Rumours that France will soon ban tax payments by cheque altogether have spread quickly in recent weeks and have been widely reported in both the French and English press.
However, a closer reading of the 2026 budget and a clarification from the tax authority suggest a more nuanced reality: the cheque is being phased down, not abruptly outlawed — and for many individuals, it will remain an option beyond 2027.
At the heart of the confusion is a provision in France’s 2026 budget affecting payments to the tax office, the Direction générale des finances publiques (DGFiP).
A reading of the clause shows it clearly targets professionals and businesses; the government has signalled that businesses are expected to use electronic transfers and online systems.
Some reports have suggested that from 2027, individuals will no longer be able to pay taxes by cheque. Yet when we posed the question to the DGFiP they were explicit: there will be no outright refusal of cheques in 2027 for private individuals.
What is changing is the infrastructure.
France has steadily dismantled its cheque-processing network. Centres in Lille and Créteil have already closed. The last remaining processing site, in Rennes, is scheduled to shut in summer 2027 when its outsourcing contract expires.
Rather than reinvest in declining cheque infrastructure, the tax administration has chosen to accelerate digital alternatives.
But withdrawing dedicated cheque-processing facilities is not the same as banning cheques outright.
Cheque use in France has collapsed over the past quarter-century. In 2000, cheques accounted for 37.5 percent of transactions. Today, they represent roughly 2 percent.
When it comes specifically to tax payments, income tax and property tax account for only about one million cheque payments projected for 2025 — a tiny fraction of total transactions.
Far more numerous are local public service bills — school canteens, water services and other municipal charges — where around 33 million cheque payments are still expected in 2025, down from 39 million in 2024. It is these local payments that are most directly affected by the disappearance of cheque identification slips.
The French tax system already offers multiple alternatives through the official portal impots.gouv.fr:
Online payment via personal account
Standard bank transfer
TIP SEPA interbank payment orders
Card or cash payments (up to €300 at authorised tobacconists or tax offices)
Two digital tools are being expanded:
PayFiP, which allows taxpayers to validate a pre-filled transfer directly through their online banking platform.
Wero, a European instant transfer system operating via mobile phone.
The administration argues these systems are simpler, faster and more secure. A redesigned unified portal, “Mon espace Finances publiques”, is also planned to centralise access to tax and local public service bills.
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