How to Declare Dividends and Capital Gains from a Securities Account?

TLDR: Dividends and capital gains from a securities account (compte-titres) in France must be declared annually using form n°2042, either online or on paper. Use gross amounts, without deducting withholding taxes or social levies. Capital gains follow the FIFO (First-In, First-Out) method. Keep the annual summary from your financial intermediary and complete CERFA forms n°11428 (capital gains) and n°2042 (dividends).

Who Must Declare

If you are tax-resident in France and receive dividends or realize capital gains from a securities account, you must declare them in your income tax return. This obligation applies to:

• Dividends, including those from UCITS (OPCVM), unless specific exemptions apply.
• Capital gains from the sale of securities, to be reported in their gross amount.

Declaration Procedure

You can declare online or on paper:

• Online: Log in with your numéro fiscal and password on impots.gouv.fr. Online declarations offer pre-filling, automatic calculations, and extended deadlines.
• Paper: Use form n°2042 and, for capital gains, CERFA form n°11428, both available on impots.gouv.fr.

Required Documents

To complete the declaration correctly, you will need:

1. The annual summary from your financial intermediary, detailing:
   • Dividends received (gross, including withholding tax).
   • Capital gains/losses realized (date, amount, net gain calculation).
2. CERFA forms n°11428 (capital gains) and n°2042 (dividends), to be filled with gross amounts and deductible expenses.

Deadlines and Corrections

Online declaration deadlines are later than paper filings. You can correct a submitted declaration via your personal area on impots.gouv.fr.

Calculation Method

Capital gains from the sale of securities are calculated using the FIFO (First-In, First-Out) method, unless specific exceptions apply.

Deferred Capital Gains

Deferred capital gains must be declared in a tracking statement attached to the return, specifying the date of sale, the proportion of rights or shares transferred, and details for calculating exempted capital gains.