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Form 2777 — French withholding on dividends paid

When a French corporate-tax company pays dividends to an individual shareholder, the company itself withholds the 12.8 % non-final flat withholding on the gross amount — an advance on income tax — and reports and remits it through form 2777-SD, online, within 15 days after the month of payment. Form 2777-SD must be e-filed and accompanied by the e-payment; the competent office is the tax office in charge of the company. A shareholder whose reference taxable income is below €50,000 (€75,000 for a couple) may request exemption from the withholding, before 30 November of the previous year, on a sworn statement.

Up to date for 2026 — verified on September 11, 2026Official form2777-SDGuide: about 30 min

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Deadlines

Within 15 days after the month of payment
Dividends paid on 20 May are reported and paid no later than 15 June, by e-filing and e-payment.
Shareholder's exemption: before 30 November
The request for exemption from the 12.8 % withholding is handed to the company before 30 November of the year preceding payment, with a sworn statement.

Documents to prepare

  • Distribution decision of the general meeting and payment date
  • Gross amount paid to each individual shareholder
  • Exemption requests received before 30 November, with a sworn statement
  • Professional tax account credentials for e-filing and e-payment
Download the official form (2777-SD)

You download it from the official site — we never re-host a public document.

What this page gives you

The guide above and the link to the official site. ActioFin does not produce any document for this page: whatever you fill in or file is done on the official medium.

Who this applies to

  • Companies subject to corporate tax (SAS, SASU, SARL, EURL under corporate tax) distributing dividends to individual shareholders
  • Managers who pay themselves partly through dividends: the company pays, but the manager bears the withholding
  • Accountants and finance managers who keep the distribution calendar

Worked example

Example: Horizon SAS pays €20,000 of dividends to its sole shareholder

Horizon SAS's general meeting decides a €20,000 distribution to its sole shareholder, paid on 20 May 2026. His 2024 reference taxable income is €62,000, as a single person: he cannot request the exemption. On payment, the company withholds the 12.8 % non-final flat withholding, i.e. €2,560, and the 18.6 % social levies, i.e. €3,720 — 31.4 % in total, the rate of the single flat tax. The shareholder receives €13,720 net. No later than 15 June 2026, Horizon SAS e-files form 2777-SD from its professional account and e-pays €6,280. In spring 2027, the shareholder finds the €20,000 on line 2DC of his 2042 return and the €2,560 advance pre-filled on line 2CK; if he does not tick box 2OP, the 12.8 % withholding covers his income tax on these dividends.

How to fill it in, step by step

  1. Date precisely the payment decided by the general meeting: the month of payment is what opens the 15-day deadline.
  2. Collect, before 30 November of the previous year, the exemption requests of eligible shareholders, each with a sworn statement of reference taxable income; without a request in time, the withholding applies.
  3. Compute the withholding on the gross dividends: 12.8 % non-final flat withholding for non-exempt shareholders, plus the social levies — the calculator linked to this page gives the net paid.
  4. Pay the net amount to the shareholders, and keep the detail per shareholder: gross amount, withholding, social levies, net.
  5. E-file form 2777-SD from the professional tax account (EFI mode) or through an agent in EDI, and e-pay the same amount, no later than the 15th of the month following payment.
  6. Inform each shareholder of the amounts withheld: they will find them pre-filled on their income tax return (line 2DC for the dividends, line 2CK for the advance already paid) and may elect the progressive scale by ticking box 2OP.

The form, line by line

Non-final flat withholding
12.8 % of the gross dividends paid to non-exempt individuals. It is an advance on income tax, not the final tax: the shareholder finds it on line 2CK of their 2042 return.
Social levies
Withheld at source together with the flat withholding. The official sheet gives the single flat tax at 31.4 %, made of 12.8 % income tax and 18.6 % social charges.
Exemption from withholding
A single shareholder whose reference taxable income of the year before last is below €50,000, or a married or civil-union couple below €75,000, may be exempted from the 12.8 % withholding — on request to the company before 30 November of the year preceding payment, with a sworn statement. Social levies remain due.
E-payment
The return is no longer filed on paper: it must be e-filed and accompanied by the corresponding e-payment, with the tax office in charge of the company or the large-business directorate where applicable.

Good to know

  • The 12.8 % withholding is only an advance: at income tax return time, the shareholder is taxed under the single flat tax, or under the progressive scale if they elect it (box 2OP) — with, in that case, a 40 % allowance on dividends.
  • The election for the scale is global: it applies to all investment income and capital gains on securities of the year, including interest on shareholder current accounts.
  • If the advance withheld exceeds the tax finally due under the scale, the excess is refunded to the shareholder.
  • In a company subject to income tax there are no dividends in the tax sense: profit is taxed directly in the hands of the partners, and form 2777-SD does not apply.

Common mistakes

  • Counting the deadline from the date of the general meeting instead of the month of payment: it is the 15 days following the month of payment.
  • Accepting an exemption request received after 30 November, or without a sworn statement: the exemption is not granted.
  • Paying the gross amount to shareholders and waiting for their income tax return: the company withholds and remits, under its own responsibility.
  • Filing form 2777-SD without the corresponding e-payment, or sending it to an office other than the one in charge of the company.
  • Forgetting to inform shareholders of the amounts withheld, which makes them doubt the pre-filled lines 2DC and 2CK the following spring.

Frequently asked questions

Who files form 2777-SD: the company or the shareholder?

The company — or the financial institution — paying the dividends. It informs the tax authority within 15 days after the month of payment and remits the withholding. The shareholder reports the dividends received on their 2042 return the following year.

Can form 2777-SD still be filed on paper?

No. The official page of the form states that it must now be e-filed and accompanied by the corresponding e-payment, with the tax office in charge of the company or the large-business directorate where applicable.

Can a shareholder avoid the 12.8 % withholding?

Yes if eligible: reference taxable income of the year before last below €50,000 for a single person, €75,000 for a married or civil-union couple. The request, with a sworn statement, is handed to the company before 30 November of the year preceding payment.

Is the withholding the final tax?

No: it is an advance, pre-filled on line 2CK of the 2042 return. Under the single flat tax it covers the taxation of the dividends; if the shareholder elects the scale (box 2OP), it is set off against the tax computed after the 40 % allowance, and any excess is refunded.

Go further

Compute the related amounts

Understand this form: the related course

Related forms

Official sources

Read in French

Guide and document provided for information purposes only; they do not constitute personalised legal or tax advice. Check the recipient organisation's requirements and consult a professional if needed.