France — tax on crypto and investments

Country	Currency	Tax year	Authority	Last verified	Status
FR	EUR	1 January – 31 December	Direction générale des Finances publiques (DGFiP), impots.gouv.fr	28-10-2026	approved by the owner (accountant), 28-10-2026

Related article: hq-fs.com/blog/crypto-tax-france

Not tax advice. Rules summarised from official sources, linked where each rule is stated, as verified on the date above. Confirm with a qualified adviser before filing.

At a glance#

Item	Rule
Tax year	Calendar year. 2025 disposals go on the 2026 return (notice 2086).
Crypto legal / tax classification	Digital assets (actifs numériques, renamed crypto-actifs from 2026) under CGI art. 150 VH bis. From 01-01-2026 the article covers fungible MiCA crypto-assets only; NFTs move to new art. 150 VH ter (commentary).
Capital gains on crypto	Occasional private investor: flat tax (prélèvement forfaitaire unique, PFU) 31.4 % = 12.8 % income tax + 18.6 % social contributions (prélèvements sociaux). Option for the progressive scale (barème), box 3CN, household-wide and irrevocable.
Capital gains on shares / funds	PFU (12.8 % income tax + social contributions).
Holding-period relief	None in the art. 150 VH bis regime.
Annual exemption / allowance	Not an allowance. If total household disposal proceeds (prix de cession) for the year are ≤ EUR 305, all gains are exempt. Above EUR 305, gains are taxable from the first euro (BOFiP).
Losses (offset, carry-forward)	Crypto losses offset crypto gains of the same year only. No offset against other income or gains. No carry-forward.
Cost-basis method required	Global portfolio formula (not FIFO, not per-asset average). See "Cost basis".
Staking / mining / airdrops	Mining and staking profits: non-commercial profits (bénéfices non commerciaux, BNC).
Crypto-to-crypto swaps	Not taxable. Exchanges without a cash balance (échanges sans soulte) are under tax deferral (sursis d'imposition) and are not declared (BOFiP).
Spending crypto	Taxable disposal. Sale price = value of the goods or services received. Network and platform fees paid in crypto are also a taxable service payment (simplification: merged into the disposal).
VAT / GST on crypto	Exchange of fiat for bitcoin is VAT-exempt (CJEU Hedqvist, C-264/14).
Withholding or transaction tax	None found for individuals.
Reporting obligations (forms, foreign accounts)	Form 2086 (cerfa 16043*07) annex to 2042; net result to 2042 C box 3AN (gain) or 3BN (loss). Foreign crypto accounts on form 3916 / 3916-bis (CGI art. 1649 bis C).

Capital gains#

Rate#

Item	2024 income (filed 2025)	2025 income (filed 2026)	2026 income (filed 2027)
Income tax (taux forfaitaire, CGI art. 200 C)	12.8 %	12.8 %	12.8 %
Social contributions	17.2 %	18.6 %	18.6 %
Total PFU	30 %	31.4 %	31.4 %
Progressive-scale option	Box 3CN, global, irrevocable	same	same

The increase comes from the Social Security Financing Law for 2026 (LFSS 2026), art. 12: CSG on capital income from 9.2 % to 10.6 % (+1.4 points). It applies to revenus du patrimoine from the taxation of 2025 income, and to produits de placement from 01-01-2026.
impots.gouv.fr states 31.4 % for private crypto disposals on the page last modified 17-07-2026. BOFiP still shows 30 % (version 23-04-2024, not updated).
The barème option is separate from the option for investment income and share gains. Two options may be needed.

What counts as a taxable disposal#

Event	Taxable?
Crypto → EUR or other fiat	Yes
Crypto → goods or services	Yes
Fees paid in crypto to a platform or miners	Yes (merged into the disposal under a simplification)
Crypto → crypto, no cash balance (sans soulte)	No — sursis d'imposition, not declared
Crypto → crypto with cash balance received (soulte)	The soulte reduces the total acquisition price at the next taxable disposal

Gain formula (CGI art. 150 VH bis III)#

Term	French	Meaning	Form 2086 line
P	Prix de cession	Price received, net of fees, plus soulte received or minus soulte paid	213–218
A	Prix total d'acquisition	Sum of all fiat (and goods/services) paid for all crypto ever acquired, minus fractions of initial capital already used, minus soultes received on earlier exchanges	220–223
V	Valeur globale du portefeuille	Value of all crypto held by the household just before the disposal, all platforms and wallets, including foreign and offline	212

Gain = P − A × (P ÷ V) (form 2086, notice 2086). Fees reduce P in the first term only, not in the P ÷ V ratio.

Worked example from the official notice:

Date	Event	Calculation	Gain
Jan N	Buy crypto for EUR 1,000	—	—
Mar N	Portfolio EUR 1,200; sell EUR 450	450 − 1,000 × 450 / 1,200 = 450 − 375	EUR 75
Aug N	Portfolio EUR 1,300; sell all	1,300 − (1,000 − 375) × 1,300 / 1,300	EUR 675

Threshold#

Total household proceeds in the year	Result
≤ EUR 305 (excluding sursis exchanges)	All gains exempt. Annex lists sale prices only. (BOFiP)
> EUR 305	All gains taxable from the first euro

Income#

Activity	Category	Treatment
Occasional private disposals	Art. 150 VH bis	PFU 31.4 % or barème, whatever the number of transactions
Habitual trading "under conditions similar to a professional" (numerous, sophisticated operations)	BNC	Barème + social contributions; micro-BNC 34 % allowance or actual expenses
Trading as a commercial activity	Industrial and commercial profits (BIC)	Normal BIC rules
Mining	BNC	Barème
Staking	BNC	Barème
NFTs (from 01-01-2026)	Art. 150 VH ter	Taxed under the regime of the asset the NFT represents (e.g. art objects, CGI art. 150 VI)

Cost basis and record keeping#

Item	Rule
Crypto method	Global portfolio-value formula across the whole household portfolio. Not FIFO, not per-asset average cost.
Portfolio scope	All crypto held or ever held by the tax household (foyer fiscal)
Missing proof of acquisition price	Treated as acquired for zero
Gifts / inheritances	Acquisition value = value used for transfer duties
Foreign-currency amounts	Converted to EUR at the rate on each transaction date
Same-day / 30-day rules	None (notice 2086, BOFiP base d'imposition)

Indirect taxes#

Item	Rule
Fiat ↔ bitcoin exchange	VAT-exempt (Directive art. 135(1)(e); CJEU C-264/14, 22-10-2015)
Transaction tax on crypto	None found

Reporting and deadlines#

Obligation	Detail
Form 2086	One column per taxable disposal; annexed to 2042 (form)
Form 2042 C	Net gain box 3AN, net loss box 3BN, barème option box 3CN
Foreign crypto accounts	Declare each account opened, held, used or closed with an entity abroad (CGI art. 1649 bis C), form 3916 / 3916-bis or online at the end of the return
From 2026: NFT accounts	1649 bis C extended to non-fungible crypto-assets (loi n° 2026-534)
Service-provider reporting (DAC8)	Crypto service providers collect and report user and transaction data from 01-01-2026 (CGI art. 1649 AC ter)
Late filing	10 % surcharge, 20 % / 40 % after formal notice

Penalties for undeclared foreign accounts (CGI art. 1736 X)#

Breach	Standard	Account value > EUR 50,000 at any time in the year
Undeclared account	EUR 750 per account	EUR 1,500
Omission or inaccuracy	EUR 125 each, cap EUR 10,000 per return	EUR 250
Tax on undeclared foreign holdings	80 % surcharge (CGI art. 1729-0 A), unchanged in 2026	—

Recent and upcoming changes#

Date	Change	Status
01-01-2023	Barème option available; habitual trading taxed as BNC (BOFiP)	In force
2025 income	Social contributions 17.2 % → 18.6 %; PFU 30 % → 31.4 % (LFSS 2026 art. 12)	In force
01-01-2026	DAC8 reporting by crypto service providers (Finance Law for 2025)	In force
01-01-2026	Art. 150 VH bis limited to fungible MiCA crypto-assets; NFTs under new art. 150 VH ter (loi n° 2026-534 of 25-06-2026, art. 91) (Simon Associés)	In force, JO 26-06-2026
2026	Foreign-account reporting extended to NFTs; administrative seizure (SATD) of crypto held by providers (art. 90)	In force

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