Taxation on UK Pensions in France:
What You Need to Know France Flag

If you’re a UK pension holder living in France, it’s important to understand how your pension income is taxed.

By default, UK pensions are taxed at source in the UK as earned income. As a French resident, you will generally pay tax on this income in France instead, under the UK–France Double Taxation Agreement (DTA). Fill in the form to access our full guide and discover other resources to help you manage your pensions and taxation effectively.

Using the NT Tax Code

To avoid UK tax being withheld at source, you can apply for an “NT” (No Tax) code from HMRC. This code lets your pension provider pay your income gross. But you can only get an NT code if you’ve already started taking income from your pension (your initial 25% Pension Commencement Lump Sum is tax-free at source anyway). Please bear in mind that an NT tax code may not be possible to apply for, depending on whether you have any other UK relevant earnings, and the withdrawal amount.

Hand placing a coin in a purse, symbolizing American expats saving money through tax loss harvesting.

Without an NT code in place, you have a few options:

Option 1

When taking your 25% tax-free lump sum, also withdraw the minimum amount of income to trigger the process for HMRC to assign your NT code. Be aware this can take months to finalise.

Option 2

Take the minimum income and wait until you receive your NT code before withdrawing larger or ad-hoc sums.

Option 3

Withdraw what you need now and claim back any UK tax deducted at source from HMRC at the end of the tax year. This requires you to manage the annual reclaim process yourself.

Taxation in France

Under the DTA, once you have an NT code or reclaim the UK tax, you pay French income tax on your pension instead. Pension income in France is taxed at your marginal rate like other earned income. Additionally, a social charge generally applies.

Exemptions may apply if you hold an EU Form S1 or aren’t part of the French healthcare system.

Traditional French house with lavender in the foreground and rolling hills in the background

See What Our Clients Say

  • Great experience using Ben at SJB global. Made it so easy to draw down funds, great timely communication with the added complexity of a 11 hour time difference. More importantly... read more

    R S Avatar R S

    Having spent over 24 years of my working life in the UK, I decided to retire back in my home country. But with the issue of having to transfer my... read more

    Didier Fernandez Avatar Didier Fernandez

    Following the decision to switch to SJB Global in 2020 Matthew Quinn has been there with professional advice, information and support every step of the way since. I would certainly recommend... read more

    ian killoh Avatar ian killoh
  • My adviser was comprehensive and thorough in ensuring they fully understood my situation and my objectives. The solution provided gives a good return but also reduces the management costs notably... read more

    Glenn Vaughan Avatar Glenn Vaughan

    Very professional and trustworthy financial consultants. I have had many discussions and dealings with Alex Gover and have found him to be extremely helpful, honest and insightful.

    Chris Marsden Avatar Chris Marsden

    I have been a client of SJB Global for over 4 years. Jake Barber and the team have provided excellent guidance and support during this time. As a result, I'm... read more

    Steve Matthews Avatar Steve Matthews
  • My adviser was comprehensive and thorough in ensuring they fully understood my situation and my objectives. The solution provided gives a good return but also reduces the management costs notably... read more

    Glenn Vaughan Avatar Glenn Vaughan

    We have been extremely impressed with the professionalism and quality of SJB Global. Randal has been our contact throughout the process of setting up our arrangements and he has shown... read more

    Martin Kelsey Avatar Martin Kelsey

    Hi,I would just like to say,SJB Global are a life saver and the person who helped me with my pension needs was Daniel Latimer..At first I was was a little... read more

    Adrian Churchill Avatar Adrian Churchill
  • After having a bad experience worrying about an underperforming portfolio after moving my pension out of the UK (a QUROPS) I decided to make the changeover to it being... read more

    Mike Hatrick Avatar Mike Hatrick

    Great experience so far with Ben, always keeps me up to date and informed and also great at explaining things clearly when the information gets a bit technical!

    kirk siddall Avatar kirk siddall

    Since start of using SJB Global in 2018, I've restructured my pension and savings plans. Professional knowledge, experience and understanding of different available products has enabled me to make... read more

    Paul Austin Avatar Paul Austin
  • I feel very well looked after since I switched to support from Lewis at SJB Global. Receiving prompt attention as and when necessary is very important to me and I... read more

    Kevin Mace Avatar Kevin Mace

    Jake Barber has been a fantastic Financial Advisor for me. When I was moving from the UK to Germany last Summer, I was searching online for a Financial Advisor who... read more

    Siddique Khan Avatar Siddique Khan

    I have to say that working with Randal Stephens has been a sincere pleasure and in the large majority of cases a blessing. His competence, his attitude to help a... read more

    Alfonso Gentile Avatar Alfonso Gentile
  • I’ve dealt with Lewis over the past few months and he has been great help in transferring my pension across. He was always very professional and patient, ensuring I fully... read more

    tanya spelkova Avatar tanya spelkova

    Worked with Robert Hoey who arranged my Pensions and Investments details in a patient professional manner. Robert has impressed me with his knowledge and understanding of my situation and my... read more

    Geoffrey Rea Avatar Geoffrey Rea

    I have been a client of SJB Global for the past 3 years and, during that time, Matt Quinn has worked diligently to safeguard my portfolio, advising (but never pushing)... read more

    Rob Leach Avatar Rob Leach
  • Thoroughly satisfied in the service, no hesitation in recommending Lewis and the team.

    Iain Powell Avatar Iain Powell

    I have found the support and advise offered by Daniel Lattimer to be very clear, concise and accurate. I can highly recommend him.

    Bogdan Bienkowski Avatar Bogdan Bienkowski

    Whilst early in my journey with SJB I have been very impressed by the knoweldge, perseverance and professionalism I have benefited from as a client of Ben Eccles. Whilst there... read more

    John Enoch Avatar John Enoch
  • Excellent service Lewis was fantastic to deal with on all matters

    Steve Weston Avatar Steve Weston

    I am hard to catch hold of , a skeptic and slow to make moves. The SJB Global team proved patient, thorough, pressure free and factual and friendly the whole... read more

    James Doyle Avatar James Doyle

    I've just completed the transfer of my UK pension to an international setup with SJB Global and Alex Gover as my Advisor. The process was made very clear by Alex... read more

    Andrew Taylor Avatar Andrew Taylor
  • Down to earth financial advice, and fees that don't cost the earth.

    Peter Nutt Avatar Peter Nutt

    SJB Global have been my pension provider for a few years now. From switching over which was effortless to the array of products that they have access to is impressive.... read more

    Justin Woodmansee Avatar Justin Woodmansee

    We moved our financial advisor from UK to Ben Eccles at SJB Global and have been very impressed with the care and attention to detail that he provides. He... read more

    Juliette Slater Avatar Juliette Slater
  • Outstanding customer service - really happy.

    Olaf Ulrich Avatar Olaf Ulrich

    I've just completed the transfer of my UK pension to an international setup with SJB Global and Alex Gover as my Advisor. The process was made very clear by Alex... read more

    Andrew Taylor Avatar Andrew Taylor

    I have been dealing with SJB since i retired 4 years ago and have had no issues with the service. The team are extremely helpful and have always looked... read more

    Andrew Thompson Avatar Andrew Thompson
  • Hi,I would just like to say,SJB Global are a life saver and the person who helped me with my pension needs was Daniel Latimer..At first I was was a little... read more

    Adrian Churchill Avatar Adrian Churchill
  • After having a bad experience worrying about an underperforming portfolio after moving my pension out of the UK (a QUROPS) I decided to make the changeover to it being... read more

    Mike Hatrick Avatar Mike Hatrick
  • Outstanding customer service - really happy.

    Olaf Ulrich Avatar Olaf Ulrich
  • Very professional and trustworthy financial consultants. I have had many discussions and dealings with Alex Gover and have found him to be extremely helpful, honest and insightful.

    Chris Marsden Avatar Chris Marsden
  • I feel very well looked after since I switched to support from Lewis at SJB Global. Receiving prompt attention as and when necessary is very important to me and I... read more

    Kevin Mace Avatar Kevin Mace
  • I feel very well looked after since I transferred my pension to SJB Global. Daniel responds promptly, concisely and clearly to my queries. Additionally SJB offer very competitive management and... read more

    Graham Tod Avatar Graham Tod
  • We moved our financial advisor from UK to Ben Eccles at SJB Global and have been very impressed with the care and attention to detail that he provides. He... read more

    Juliette Slater Avatar Juliette Slater
  • I feel secure with SJB Global. Daniel treats us like family members in the way he deals with us and looks after our savings. He explains things very clearly and... read more

    Sharon Tett Avatar Sharon Tett
  • Following the decision to switch to SJB Global in 2020 Matthew Quinn has been there with professional advice, information and support every step of the way since. I would certainly recommend... read more

    ian killoh Avatar ian killoh
  • Very good experience with SJB for pension and tax planning.

    Dave Lea Avatar Dave Lea

Get Expert Cross-Border Tax Advice

Managing pension taxation across borders can be complex. Mistakes can lead to unnecessary double taxation or delays in reclaiming overpaid tax. It’s always wise to get expert advice to ensure you’re complying with both UK and French rules while optimising your retirement income.

What does the obligation free call include?

An initial 15-minute introduction call explaining our services and how we can help.

We go through a fact-finding exercise so we can then provide a full financial planning report including a personalised retirement forecast with future projections and work out how on track you are.

Lastly, we will provide a recommendation on any areas where we feel you could improve.

Who is SJB Global and meet your adviser

Our regulations, Independence and Fees

Our process from start to finish

Area we help with including:

UK Pension Advice

Retirement Planning

Investment Planning

Tax Planning

US Expat Services

International Estate Planning

Note: Minimum managed assets for SJB Global is £100,000 or currency equivalent.

Licensing & Regulations

Nexus Global specialises in providing a regulatory platform and compliance support to international financial advisers and intermediaries to enable them to meet regulatory requirements to provide their clients with a professional service. The financial advisers trading under SJB Global are members of Nexus Global. Nexus Global is a division of Blacktower Financial Management (International) Limited (BFMI). All approved members of Nexus Global are appointed representatives of BFMI. BFMI is licensed and regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (FSC) and bound by the rules under licence number 3647: http://www.fsc.gi/regulated-entity/blacktower-financial-management-international-limited-3647.

Get Your Free France Guides

Fill in the form once to unlock our full guide on UK pensions, taxation, and financial planning in France. You’ll be redirected to our downloads page, where you can save this guide and explore other resources to assist with your financial planning.

Access Guides