Understanding What’s Included in Your hellotax VAT Service in France

At hellotax, our goal is to make French VAT compliance simple, automated, and cost-effective for e-commerce sellers.

We operate as a software-driven VAT compliance provider, not a traditional accounting firm. This means your VAT filings are handled through structured automation and validation systems — ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and transparent pricing without unnecessary add-ons.

This article explains exactly what your French VAT filing includes, how your data is handled, and what is (and is not) covered under your subscription.

✅ What’s Included in Your French VAT Filing

Your subscription covers everything required to keep you legally compliant with the French tax authorities (Service des Impôts des Entreprises – SIE).

1️⃣ Preparation of Your French VAT Return

We collect and process all transaction data that you upload or integrate into your hellotax account, including:

• Marketplace sales (Amazon, eBay, etc.)

• Webshop sales

• Returns, refunds and cancellations

• Intra-EU transactions

• Stock movements and warehouse transfers (e.g. Amazon FBA)

Your figures are:

• Validated

• Calculated according to French VAT rules

• Structured in the official French tax format (CA3 return or applicable format)

2️⃣ Submission of Your VAT Return to the French Tax Office

Once your data has been validated:

• We submit your VAT return electronically to the French tax authorities

• We monitor filing status

• We ensure deadlines are respected

• We notify you once submission is complete

All submitted returns are securely stored in your hellotax account for full transparency and future reference.

3️⃣ EC Sales List (DEB/État Récapitulatif TVA) – When Required

If your business makes intra-EU B2B sales from France, your filing may require:

• An EC Sales List (listing EU VAT customers)

• Automatic extraction of EU VAT numbers from your data

• Submission to the French tax authority

Where legally required, this reporting is included in your service.

4️⃣ Intrastat Threshold Monitoring

If your business moves goods into or out of France and exceeds Intrastat thresholds, reporting obligations may apply.

Your hellotax system:

• Monitors your trade volumes

• Detects when thresholds are exceeded

• Notifies you if action is required

⚠️ Please note: Intrastat filing itself is not included in the standard VAT subscription, but monitoring and notification are included.

5️⃣ Correct Application of French VAT Rates

Our system automatically applies the correct VAT treatment based on your data, including:

• The standard French VAT rate (20%)

• Reduced rates (10%, 5.5%, 2.1%) where applicable

• Intra-EU VAT rules

• Reverse charge mechanisms

• OSS interaction (if applicable)

This ensures your filings reflect French VAT legislation accurately.

6️⃣ Secure, Audit-Ready Record Keeping

Your hellotax account stores:

• Submitted VAT returns

• Confirmation receipts

• Uploaded tax office correspondence

• Filing history by period

This creates a clear compliance trail in case of audits or tax authority reviews.

⚠️ What Is Not Included in the Standard VAT Filing

Your subscription does not include:

• Responding to tax audits or complex investigations

• Custom advisory or tax planning

• Manual bookkeeping corrections outside the software scope

• Intrastat filing preparation

• Structural company changes reporting

These services can be provided separately upon request.

📌 Your Responsibilities as a Client

To ensure accurate and compliant filings, you must:

• Upload complete and accurate transaction data

• Respect the data upload deadline (usually by the 4th of the following month)

• Inform hellotax of changes to your business

• Ensure your SEPA payment mandate is active (for VAT payments in France)

Incomplete or late data can result in incorrect filings, penalties, or interest charges imposed by the French tax authorities.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• ✔️ Your French VAT return preparation and submission are included

• ✔️ EC Sales Lists are included where required

• ✔️ VAT rates are applied automatically according to French rules

• ✔️ Intrastat thresholds are monitored

• ✔️ All filings are stored for audit purposes

But remember:

• 📌 You must upload complete data on time

• 📌 You remain legally responsible for the accuracy of your business information

• 📌 Additional advisory or correction work falls outside the standard subscription

If you ever feel unsure about what your filing covers, your hellotax Account Manager is happy to clarify.

Our goal is simple: clear compliance, no surprises, and smooth VAT management in France.