Americans in France: Tax deadlines, French summer fun, and where to buy a second home
Dear Americans in France,
Les grandes vacances
(or the summer school holidays) are fast approaching in France.
While this means that summer fun is on the horizon and
French tax season
is over, don't forget that the IRS gives Americans living overseas an automatic extension
until June 15th
to file their US tax return. You can request an additional extension to October 15th if you need it.
If you are worried you filed your US and French taxes
in the wrong order
- do not fear. Tax expert Jonathan Hadida has some advice for those who find themselves in this situation.
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Away from taxes and onto the beach! I have a couple of tips for how to maximise your summer holidays in France.
My first piece of advice is to look into the SNCF special
annual holiday discount plan
. Basically, this allows people to get a one-time 25 percent discount on train tickets. The idea is to help you pay for summer travel, and it's available to everyone; you just have to be willing to sit down and apply for it in advance.
If you can't swing it this year, it's worth adding to your to-do list for summer 2026.
My second tip is to do summer like the French, and by that I mean,
enjoy the seasonal festivals
.
Summer truly is festival season here in France, and as early as June, you have some of the best (free) events like Nuit Blanche in Paris (where museums and cultural centres stay open all night) and Fête de la Musique, where every French town turns into a concert venue.
My third tip is to check out your local municipal pool.
I cannot speak for the entirety of France, but my experience with municipal pools in western France and Paris has been fantastic. I am consistently amazed by how affordable, well-kept, and clean the swimming pools are. I'll be spending a few weeks in Maryland this summer, and I was shocked to see the entry prices for municipal pools. Safe to say it was much more than the €3.50 I am used to paying in Paris.
If you are feeling brave, you might consider jumping into the Seine this summer (in one of the
three dedicated swim areas
, of course).
Here at The Local, we have been busy introducing two new series. The first is on
buying a second home in France
. I spoke with real estate experts and readers to put together seven articles covering everything you need to know about buying your dream French house/apartment, whether that is in Paris, Brittany, the south-west or the Riviera.
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One of the real estate experts I spoke with - Alexander Kraft, the chairman and CEO of Sotheby's International Realty for France and Monaco - had noticed some recent
trends in the French property market
.
He said that he has seen "more American buyers in the last six months than in the past five years", and interestingly, they are coming from both sides of the political aisle. He had some useful tips for would-be buyers and sellers.
With each edition of this newsletter, I like to remind readers that we love to hear from you. You can give your best tips for other Americans in France or ask us questions via our
ongoing survey
.
We've also tried to nail down a clear response to one reader's question about whether or not it's "legal to work remotely for US clients while residing in France on a visitor visa."
I started to tackle this thorny question in the previous edition of this newsletter, but since then, we have received more clarification. Confusingly, the 'visitor' status requires people to promise they will not 'work in France', but the meaning of 'work in France' has been up for debate amongst legal experts.
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We can now say
with confidence
that both French tax and social security authorities consider any work done on French soil to be income earned in France. We'll continue trying to untangle this web, so you can keep an eye out for the rest of the series in our '
Remote working in France' section
.
Another point I've noticed readers mention over the years is the idea that France still has 'the
Napoleonic code in force
'. This sounds quite draconian and startling, but in reality, it may not be as shocking as it sounds.
And finally, if you don't have a summer of French fun planned, you can still live French culture via French cinema.
I tried to put together a list of the French films that are most popular with Americans, but I was surprised to find the category of 'French film' to be broader than I was expecting. By some metrics, the
best 'French films'
are those belonging to a certain Liam Neeson thriller franchise.
Thanks for reading, and as always, you can reach me at genevieve.mansfield@thelocal.com.
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