As France prepares to go back to work, September brings with it possible protests, tax changes, a retirement planning update and gas and cigarette price changes, to name but a few.

The summer holidays in France officially end when the clock ticks past 23:59.59 on August 31st. The general return to work is known as la rentrée – and happens on the first working day of September.

This year, that’s Monday, September 1st – and that’s the day you’ll see lots of nervous-looking children sporting new backpacks heading in the direction of freshly opened schools

READ ALSO How to prepare for your child starting at French school

It also means la rentrée politique, when ministers return to the office from holiday and start clogging up newspapers and TV stations with their ‘big ideas’ for the new political year. 

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And then, there’s la rentrée litteraire – September and October is traditionally the busiest time of the year for publishers. The ‘big’ books of the year tend to be published at this time, ahead of France’s biggest literary prizes which are awarded in November.

Protests

In one typically French way, la rentrée politique has kicked off early this year. A mysterious and officially apolitical online collective has called for a ‘total blockade’ of France on September 10th in protest at current Prime Minister François Bayrou’s budget plans. It’s won the backing of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the hard-left La France Insoumise political party who called for “everyone to support this movement and participate in this effort to bring the country to a standstill.”

The hardline CGT union has also expressed guarded support for the idea of a September 10th action, but an inter-union decision on whether to join the protest call isn’t due until September 1st.

READ ALSO What do we know about the call to ‘blockade France’ on September 10th?

Budget

More on that pesky rentrée politique. Bayrou is plumbing new depths of unpopularity, even for a leading French politician, and will head back under threat of near-immediate censure in the National Assembly from the hard-left and far-right because of his budget proposals. The annual finance bill is set to be debated from the end of September and into October – but it’s already casting a long shadow over autumn’s political calendar in France.

READ ALSO 8 big problems that France faces this autumn

Taxes

If you owe money to the taxman, you have until September 14th to either provide or make changes to your bank details – payments will be taken on September 25th if you owe less than €300. If you owe more, the bill will be divided into four equal parts and payments taken on September 25th, October 27th, November 27th and December 29th. 

If you haven’t opted to have your income tax and social security contributions automatically deducted, the deadline for payments is midnight on September 20th.

Taxes II

From September, couples will be subject to individual tax PAYE rates on their income as a matter of routine, unless the couple opts to maintain their household rate. Higher earning partners will see their tax share increase, while the one who earns less will pay lower taxes on their share of household income.

Married couples or those in civil partnerships can opt out of this reform by informing the tax authorities of their wish to maintain the application of the tax rate for their tax household to all of their income, both personal and joint. 

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Property grants

France’s MaPrimeRénov’ property grant scheme, which was suspended in June, reopens from September 30th – with new terms, stricter rules on who can apply, and an initial limit on the number of grants.

READ ALSO France to reopen property grant scheme

Sick notes

Since July 1st, doctors have, officially, had to submit medical leave notes using a secure form to combat fraud. A tolerance period has been in place over the summer, but that ends on September 1st. From that date, obsolete forms can be rejected by health insurance officials. In truth, patients will notice little difference, as 80 percent of sick notes were being submitted using the secure system long before the July deadline.

Phased retirement

A scheme allowing workers to slowly ease their workload into retirement will be modified. From September 1st, employees over the age of 60 – as opposed to the current age limit of 62 – who meet certain conditions will be able to apply to their employer to gradually reduce their working hours, and top up their salary with part of their pension.

Blood donations

Starting September 1st, you can now donate blood as early as two months after getting a tattoo or piercing (compared to four months previously), while more efficient testing means that anyone who has had acupuncture, mesotherapy, varicose vein sclerosis, colonoscopy, fibroscopy can donate again after two months.

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Unfortunately, anyone who lived in Britain between 1980 and 1996 for a cumulative duration of more than one year, is still barred from donating blood because of mad cows.

Gas

After a sharp tax increase in August, gas prices are expected to drop 2.4 percent for a household with gas heating on September 1st, 2025 – due to an easing in European wholesale markets.

However, the annual subscription price remains stable at €330.80, following last month’s VAT increase. For an average household consuming 11,200 kWh per year, the annual bill will drop from €1,540 to €1,511, a saving of €29 per year.

Tobacco

The price of a pack of cigarettes is set to remain largely unchanged in September – a traditional month for price fluctuations set by French customs – but certain cigar and cigarillo brands are set to see sharp increases. The next important date on the customs calendar is November 1st, while the government is expected to increase the average cost of a pack of 20 to €13 by 2026.

Foire aux vins

More and more French vineyards are beginning their grape-picking season in August, but the harvest usually continues into September. Linked to this is the annual wine sale in supermarkets and caves known as the foire aux vins, which start this month.

This is essentially a discounting exercise where wine-sellers make room for the new season’s wines by selling off old stock, and it’s a great place to pick up a few special bottles at bargain prices.

READ ALSO: Foire aux vins: How to find bargains on high quality wine in France✎

Talking France returns

The Local’s Talking France podcast has also been on its summer break, but it is set to return this month. In the meantime, you can catch up with the entire back catalogue here.