France VAT Calculator (2026) — Add or Reverse VAT
France's standard VAT rate is 20%, with reduced rates of 2.1% and 5.5% and 10% on certain goods and services. Use the calculator below to add VAT to a net price, or reverse a VAT-included gross price to find the net amount.
How to use this calculator:
- Adding VAT — enter a net (pre-VAT) price, pick "Add VAT to net price," and the calculator applies France's rate to show the VAT amount and gross total.
- Reversing (removing) VAT — enter a gross price that already includes VAT, pick "Remove VAT from gross price," and the calculator divides by 1 + the rate to isolate the net price and the exact VAT paid.
Understanding France VAT
France charges a standard VAT rate of 20%, alongside reduced rates of 2.1% and 5.5% and 10% for specific categories of goods and services.
Most food and books at 5.5%; restaurants and transport at 10%; a super-reduced 2.1% applies to some medicines and press.
VAT registration threshold
€87,000
EU distance-selling threshold
€10,000/year (EU-wide, applies once combined cross-border B2C sales exceed this)
Bloc
European Union member
Why Reverse VAT Calculation Matters
Invoices usually show only the VAT-included gross price, so separating revenue from VAT collected — for bookkeeping, expense claims, or cross-border comparisons — means working backward from that total. Dividing by (1 + rate) isn't the same as subtracting the rate, which is why the calculator above handles it exactly.
History & How the Rate Is Built
France invented VAT. Economist Maurice Lauré, working at the Inspection générale des finances, designed the taxe sur la valeur ajoutée (TVA), which France adopted into law on April 10, 1954. France extended it to services in 1968 and to nearly all economic activity by 1970, and the model was so successful that the EEC required all member states to adopt VAT by directive in 1967.
As the birthplace of VAT, France's TVA remains one of the largest single sources of French government revenue, and its three-tier reduced-rate structure (2.1%, 5.5%, 10%) — one of the more granular in Europe — reflects seven decades of incremental carve-outs for food, culture, health, and press.
Business Use Case: Registering for VAT in France
A French bakery must apply the 5.5% reduced rate to most bread and pastries sold for takeaway, but the 10% rate to prepared food consumed on-site or the full 20% standard rate to certain confectionery — a three-way split that requires careful point-of-sale categorization even within a single small business.
Real-World Example
A €100.00 net price in France at the standard rate of 20%:
- VAT amount: €100.00 × 20% = €20.00
- Gross price: €100.00 + €20.00 = €120.00
France VAT Compliance & Registration
Domestic businesses in France generally must register for VAT once annual taxable turnover exceeds €87,000. Below that threshold, small businesses can often trade without charging VAT, though voluntary registration is usually available. For cross-border EU sales, the €10,000 distance-selling threshold and the One-Stop Shop (OSS) apply regardless of France's domestic threshold — once total EU-wide B2C sales exceed €10,000, VAT is charged at the buyer's country rate and reported through a single OSS return.
Frequently Asked Questions — France VAT
What is the VAT rate in France?▾
What is the VAT registration threshold in France?▾
How do I remove VAT from a France price?▾
Do I charge France VAT rates when selling from another EU country?▾
Is France in the EU VAT area?▾
References & Sources
Methodology: standard and reduced VAT rates are cross-checked against the European Commission's official VAT rates page and Tax Foundation's 2026 tables. All EU member states must apply a standard rate of at least 15% and follow the EU VAT Directive's rules on reduced-rate categories — non-EU countries on this list set VAT/GST policy independently.
Rates last verified January 2026. VAT rates and thresholds are set by national legislation and can change — always confirm current figures with France's national tax authority before invoicing. This tool is for estimation and educational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or accounting advice.
Jordan Hayes
Verified AuthorPersonal Finance Content Strategist
Jordan is a personal finance content strategist with 9+ years writing about mortgages, retirement, tax strategy, and budgeting. Every guide is cross-referenced with IRS publications, Federal Reserve data, and CFPB guidance to make complex calculations accessible. Editor at CalculatorApp.me.
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Tax-rate data, review & limitations
Jurisdiction: France. Effective date: January 1, 2026. Reviewed by CalculatorApp.me editorial staff on July 26, 2026; next scheduled review: October 26, 2026.
Rates are reference estimates, not tax advice. Local rules, exemptions, filing status, and effective dates can change the amount due.
Primary sources
- European Commission Taxes in Europe database
- Tax Foundation, 2026 VAT Rates in Europe