get on with that