France updates inheritance and donation tax exemptions for 2026

In France, parents can give each child up to €100,000 tax‑free under the general donation allowance and an additional €31,865 cash‑gift exemption, allowing a couple to transfer €263,730 per child without paying inheritance tax. These limits are renewable every fifteen years, and the cash‑gift exemption applies only to money, requires the donor to be under 80, and the recipient to be an adult or emancipated minor.

A practical example shows that a beneficiary inheriting a €300,000 house and €150,000 of assets faces a taxable base of €250,000 after a €200,000 parental allowance, resulting in inheritance tax of about €48,200 plus notary and administrative fees of roughly €5,700, for a total cost of around €54,000.

Related guidance also addresses questions about favoring one child in Spanish inheritance law and the typical waiting period before heirs can access succession funds in other jurisdictions.