Each year, the income tax return campaign in France is accompanied by different deadlines depending on the place of residence. This organization was set up by the General Directorate of Public Finances (DGFiP) and responds to technical and logistical requirements.
Avoiding overloading the official website
The main reason for this differentiation is to avoid overloading the official tax website (which you can find here: impots.gouv.fr). With 40 million tax households affected, a massive influx of connections around a single date could cause slowdowns or interruptions in service.
By segmenting the calendar by geographic areas, the DGFiP distributes connections over several days and thus guarantees smooth and efficient access for all taxpayers.
The calendar is divided into three zones corresponding to the departments:
- Zone 1 (departments 1 to 19) with a deadline of Thursday, May 22, 2025
- Zone 2 (departments 20 to 54, including Corsica) with a deadline of Wednesday, May 28, 2025
- Zone 3 (departments 55 to 974/976, including overseas departments) with a deadline of Thursday, June 5, 2025.
In a way, this organization is reminiscent of that used for school holidays and also aims to simplify the administrative work of local tax services. If you still have questions, you can also go to the official Bercy simulator (here) to enter your postal code and find out the deadline for filing your taxes in 2025.
What about the penalty?
Here are some examples of deadlines for 2025 in major French cities: Paris and Île-de-France, Thursday, June 5, 2025 (zone 3); Lyon (Rhône), Wednesday, May 28, 2025 (zone 2); Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), Wednesday, May 28, 2025 (zone 2) and for Lille (Nord), Thursday, June 5, 2025 (zone 3).
For those who declare their income via paper form, the deadline is earlier. In 2025, it is set for Tuesday, May 20, regardless of the department. Furthermore, non-residents must finalize their declaration online before Thursday, May 22, 2025.
It is also crucial to remember one point: even if you are not taxable because your income is below the tax thresholds, the declaration remains mandatory. It allows the tax authorities to assess your situation and issue you with a tax exemption notice. This document may be required to access certain social benefits or to prove your income to third-party organizations.
Failure to meet your department's deadline may result in financial penalties, even if you do not owe any tax. A late payment surcharge of 10% of the amount due may be applied if the declaration is not filed within the specified timeframe. It is therefore important to carefully check the dates that correspond to your place of residence (and not wait until the last day) to avoid this frustrating penalty.
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