How? By carefully planning your finances and retirement pension. With France’s climate, food, and laid-back lifestyle, value-for-money properties, and the fact that older people are really respected, France remains high on the list of dream destinations for expat retirees.
In a recent survey of 1,500 people, 15% say that France is their ideal retirement destination.
However gorgeous the wine and weather, you still need money to live on. Think about how much money you’ll need to retire in France, and how to plan your finances so that you have enough.
You won’t have the costs associated with employment, but the cost of living in France may be different to what you’re used to. You may need to factor in trips back home to visit your grandchildren and money for unexpected costs like house repairs or medical bills.
It’s important that you make your money work for you. You may be eligible to improve your pension fund and earn more from it; you may want to make new investments. You’ll also need to protect your income by paying as little tax as possible.
Who can retire in France?
Unless you’re from the EU, you’ll have to prove to the French authorities that you have a pension or other means of financial support, as well as a health plan to meet the cost of healthcare. While citizens of EU/EEA/Switzerland enjoy some health benefits, it’s still a good idea to take out extra cover.
British pensions
If you qualify for a UK state pension, you can claim it in France and have it paid directly into a French bank account without incurring fees. Private pensions normally pay in sterling into a UK bank account; you have to convert and transfer it into your own French account. Setting up an international account with both sterling and euros avoids transfer fees. It’s sometimes possible to agree a fixed rate of exchange for up to a year in advance via a currency broker (but check if they are authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority).
American pensions
US citizens can also take their US-based pension to France. You’ll have to inform the US tax authorities that you’ll be paying French income tax on it.
Other pensions
Expats from other countries (including the EU/EAA) should check the situation with the state pension service in their home country.
Private pensions
Final salary scheme pensions, where the pension is based on your final salary and years of employment, are increasingly rare. Still, they’re often the best value as they are guaranteed and inflation-linked. So it’s probably best to keep those where they are.
Private pensions often provide a lump sum on retirement. While these may be tax-free in the UK, the sum is taxable in France. As UK pensions don’t have a surrender value, they are not liable for French wealth tax.
If you’re an EU citizen in France, you qualify for retirement when you reach the retirement age set by your country of citizenship. As long as you have a Form S1, you receive health insurance and pay nothing into French social security.
The Form S1, which you get from your own country, is evidence that you’ve reached retirement age, paid social security taxes there, and are receiving a state pension.
Life assurance bond (Assurance Vie)
French residents can take out an Assurance Vie, which is a life assurance investment bond. These offer preferential tax treatment and inheritance advantages. Investors choose specific investments from a list of funds provided by the company or can create a tailor-made portfolio via an investment manager, if they have larger sums (over €500,000 for example) to invest. You can pay lump sums or regular payments and access the fund throughout its life provided you leave a minimum sum intact.
You don’t pay any income tax if you allow the income and gains to accumulate and don’t make any withdrawals. When you do withdraw funds, taxes apply only to growth. So, if the policy grows by 8%, then you pay taxes on that 8%; the other 92% is tax-free. The tax rates can also be fixed at different levels over the life of the policy. Assurance Vie can also reduce your wealth tax liability, as this tax plus your income tax cannot exceed 50–85% of the taxable income (depending on individual circumstances). The Assurance Vie reduces your taxable income.
On your death, your beneficiary inherits under extremely favorable tax conditions, even tax-free if you took out the policy under a certain age.
Capital redemption bond (Bon de Capitalisation)
Bon de Capitalisation is similar to the life assurance bond but there are no inheritance advantages. When the holder dies, the value of the policy on death becomes part of their estate. You may also gift it to someone during the holder’s lifetime.
For French wealth tax purposes, the amount you declare is the initial investment or current value (if lower).
Income tax
Don’t’ forget to inform the tax authorities in your home country that you’re moving to France. As French residents you must pay tax in France. Most UK pensions pay tax in the UK. You still must declare these on your annual tax return. The French tax authorities then asses your tax liability.
US citizens coming to retire in France still have to file a tax return every year. This is the case even if all their assets are in France and despite the fact that the US and France have a double taxation agreement. You can only forego US income tax responsibilities if you renounce your US citizenship.
Pensioners are treated favorably, with a 10% reduction on income up to €36,600; you pay tax on only 90% of your income. You also pay tax as a household so you probably end up paying less tax than you might elsewhere.
If you have an EU state pension, you don’t have to pay contributions for social taxes or health. If you retire early, you will continue to pay these until you reach the official retirement age in France.
French wealth tax
You may be liable for French wealth tax, impôt de solidarité sur la fortune (ISF) if you have assets over €1.3 million; you will then be liable for tax on anything over the first €800,000. This includes property, money, shares, cars, household contents, and personal possessions.
Your assets are determined by you, not assessed by an independent authority, although if the tax authorities decide you’re liable, they can collect arrears going back 10 years. If you became a resident in France after 6 August 2008, for the first five years you are liable for assets only in France; after this period, you are liable for assets worldwide. There’s a 30% allowance against the value of your main home.
New rules about wills and inheritance
If you live in France permanently, under French law you cannot leave your assets to whomever you choose. If you have children, they have certain rights over your estate, regardless of what you set out in your will. Under new 2015 European inheritance rules, expats may nominate either French succession law or the succession law of the country of their nationality to apply when they die. If you do not nominate one of these, the French inheritance rules will automatically apply.
Finance and tax tips
Know what you have by keeping a detailed, up-to-date spreadsheet of your investments.
Maximize non-euro income by checking exchange rates and negotiating better fixed deals.
Always take independent professional advice from your bank or pension specialist.
