The Tax Nightmare of Going Independent in France
You have decided to go freelance in France. Congratulations. Now the question that keeps every new entrepreneur awake at night: which legal structure should you choose? Micro-entreprise, EURL, or SASU? Each has its advantages, its traps, and its breakeven thresholds that change everything.
The problem is that the answer depends on dozens of variables: your projected revenue, family situation, expenses, activity type, VAT regime, and social protection preferences. And the official rates change every year.
Most independents end up reading contradictory blog posts, building approximate spreadsheets, or paying an accountant for a question that should have a clear and immediate answer. That is exactly the problem FiscalPilot solves.
FiscalPilot: The Answer in 30 Seconds
FiscalPilot is a free tax simulator that compares the three main freelance structures in France: Micro-entreprise, EURL (single-person LLC taxed as income or corporate), and SASU (single-person SAS with corporate tax).
How It Works
You enter your parameters:
- Estimated annual revenue
- Activity type (services, sales, liberal profession)
- Estimated annual expenses
- Personal situation (single, married, number of tax shares)
- Preferred VAT regime
In 30 seconds, FiscalPilot calculates for each structure:
Net income after taxes and social charges: What actually remains in your pocket after social contributions, income tax, training contribution, property tax, and all mandatory charges.
Detailed social contributions: With the exact rate applicable for the structure and activity. Not an approximate average rate — the real rate with its components (health, retirement, family, CSG/CRDS).
Income tax: Calculated with the complete 2026 progressive tax brackets, including the decote (low-income reduction), family quotient, and ceiling.
The Shock Score: This is FiscalPilot's innovation. This score measures the impact of changing structures on your net income. A Shock Score of +15% between micro and SASU means you would earn 15% more by switching to SASU. It is the metric that settles the debate.
Official 2026 Tax Rates
FiscalPilot uses official rates published by the French tax administration and URSSAF. Not estimates, not averages. Real rates, updated annually.
This includes 2026 VAT franchise thresholds, micro-entreprise ceilings, current URSSAF rates, income tax brackets, and corporate tax rates for small businesses.
Why Existing Simulators Fall Short
You have probably already tried online tax simulators. Most suffer from three major flaws.
Approximation: Many use average rates instead of real ones. On revenue of 80,000 euros, a 2-point error in social contributions is 1,600 euros difference. That is not negligible.
No comparison: Most simulators handle only one structure at a time. You must run three separate simulations, write down results, and compare yourself. FiscalPilot displays all three side by side.
Outdated rates: Tax rates change every year. Many simulators still display last year's rates without flagging it. FiscalPilot clearly shows the reference year for all rates used.
Concrete Use Cases
The Freelance Developer at 60K Revenue
Alexandre is a web developer billing 5,000 euros monthly, or 60,000 euros annually. Single, no significant expenses. Under micro-entreprise, he pays 13,200 euros in social contributions (22%) and about 4,800 euros in income tax. Net income: approximately 42,000 euros.
Under SASU with corporate tax, with optimized compensation of 45,000 euros and 15,000 euros in dividends, his net income climbs to approximately 46,500 euros. Shock Score: +10.7%.
The Consultant with High Expenses
Marie is a strategy consultant billing 120,000 euros annually with 30,000 euros in expenses (office, travel, software, subcontracting). Micro-entreprise is excluded: she cannot deduct expenses. EURL or SASU become the only viable options.
FiscalPilot shows her that with her high expenses, EURL with corporate tax is more advantageous by 3,200 euros per year compared to SASU, primarily due to the managing director's social contribution rates.
The Content Creator Near the Micro Threshold
Lucas is a content creator. His revenue approaches the micro-BNC ceiling of 77,700 euros. FiscalPilot shows him the exact tipping point where micro becomes less advantageous than a corporate structure, and alerts him to the threshold breach risk.
What FiscalPilot Does Not Do
Let us be clear about the limitations. FiscalPilot is a decision-support tool, not an accounting firm.
It does not handle complex situations: multi-activity, partners, international taxation, or specific employment-freelance combinations. For these cases, a professional accountant remains essential.
It does not produce tax documents: no declarations, no financial statements, no tax returns.
It does not replace personalized advice for advanced optimizations (holding companies, retirement savings plans, research tax credits).
What it does, however, it does better than any spreadsheet: a clear, fast, and reliable comparison of the three main structures based on real numbers.
Architecture and Transparency
FiscalPilot is transparent about its methodology. Every calculation is detailed step by step. You can see exactly how net income is computed, which formulas are used, and which rates are applied.
Tax rates are stored in versioned configuration files, allowing anyone to verify exactly which rates are used and when they were last updated.
Why This Matters for International Freelancers
If you are considering freelancing in France — whether as an expat, a digital nomad, or a remote worker — understanding the tax landscape is critical. The difference between structures can mean thousands of euros per year in your pocket.
FiscalPilot removes the language barrier and the complexity barrier. The interface is available in English, and the explanations contextualize French-specific concepts for an international audience.
Conclusion
Choosing your legal structure is a decision with a real financial impact of several thousand euros per year. This decision deserves better than a generic blog post or gut feeling.
FiscalPilot gives you the numbers. The real numbers. In 30 seconds.
Try your simulation at fiscal-pilot.com and discover how much you could save by choosing the right structure.