News Digest: Record-Breaking Temperatures & Do You Need to Correct Your French Tax Return?

French residents should have by now received their 2025 tax notice and any outstanding tax bills (or, if you’re lucky, a tax refund!) – if you haven’t, check your online account at impots.gouv.fr.

But what happens if you notice a mistake on your tax return? Perhaps the amount calculated was not what you expected, and you realise, on reflection, that you’ve listed your income in the wrong box or you forgot to declare a foreign account or investment? Remember ALL WORLDWIDE INCOME must be declared on your French tax return, even if there’s no tax to pay in France.

The good news is that it is possible to correct your tax return without any fines or other consequences from now until December 3rd 2025. The online correction service is now open, so you can amend your tax notice via your espace particulier. To make a correction, log in to your account at impots.gouv.fr and follow the links to Accédez à la correction en ligne. After making the changes online, you will receive a confirmation email. A new tax return will then be issued with any new calculations applied.

Note that if you want to correct a tax return outside of this period, there may be consequences, so make sure that you take advantage of this. This system also isn’t used for reporting changes of address, civil status and personal information – for that you will need to declare your change of status through your espace particulier.

French Tax FAQ: What If I’ve Made a Mistake & Need to Amend My Tax Return?

At least 14 departments in southwest and southeast France remain on red alert for heatwaves (canicule) today and tomorrow, while the rest of the country, with the exception of the northwest coast, is still on orange alert (see the France Météo map here). Temperatures yesterday peaked at 41.6°C in Bordeaux, 36°C in Paris, and more than 40°C in the Rhône Valley, and while they should begin to fall from tomorrow (Wednesday) onwards, you can expect the sweltering heat to continue all week.

The scorching temperatures have also put much of France at a high risk of wildfires. The huge wildfire that tore through the Aude department in southern France last week – the country’s largest in more than 75 years, which tore through an area the size of Paris – is still burning, although firefighters confirmed that it has been brought under control. Just yesterday, a separate wildfire spread over 200 hectares in the Charente, leading to evacuations – the fire has now also been declared under control.

Low-cost carrier Ryanair has been vocal about its opposition to France’s rising “eco-tax” (officially the taxe sur la solidarité des billets d’avion) on airline tickets, threatening to cut French flight routes earlier in the year when the tax hike was announced. Now, the airline has confirmed that it will cut winter services to three French airports – Strasbourg, Bergerac, and Brivé – reducing its overall flight capacity to France by 13%.

It’s not clear yet if these cuts will also continue into the 2026 summer season, but there is increased concern for the viability of smaller airports such as Bergerac if Ryanair ceases to operate flights. Ryanair services account for about 70% of all annual flights operating from Bergerac Airport, and losing this revenue could leave the airport at risk of closure.

Speaking to Le Parisien this weekend, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary warned once again of further cuts if further tax hikes go ahead. While France’s proposed 2026 budget doesn’t currently include plans to further increase the eco-tax, the option hasn’t fully been taken off the table either, and debates won’t begin until later in the year. As always, we’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

Expect more traffic than usual on the roads this weekend as Friday, 15th August, marks the second jour férié of the summer season, in celebration of the Catholic festival of l’Assomption. Heavy congestion has been predicted over the bank holiday weekend, but there are also several potential disruptions to public transport that may further slow down travel, especially in and around Paris.

Sud Rail has also filed a strike notice from this Saturday through to September 1st, so train delays or cancellations are possible throughout the country. In Paris, lines B, D, H, K, and TER services between Saint-Denis and central Paris will be disrupted over the weekend due to the construction of a new cathedral bridge, while track closures are pencilled in for Livry-sur-Seine, Seine-et-Marne, and Fontaine-le-Port for maintenance works.

More works are taking place between La Défense and Charles de Gaulle-Étoile stations with a replacement bus service being offered, and the RER A between Le Vésinet-Le Pecq and Saint-Germain-en-Laye is also suspended until August 22nd.

Bank Holidays or Les Jours Fériés in France: Key Dates for 2025