As an accounting firm based in Lyon, we meet every month to offer you the best of the French tax and accounting news.
August 12, 2025 :
VAT taxpayers carrying out intra-Community transactions: Deadline for filing the declaration of trade in goods and the European declaration of services with the customs authorities for transactions carried out in July 2025
August 18, 2025 :
Employers liable for payroll tax (companies exempt from VAT): Payment of tax relating to salaries paid in July.
To know more…
US custom duties: 15% surcharge on European products starting early August
As of August 1, 2025, a 15% base tariff applies to European imports into the United States, including French products. Affected sectors include agriculture, automotive, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors. This rate replaces a previously threatened 30% tariff. French companies impacted by the measure will need to pass on the additional costs or adjust their supply chains to maintain competitiveness.
Correcting your 2024 income tax return
If you have made a mistake on your last French tax return, you can use the online correction service available at www.impots.gouv.fr. This service is open from July 30 to December 3, 2025.
Possible changes
Most information can be modified: income, expenses, tax reductions and credits. However, you will not be able to change information such as your address, marital status, family situation (marriage, death, etc.) or the designation of a trusted third party. This year, a new feature concerns self-employed workers, who can rectify headings in the social section for the calculation of their personal contributions.
Following correction
Once the tax authorities have processed your amended tax return, you will receive a new tax notice showing your final tax liability. Your withholding tax rate and/or instalments will then be adjusted in the “Manage my withholding tax” section.
What to do after December 3?
If you need to correct your tax return after the telecorrection service has closed, you must submit a complaint by post to the tax office. You have until December 31, 2027 to submit a claim for the 2024 tax return.
Progressive retirement from age 60 : a new option for business owners and the self-employed
Starting September 1, 2025, individuals with at least 150 quarters of contributions will be eligible to apply for progressive retirement from the age of 60. Previously reserved for those nearing the legal retirement age (two years before the legal threshold), the scheme is now accessible earlier, offering business owners, self-employed professionals, and liberal professions a way to gradually reduce their working hours without fully giving up income.
Practically, one can scale back activity to between 40% and 80% of regular working time, while receiving a proportional share of their retirement pension. For example, a professional working 60% of the time will receive 40% of their pension. This system supports a smooth transition into retirement by maintaining partial activity while gradually reducing workload.
All retirement schemes are covered: liberal professions, artisans, self-employed traders, farmers, lawyers, etc. Entering into progressive retirement requires formal notification to the pension fund, and for salaried company directors, prior employer approval is also needed.
Although still underused, this mechanism can be a strategic tool for gradually transferring a business or simply adjusting one’s work pace while securing income.
Paid leave and illness: France formally warned by the EU, reform imminent
On June 18, 2025, the European Commission issued a formal notice to France for non-compliance of its labour law with EU rules on paid leave during periods of sick leave. The infringement procedure targets in particular the current French rule that does not allow employees to reschedule paid leave if they fall ill during their vacation, contrary to Directive 2003/88/EC.
In practice, sick days occurring during a holiday are still counted as taken in France, unless a more favourable collective agreement applies. The EU considers this treatment incompatible with workers’ rights to four weeks of effective annual leave.
France now has two months to bring its legislation into compliance or risk being referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). A reform of the Labour Code is expected shortly.
Until legal clarification is provided, employers face litigation risks, especially in labour tribunals, when refusing to reschedule leave lost due to illness.
Telemarketing: tighter restrictions in effect since July 1, 2025
As of July 1, 2025, a first provision of Law n° 2025-594 has come into force: it is now prohibited to conduct telemarketing (by phone, email, SMS, or social media) in the home energy renovation and housing adaptation for disability or elderly needs sectors. This measure targets abusive practices often aimed at vulnerable populations.
This sector-specific ban is part of a broader reform of telemarketing, whose other provisions will take effect on August 11, 2026. From that date, unsolicited prospecting will only be allowed if the consumer has given prior express consent, reversing the current opt-out model.
Failure to declare beneficial owners: companies now risk automatic removal from the Trade Register
Since June 15, 2025, companies and entities required to declare their beneficial owners (any natural person holding over 25% of the capital or voting rights, or exercising effective control) face automatic removal from the French Trade and Companies Register (RCS) if they fail to file or update this declaration within three months of receiving a formal notice from the commercial court clerk.
While removal does not dissolve the legal entity, it prevents essential operations such as signing contracts, hiring, or securing financing, posing a significant operational risk for the business.
THE OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED FROM 2 TO 24 AUGUST 2025 INCLUSIVE FOR ANNUAL LEAVE. WE WISH YOU A PLEASANT SUMMER !
The Team Roche & Cie
Professionals or individuals, French or international, since 1948, Roche & Cie has been assisting clients from all horizons.
contact@cabinet-roche.com
+33 (0) 4 78 27 43 06
