Category: Finance and Taxes
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French Inheritance Taxes: Is It Worth Dying in France?
With all of the benefits of the US-France tax treaty, France, one of the highest-tax countries in the world, looks a lot like a tax haven for Americans. With no French tax due on retirement income and pensions, plus credits eliminating tax on capital and received inheritances, is France really a tax utopia? Nothing can…
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The French Tax Office vs. The US-France Tax Treaty
It’s a relaxing Sunday evening in late July. Most businesses in France are closing for summer holidays. Everyone is excited for their vacations. An email from Les Impôts pops up just before logging off for the night. Surely this is confirmation that the tax treaty worked and there’s nothing owed, right? Wrong. It’s a surprise…
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Does France Tax an Inheritance Received from the US? A Look at the US-France Estate Tax Treaty
You’ve planned your move to France meticulously. The visa is ready, your bags are packed, and you even have an idea of what your French income tax bill will look like. But what if you receive an inheritance while a tax resident of France? Does France tax a US inheritance? Unlike the US, which taxes…
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Trump Accounts in France: What US Expats Need to Know About Section 530A
The new Trump Accounts, officially created under Section 530A of the US tax code under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), are designed to help American children build long-term savings. For families living in France, however, an important question remains: how will a Trump Account be taxed for a US citizen who’s a French…
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Dollars to Euros: How to Fund Your Life in France
Moving abroad adds a whole new level of complexity to personal finance that you may be unfamiliar with: currency conversion. Every purchase now has an extra step of mental math as you calculate the cost in your own currency, using a rate that’s constantly changing. While travelers and tourists can usually get away with letting…
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Filing Taxes in France: Our First-Hand Experience
Spring has sprung here in France, and that means it’s officially tax season. We arrived last year, so we’re now required to tackle one of the last big tasks of settling: the French tax return. With our American filing out of the way, we recently dove into a whole new world and tax system. While…
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Visa Fees Rising in France from May 2026
Starting in May 2026, France is increasing a range of visa and residency-related fees. On paper, the changes look incremental. In practice, they raise the cost of moving to and staying in France, especially for long-stay visa holders and first-time applicants. We went through this process ourselves, so instead of just listing the new prices,…
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Early Retirement Abroad and US Tax Strategy
As Americans living overseas, we now get the joy of filing two tax returns every year: French and US. While expat taxes can be quite complex, the US-France tax treaty keeps things fairly simple for us. We’ve now finished our second tax year abroad, finished our US filing, and we’re getting ready to file our…
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Opening a Bank Account in France: A Practical Guide for Americans
Many American expats dread the need to open a local bank account when they move to France. They’ve heard the rumors on how difficult it can be and how no local bank will do business with Americans. While it is difficult for Americans to open a bank account in France, it’s certainly not impossible. Many…