Childcare or education costs, additional shares… Having children can lower your tax. As long as you respect the rules. Who is entitled to what? What steps to take? When? We explain how to complete your tax return when you are a parent.
When you are a parent, certain child-related expenses can reduce your tax bill. Childcare fees, tuition, reception in leisure center, alimony for adult children, single parent… So many situations which allow you to benefit from a reduction or a tax credit when completing your income tax return. But having children also allows you to benefit from family quotienta mechanism which increases the number of shares in your tax household. The more dependent children you have, the more this system reduces your tax. A significant advantage for families, just like the tax connection.
2026 dates for income tax filing
This year, the deadlines for declaring your 2025 income online have not yet been communicated. Declaration will begin in April 2026and should be organized as in previous years, depending on the department. Last year, departments 1 to 19 had until May 22 to declare their income, departments 20 to 54 until May 29, and departments 55 to 976 (Dom included) until June 5. Taxpayers who declare their income on paper then had until May 20 to send their form. Here are all the rules you need to know to correctly declare your income when you are a parent :
An adult child can be attached to his parents’ tax household if he meets certain conditions. If he is under 21 years old on January 1, 2025, tax attachment is possible without conditions. Between 21 and 25 years old, he can be attached if he is continuing his studies at that date. This connection allows parents to benefit from an increase in the number of shares for the calculation of the family quotient, which can reduce tax. However, the income received by the child must be added to that of the household.
If the child is married, in a civil partnership or has children, the attachment does not give right to an additional share, but to a reduction on the parents’ taxable income. For income taxation, this reduction is 6,794 euros per connected person (the child, his or her spouse and their children). So, “if you join your married child and parent of a child, you are entitled to a reduction of 20 382 euros”specifies the impots.gouv website.
