Employees can claim a mileage allowance for expenses they have incurred while travelling within a professional capacity. To claim an allowance, the date and place of the business trip, purpose of the trip, name of the client or business partner, kilometres travelled, etc. must be provided. The employer must also obtain a copy of the employee’s car registration document. The refund can be paid directly through the company’s accounting to the employee, or through monthly payroll. In either case, the number of kilometres, the rate and the total amount of the mileage allowance have to be mentioned on the French payslip.

Mileage for business travel (2023 and 2022)

If an employee needs to use their vehicle (vehicles that they own, co-own, or lease) for professional purposes, they are entitled to a flat-rate kilometric allowance from their employer. This allowance is free from tax (within the limits of the scales published annually by the tax administration). These scales take into account the vehicles’ power in conjunction with the number of kilometres driven:

Kilometric allowance for cars

2023 taxation of income for the year 2022:

Up to 5000 km travelled From 5001 to 20000 km Beyond 20000 km travelled
3 CV and less km x 0,529 (km x 0,316) + 1065 km x 0,370
4 CV km x 0,606 (km x 0,340) + 1330 km x 0,407
5 CV km x 0,636 (km x 0,357) + 1395 km x 0,427
6 CV km x 0,665 (km x 0,374) + 1457 km x 0,447
7 CV and more km x 0,697 (km x 0,394) + 1515 km x 0,470

 

2022 taxation of income for the year 2021:

Up to 5000 km travelled From 5001 to 20000 km Beyond 20000 km travelled
3 CV and less km x 0,502 (km x 0,3) + 1007 km x 0,35
4 CV km x 0,575 (km x 0,323) + 1262 km x 0,387
5 CV km x 0,603 (km x 0,339) + 1320 km x 0,405
6 CV km x 0,631 (km x 0,355) + 1382 km x 0,425
7 CV and more km x 0,661 (km x 0,374) + 1435 km x 0,446

 

For electric vehicles, the mileage scale ‘3 CV or less’ applies.

Kilometric allowance for two-wheelers

2023 taxation of income for the year 2022:

Up to 3000 km From 3001 to 6000 km Beyond 6000 km
From 1 to 2 CV km x 0,395 (km x 0,099) + 891 km x 0,248
From 3 to 5 CV km x 0,468 (km x 0,082) + 1158 km x 0,275
More than 5 CV km x 0,606 (km x 0,079) + 1583 km x 0,343

 

2022 taxation of income for the year 2021:

Up to 3000 km From 3001 to 6000 km Beyond 6000 km
From 1 to 2 CV km x 0,375 (km x 0,094) + 845 km x 0,234
From 3 to 5 CV km x 0,444 (km x 0,078) + 1099 km x 0,261
More than 5 CV km x 0,575 (km x 0,075) + 1502 km x 0,325

 

Kilometric allowance for mopeds

2023 taxation of income for the year 2022:

Up to 3000 km From 3001 to 6000 km Beyond 6000 km
km x 0,315 (km x 0,079) + 711 km x 0,198

 

2022 taxation of income for the year 2021:

Up to 3000 km From 3001 to 6000 km Beyond 6000 km
km x 0,299 (km x 0,07) + 458 km x 0,162

Mileage for commuting to work

Mandatory coverage

In France, all employers are obligated to compensate their employees for travel expenses to and from work when they have paid for a public transport subscription (such as a season pass) for their commute.

The types of public transport covered include either a card/subscription issued by the SNCF or another public transport authority for a limited or unlimited number of rides or a subscription to a public bicycle rental. Individually purchased tickets that are not part of a subscription service do not need to be compensated. If the employee is already receiving compensation for their transport which covers at least 50% of their subscription, the employer is not required to contribute, otherwise, up to 50% must be covered.

If an employee works half-time or more, they are reimbursed under the same conditions as full-time employees. If they work for less than half-time, the employee receives compensation in proportion to the number of hours worked compared to half-time.

This compensation is based on the employee travelling on a second-class fare which travels the shortest distance between their home and their place of work. If this requires multiple types of public transport (such as both a train and a bus) then all subscriptions must be covered. For these travel costs to be covered, employees must be able to show their employer a ticket, at which point the employer must compensate them as soon as possible, at the latest this must be done at the end of the following month (the month following the validity of the ticket). For annual subscriptions/tickets support is split monthly.

Optional coverage

Certain means of transport can give rise to optional compensation by an employer. While an employer is under no obligation to cover individual transport costs, they may agree to do so (in whole or part) through a unilateral decision or company agreement. This optional support can be granted through transport bonuses, which cover the cost of fuel/electricity either partially or wholly.

Employers can also choose to compensate them using a mileage allowance calculated according to the scale of professional expenses. Employers can choose to compensate those who travel to work through carpooling (either as a passenger or a driver), cycling, public transport (other than that which is mandatory for them to cover), and other shared mobility services. The payment of these costs takes the form of a flat-rate allowance (as showcased in the Mileage for business travel tables above), exempt from tax, up to a limit of €500 per year and per employee.

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