The French tax authority has published new interest rates for determining the deductibility of interest payments to shareholders on 12 February 2025.

The fiscal year-end period and the corresponding applicable rates are as follows:

Fiscal Year Ending Period Maximum Deductible Interest Rate
31 December 2024 – 30 January 2025 5.75%
31 January 2025 – 27 February 2025 5.70%
28 February 2025 – 30 March 2025 5.65%

 

Interest payments exceeding these rates are generally not deductible unless documentation supports that the applied rate is at arm’s length.

The alternative quarterly rate for Q4 2024 has been set at 5.37%. These rates are determined by the Central Bank of France based on the average annual interest rates charged by financial institutions on medium-term variable-rate loans of two years or more.

Earlier, on 29 June 2024, France, published in its Official Journal the second quarter 2024 interest rates for companies whose fiscal year ends between 30 June and 29 September 2024.