How is crypto taxed in France?

France taxes crypto gains made by individuals at a flat rate, known as the flat tax or PFU, which stood at 31.4% in 2026. The tax applies when crypto is sold for euros or used to pay for goods and services, not when one coin is swapped for another. The rules sit in article 150 VH bis of the French tax code.

What is the France crypto tax rate in 2026?

The flat rate has two parts. Income tax is 12.8%, and social charges come on top. The French tax administration set the regime out in 2019, when the total was 30%, with social charges at 17.2%.

The social security financing law for 2026, dated December 30, 2025, raised the standard CSG levy on most financial income, including gains on digital assets. Total social charges went from 17.2% to 18.6%, so the combined flat rate went from 30% to 31.4% from January 1, 2026.

Taxpayers can instead choose the progressive income tax scale. Form 2086 says that choice is express and irrevocable, and it covers all the household's crypto gains for the year.

How does crypto taxation in France work?

Bitcoin tax in France follows the same rules as for any other digital asset. A few features stand out:

• Swaps are deferred. An exchange of one crypto for another, with no cash added, is not taxed at the time.
• Small sellers are exempt. If total sale prices for the household are €305 or less in a year, no tax is due. Above that, the whole gain is taxable.
• The gain uses the whole portfolio. The taxable part is the sale price minus the total purchase cost multiplied by the share of the portfolio's value that was sold. It is not worked out coin by coin.
• Losses count only in the same year. Form 2086 nets losses against gains within the year and does not provide for carrying them forward.

Gains are reported on Form 2086 and carried to Form 2042 C. For how other European countries compare, see crypto tax around the world and the guide on how crypto is taxed in Germany.

Is there an exit tax on crypto in France?

Not under current law. France's exit tax applies to unrealized gains on shares and similar securities when a resident moves abroad, and a Paris law firm notes that crypto is not on that list.

That may change. During work on the 2027 budget, the National Assembly's finance committee in October 2026 adopted amendments that would:

1. extend the exit tax to unrealized crypto gains above €800,000 for people leaving France from January 1, 2027
2. tax conversions of crypto into MiCA-regulated stablecoins from January 1, 2027
3. let crypto losses be carried forward for 10 years

As of October 2026 none of these was law. Committee votes must be repeated in the full Assembly and then go through the Senate. The guide to crypto losses and taxes explains how losses work more generally.

Rules differ by country and change often. Check the tax authority or a qualified professional for your own situation.