Many see payments taken by French tax authorities today

Millions of people across France will see money deducted from their bank account today, as the second of four income tax top-up payments is taken. 

At the same time, many taxe foncière payments made by direct debit will also be deducted today, even if the tax was paid online last week.

Last year, the average bill for the property tax was over €1,100, and if this is deducted alongside the income tax payment homeowners could see a significant chunk of funds taken from their accounts today.

The income tax payments are only for those who had more than €300 in additional income taxes to pay, following this year’s spring income declaration (for 2025’s income). Those with €300 or less saw it taken in one single payment on September 25.

Households facing this higher amount will see this amount taken in four equal payments, split between September 25, October 26, November 25, and December 28. 

The total amount taken each month depends on how much additional tax was due, shown on your summer tax notice (avis).

More information about these income tax payments is available in our article here. 

Taxe foncière payments deducted 

Today is also the date that many homeowners will see funds taken from their account in relation to the taxe foncière, or property tax. 

Deadlines to pay this tax passed on October 20 (or October 15 if paying with cash, cheque, or at a tabac and the total bill was less than €300), however payments are not immediately deducted from accounts. 

Money is only taken sooner – within three days – if taxpayers specifically ask for the money to be debited more quickly when paying the tax. Otherwise, the typical wait for a direct debit deduction is applied, and in 2026 is six days after the October 20 deadline.

This gives taxpayers additional time to ensure they have funds in their account to cover other expenses.

Note that those who set up an automatic annual direct debit for the tax, as opposed to manually paying it each year, will also see the payment debited today. 

Those who choose to pay in monthly instalments are unaffected.

Owners of a second home will see bills for the taxe d’habitation, or second-home tax, arrive in November. 

Avis for the bill will arrive in homeowners’ online tax portal on November 2 if they do not pay the tax monthly or November 16 if they do. 

For those who receive physical copies of the avis, these will arrive between November 5 - 16 (for single payment bills) or November 19 - 26 (bills paid monthly). 

It is too late to create a monthly payment plan for the 2026 versions of these taxes, however it is possible to sign up for a monthly payment plan, coming into force for the 2027 tax and future iterations. 

The request to switch to monthly payments is made through your personal space on the French tax site. You can only use a SEPA bank account, covering most European banks (including UK banks), but not other banks including those from the US or Canada. 

More information on switching to monthly payments is available in our article here.