Have you thought about everything when filing your taxes? If you missed this detail, you may well regret it in a few months.
Since the introduction of withholding tax, tax returns for French people have been made much easier. After careful rereading of the pre-filled declaration and updating it in the event of a change in family situation (birth of a child, divorce, etc.), there is (almost!) nothing more to do. All you need to do is log in to your personal space on impots.gouv.fr with your tax number and your password. The validation of the tax declaration generally takes place between April and June of the current year… For the previous year. Then, the tax is calculated in the summer and Public Finance takes the amount due from you, or reimburses you, depending on the case.
But there are other important dates when filing taxes, and you can make changes late in the year. In this case this year, the date has been set for December 11. The tax authorities also sent you an email at the end of September to inform you. If the message has gone to your spam folder, now is the time to read it carefully and check if the changes mentioned are intended for you. Because this concerns a very specific point in your statement, and affects, for example, many parents.
Indeed, if you have your children under 6 looked after outside the home, then you can benefit from the tax credit for childcare expenses. This concerns both parents who use an approved childminder, but also crèches, daycares, school daycares, leisure centers, etc.). In the month of January, and in “the aim of reducing your budget without waiting for your tax to be calculated in the summer of 2026″the taxes will reimburse you next January 60% of the amount of your reductions or tax credits. But be careful! It is imperative to adjust your advance if your expenses have decreased this year compared to the previous one. Otherwise, the risk is having to repay the overpayment to the tax authorities next summer…
This scenario traps many parents when moving from nursery or childminder to the start of kindergarten, since the pace is no longer the same. You must therefore carefully adapt your declaration according to your real needs. To reduce or cancel this advance, nothing could be simpler. In your particular space, you must click on “Manage my withholding tax”, then on “Manage your reduction and tax credit advances”. This obviously does not only concern families with children. Also think about it if you employ housekeeping or other personal services.
