Faxing the tax office
Disputed tax notice, document requested by the office: the case reference is everything.
In France, personal taxation falls under the direction générale des Finances publiques, organised into tax offices across the country. The default channel is digital: the personal account on impots.gouv.fr for checking, replying, and uploading documents. Fax is still valid for attaching a supporting document or responding to a letter, provided that letter mentions a fax number. Put your tax number and the reference shown on the notice on the transmission report, and check which channels the dispute accepts and within what time limit.
Why the tax office still accepts faxes
Tax offices work file by file, through dated written exchanges: requests for supporting documents, proposed adjustments, disputes. Some offices and their professional contacts — accountants, agents — have kept fax for bulk submissions, and some letters still display a fax line in the header.
For you, the stakes are the date: the authority's letter sets a deadline, and your transmission report proves the day you sent it. If the letter cites no fax number, don't go looking for one elsewhere: use impots.gouv.fr or postal mail.
Where to find the valid number
- The header of the letter received: it identifies the tax office and the contact handling your file, with the return details.
- The 'Contact' section of impots.gouv.fr, which directs you to the right office based on your place of taxation and your situation.
- A call to the relevant office, to confirm a fax will actually be attached to your file rather than lost.
What the cover sheet should say
- The name of the receiving tax office and, if stated, that of your contact.
- Your tax number, and the reference printed on the letter you are replying to.
- The tax year concerned, and the purpose: reply, supporting documents, dispute.
- A breakdown of the documents — payslips, certificates, proof of payment — and the page count.
The proof to archive
Gather your sending receipt, the exact PDF, and the letter from the agency you are replying to. If a deadline is ever disputed, these three documents establish what was sent, when, and to which office. Faxeroo's PDF delivery receipt option adds a dated proof of delivery, billed only when the fax is delivered.
Other channels, sometimes preferable
Your personal space on impots.gouv.fr
View your notices, use the secure messaging service, and upload documents after signing in: the most direct route, with no waiting in line.
The signed letter
A dispute is filed by signed letter to the address shown on the notice; registered mail is not required, but it leaves a postal record.
The public accountant or the drop-in desk
An authorized professional can respond on your behalf, and public finance offices take appointments during the filing season.
Other guides
- Water damage, theft, accident: the reporting deadline is ticking, and proof of sending counts.
- Reporting an absence on time, without revealing anything about your health condition.
- Pension, life certificate, RIB to update: a social security number copied without a single error saves months.
- A sick leave notice sent too late cuts into your benefits: the send date counts double.
Send to an organisation
This topic
- Faxing an organization: instructions
- Pension, life certificate, RIB to update: a social security number copied without a single error saves months.
- A sick leave notice sent too late cuts into your benefits: the send date counts double.
- Card to block: phone first. For everything else, a properly referenced document is often sufficient.
Keep reading
Pages chosen to help you prepare a send, track it, or keep proof of it.