FR Cfe

Skill Metadata

Skill Metadata

Field	Value
Jurisdiction	France
Jurisdiction Code	FR
Primary Legislation	Code Général des Impôts (CGI), articles 1447 to 1478
Supporting Legislation	CGI art. 1647 D (minimum contribution); art. 1449-1466 (exemptions)
Tax Authority	DGFiP (Direction Générale des Finances Publiques)
Contributor	Open Accountants
Validated By	Pending -- requires validation by French expert-comptable
Validation Date	Pending
Skill Version	1.0

Confidence Tier Definitions

• [T1] Tier 1 -- Deterministic — Apply exactly as written.
• [T2] Tier 2 -- Reviewer Judgement Required — Flag and present options.
• [T3] Tier 3 -- Out of Scope / Escalate — Do not guess.

Step 0: Client Onboarding Questions

Before computing, you MUST know:

1. Activity type [T1] -- entreprise individuelle, micro-entreprise / auto-entrepreneur, profession libérale, or société?
2. Year of creation [T1] -- first-year exemption applies in the year of business creation
3. Location of business premises [T1] -- municipality determines the rate and minimum
4. Type of premises [T1] -- home-based (domiciliation), rented office, owned premises?
5. Chiffre d'affaires (turnover) or recettes [T1] -- determines the minimum CFE bracket
6. Any specific exemptions claimed? [T2] -- ZFU, ZRR, ZRD, artisan, etc.

If location is unknown, STOP. CFE rates are set by municipalities and vary widely.

Step 1: What is CFE? [T1]

• CFE definition — CFE is a local business tax (part of the CET -- Contribution Économique Territoriale, which replaced the old taxe professionnelle). All persons exercising a professional activity on 1 January of the tax year are liable. (CGI art. 1447)
• CFE composition formula — CFE = base_imposable × taux_communal + taxes_additionnelles (CGI art. 1447)
• Base imposable — Valeur locative cadastrale (cadastral rental value) of business premises (CGI art. 1447)
• Taux communal — Rate set by the municipality (commune) (CGI art. 1447)
• Taxes additionnelles — Chamber of commerce/industry levy, frais de gestion (CGI art. 1447)

Step 2: Tax Base (Base Imposable) [T1]

Legislation: CGI art. 1467

Standard Base

• Standard base formula — base_imposable = valeur_locative_cadastrale × coefficient_de_revalorisation (CGI art. 1467)

The valeur locative cadastrale is the theoretical annual rental value of the business premises as assessed by the cadastre. It is NOT actual rent paid.

For Home-Based Businesses

• Home-based business rule — If the self-employed person works from home: the valeur locative of the portion of the home used for business applies. In practice, this is often very low (a fraction of the home's cadastral value). If no identifiable business premises exist, the cotisation minimum applies. (CGI art. 1467)

Reduction for New Establishments

• Second-year base reduction — In the second year of activity (first year after the creation year exemption), the base is reduced by 50%. (CGI art. 1467)

Step 3: Municipal Rates [T2]

• Municipal rate range — Each municipality sets its own CFE rate annually. Rates typically range from 15% to 35% of the base, but can be higher or lower. Additional rates apply for EPCI (intercommunalité), department, and chamber of commerce. (CGI art. 1636 B sexies)

[T2] -- The exact rate is municipality-specific. Cannot compute without the commune's rate. Use impots.gouv.fr to look up specific rates.

Step 4: Cotisation Minimum (Minimum CFE) [T1]

• Cotisation minimum rule — If the calculated CFE based on the actual valeur locative is below a threshold, a cotisation minimum applies. The minimum is set by the municipality based on the taxpayer's chiffre d'affaires. (CGI art. 1647 D)

Minimum CFE Brackets (2025)

Minimum CFE Brackets (2025) (CGI art. 1647 D)

Chiffre d'Affaires (CA) or Recettes	Minimum Base Range (set by commune within these bounds)
CA <= EUR 10,000	EUR 243 -- EUR 579
EUR 10,001 -- EUR 32,600	EUR 243 -- EUR 1,158
EUR 32,601 -- EUR 100,000	EUR 243 -- EUR 2,433
EUR 100,001 -- EUR 250,000	EUR 243 -- EUR 4,056
EUR 250,001 -- EUR 500,000	EUR 243 -- EUR 5,793
CA > EUR 500,000	EUR 243 -- EUR 7,533

The commune chooses a specific amount within the range. Each commune's minimum is different.

Micro-Entrepreneurs / Auto-Entrepreneurs

• Micro-entrepreneur CFE liability — Micro-entrepreneurs are subject to CFE on the same basis. The minimum contribution applies if they have no identified business premises. (CGI art. 1647 D)

Step 5: Exemptions [T1]

• Exemptions legislation — See exemptions listed below. (CGI art. 1449-1466)

First-Year Exemption (Année de création)

• First-year exemption — The year of business creation is fully exempt from CFE. If business is created on 15 March 2025, no CFE is due for 2025. CFE begins in 2026 (with 50% base reduction in this second year). Client must file form 1447-C-SD (declaration) before 31 December of the creation year. (CGI art. 1449-1466)

Other Exemptions

Other Exemptions

Exemption	Duration	Legislation
Artisans (no employees, manual work)	Permanent	CGI art. 1452
Taxi drivers (1 vehicle)	Permanent	CGI art. 1453
Artists (painters, sculptors, etc.)	Permanent	CGI art. 1460
Vendors with CA < EUR 5,000	Permanent	CGI art. 1647 D bis
ZFU (Zone Franche Urbaine)	5 years (+ 3-9 degressive)	CGI art. 1466 A
ZRR (Zone de Revitalisation Rurale)	5 years	CGI art. 1465 A

CA < EUR 5,000 Exemption

• Cotisation minimum exemption for low CA — Since 2019, businesses with chiffre d'affaires or recettes not exceeding EUR 5,000 are exempt from cotisation minimum CFE.

Step 6: Computation Steps [T1]

• Computation steps overview — See sub-steps 6.1 to 6.5 for the full computation.

Step 6.1 -- Verify liability

• Verify liability logic — IF year_of_creation: EXEMPT (no CFE due) IF CA <= 5,000: EXEMPT from cotisation minimum IF artisan/taxi/artist exemption applies: EXEMPT

Step 6.2 -- Determine base

• Determine base logic — IF identifiable_business_premises: base = valeur_locative × revalorisation_coefficient IF second_year_of_activity: base = base × 50% ELSE: base = cotisation_minimum_of_commune (based on CA bracket)

Step 6.3 -- Apply municipal rate

• Apply municipal rate logic — CFE_brut = base × taux_communal CFE_brut = max(CFE_brut, cotisation_minimum)

Step 6.4 -- Add additional taxes

• Add additional taxes logic — total_CFE = CFE_brut + frais_de_gestion (1%) + taxe_CCI (if applicable)

Step 6.5 -- Cap (plafonnement CET)

• CET cap rule — The total CET (CFE + CVAE) cannot exceed 1.625% of valeur ajoutée (value added). If it does, a cap (plafonnement) applies.

Step 7: Payment Schedule [T1]

Payment Schedule (CGI art. 1679 quinquies)

Obligation	Deadline
Acompte (advance, if prior-year CFE > EUR 3,000)	15 June (50% of prior-year CFE)
Solde (balance / full payment)	15 December
Payment method	Online via impots.gouv.fr (mandatory for all)

• CFE notices (avis d'imposition) are available on the espace professionnel on impots.gouv.fr from November
• No paper notice is sent -- the taxpayer must check online
• Late payment: 10% penalty + interest at 0.20%/month

First Year After Creation

• No acompte in second year — No acompte in the second year (first year of CFE liability) since there is no prior-year reference.

Step 8: Tax Deductibility [T1]

Tax Deductibility

Question	Answer
Is CFE deductible from taxable income?	YES -- as a charge d'exploitation (business expense)
For micro-entrepreneurs?	NO direct deduction (already covered by the micro-fiscal abatement)
For régime réel?	YES -- fully deductible

Step 9: Edge Case Registry

EC1 -- Auto-entrepreneur, first year [T1]

Situation: Client registered as auto-entrepreneur in May 2025. Resolution: Exempt from CFE for 2025 (creation year). Must file form 1447-C-SD before 31 December 2025. CFE begins in 2026 with 50% base reduction.

EC2 -- Home-based freelancer, no separate premises [T1]

Situation: Software developer working from home apartment, no dedicated office space rented. Resolution: Cotisation minimum applies (based on CA bracket). If CA is EUR 25,000, minimum base is between EUR 243 and EUR 1,158 (set by commune). CFE = minimum_base x commune_rate.

EC3 -- Turnover below EUR 5,000 [T1]

Situation: Part-time freelancer with EUR 3,500 annual turnover. Resolution: Exempt from cotisation minimum CFE (since CA <= EUR 5,000). No CFE due if also no identifiable business premises with cadastral value.

EC4 -- Artisan exemption [T1]

Situation: Client is a self-employed carpenter working alone with no employees. Resolution: Artisan exemption applies under CGI art. 1452 if: works principally with manual labour, registered with Chambre de Métiers, and has no salaried employees (apprentices are allowed). Permanent CFE exemption.

EC5 -- Multiple establishments [T2]

Situation: Client has a registered office in Paris and a workshop in Lyon. Resolution: CFE is due separately in each commune where the client has premises. Each commune applies its own rate to the valeur locative of premises in its territory. [T2] -- confirm each commune's rate.

EC6 -- Closing business mid-year [T1]

Situation: Client ceases activity on 30 June 2025. Resolution: CFE is due for the full year 2025 (assessed on 1 January status). No pro-rata reduction for cessation mid-year. CFE ceases from 1 January of the year FOLLOWING cessation.

EC7 -- ZFU / ZRR zone location [T2]

Situation: Client is based in a Zone Franche Urbaine. Resolution: Potential 5-year exemption (+ degressive period). Must meet employment and turnover conditions. [T2] -- confirm zone eligibility and conditions with local SIE (Service des Impôts des Entreprises).

EC8 -- CFE + CVAE combined cap [T2]

Situation: Client's CET (CFE + CVAE) exceeds 1.625% of value added. Resolution: Plafonnement applies. Request cap calculation from SIE. [T2] -- CVAE computation needed for businesses with CA > EUR 500,000.

Step 10: Test Suite

Test 1 -- Creation year, exempt

Input: Auto-entrepreneur registered June 2025, CA EUR 20,000. Expected output: CFE 2025 = EUR 0 (creation year exemption). Must file 1447-C-SD.

Test 2 -- Second year, 50% reduction

Input: Business created 2024, premises valeur locative EUR 2,000, commune rate 25%, CA EUR 40,000. Expected output: Base = EUR 2,000 x 50% = EUR 1,000. CFE = EUR 1,000 x 25% = EUR 250. Check against cotisation minimum for CA EUR 40,000.

Test 3 -- Home-based, cotisation minimum

Input: Freelancer at home, no separate premises, CA EUR 25,000, commune minimum EUR 800. Expected output: CFE = EUR 800 x commune rate. If commune rate 22%, CFE = EUR 176. But if cotisation minimum is set as a fixed amount (EUR 800 after rate), then CFE = EUR 800.

Test 4 -- CA below EUR 5,000

Input: Part-time consultant, CA EUR 4,500. Expected output: Exempt from cotisation minimum. CFE = EUR 0 (if no identifiable premises).

Test 5 -- Artisan exemption

Input: Self-employed plumber, works alone, registered with Chambre de Métiers. Expected output: Permanent exemption under CGI art. 1452. CFE = EUR 0.

Test 6 -- High turnover, advance payment

Input: Established business, prior-year CFE EUR 4,500, CA EUR 350,000. Expected output: Acompte due 15 June = EUR 2,250 (50% of prior year). Solde due 15 December = remainder after recalculation.

PROHIBITIONS

• NEVER compute CFE without knowing the commune -- rates vary enormously between municipalities
• NEVER forget the first-year exemption -- creation year is always exempt
• NEVER ignore the 50% base reduction in the second year of activity
• NEVER state that auto-entrepreneurs are exempt from CFE -- they are NOT (except creation year and CA < EUR 5,000)
• NEVER confuse valeur locative cadastrale with actual rent paid -- they are different amounts
• NEVER forget that CFE must be checked ONLINE on impots.gouv.fr -- no paper notice is sent
• NEVER apply pro-rata for mid-year cessation -- CFE is due for the full year
• NEVER advise on zone-based exemptions without confirming eligibility conditions
• NEVER present CFE as the total local business tax -- CET = CFE + CVAE

Disclaimer

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