PFU vs Barème: Choosing in France

Every French crypto investor with taxable gains makes one decision that can move their tax bill materially: take the default PFU flat tax (31.4% from 2026) or opt for the progressive scale (barème). The choice is global, interacts with all your income, and is only worth taking the barème in specific situations. This guide is the decision framework with the 2026 numbers.

TL;DR

• Default: PFU — 31.4% in 2026 (12.8% income tax + 18.6% prélèvements sociaux), up from 30%.
• Option: barème progressif (since 2023) — your marginal income-tax bracket on the gain + prélèvements sociaux.
• Barème wins mainly at low marginal brackets (0% / 11%); high brackets pay more under barème → keep PFU.
• The option is global — it covers all income within scope for the year, not crypto alone.
• Model both across all affected income before electing.

The default: PFU at 31.4% (2026)

Crypto capital gains for occasional investors are taxed by default at the prélèvement forfaitaire unique:

The 2026 figure is 31.4%, not 30%: the CSG on capital income rose from 9.2% to 10.6%, lifting prélèvements sociaux from 17.2% to 18.6%. Using 30% for 2026 is a stale-figure error (the same correction applies across French crypto content — see Cerfa 2086 explained).

If you do nothing, the PFU applies. The barème is only reached by explicit option.

The option: barème progressif

Since 2023, an occasional crypto investor may opt for the progressive income-tax scale instead of the PFU. Under the option:

• The income-tax part becomes the taxpayer's marginal bracket applied to the gain (instead of the flat 12.8%).
• Prélèvements sociaux still apply (18.6% in 2026) — the option does not remove social charges.

So the comparison is really just the income-tax component: 12.8% (PFU) vs your marginal bracket (barème), with 18.6% social charges on both sides.

When the barème beats the PFU

The decision rule follows directly:

The barème is advantageous mainly for low-bracket taxpayers (0% or 11%) — students, low-income years, retirees with modest income. For anyone in the 30% bracket or above, the PFU's 12.8% is far cheaper than the marginal rate, so keep the PFU. This is the entire practical heuristic.

Why "global" matters

The option is not per-crypto-disposal or per-asset. It applies to all the taxpayer's income within the option's scope for that year — crypto gains alongside other covered capital income (e.g. certain dividends, interest). You cannot flat-tax your crypto and barème your dividends. So a person considering the barème because their crypto sits in a low bracket must check the effect on all their covered income — the option could worsen the tax on dividends/interest even while helping crypto.

This is why the rule is "model the total under both," not "pick per the crypto number alone."

Practical workflow

1. Identify your marginal income-tax bracket for the year.
2. If 30%+ bracket → keep the PFU (31.4%); the barème will cost more. Stop.
3. If 0% / 11% bracket → model the barème, but across all covered income, not crypto only.
4. Compute total tax under PFU vs barème for all affected income; elect the lower.
5. Exercise the option on the return for that year; reconcile crypto against DAC8-reported data (see DAC8 impact on individuals).

How vendor tools handle the choice

Waltio (French-specialised) and Koinly can output the crypto gain and often a PFU-vs-barème indication. The limitation: a crypto tool sees your crypto, not your full income. The global option depends on all covered income, so a tool's crypto-only comparison is a starting point, not the decision. Confirm the 2026 PFU at 31.4% in the tool, and run the global comparison with a French adviser.

How Wag3s helps

Wag3s Folio computes the 150 VH bis crypto gain and applies the 2026 PFU 31.4%, giving the accurate crypto figure that feeds the global PFU-vs-barème decision, and reconciles against DAC8-reported activity. See the Folio product page.

Further reading

• France Crypto Tax Guide 2026
• Cerfa 2086 Explained
• Crypto Capital Gains Calculation France (150 VH bis)
• The France €305 Exemption
• How to Do Crypto Taxes
• DAC8 Impact on Individuals

Sources

• Article 150 VH bis CGI — Légifrance
• Global option for the progressive scale (barème) for digital-asset gains, available since 2023
• 2026 CSG increase on capital income (9.2% → 10.6%) raising the PFU from 30% to 31.4%
• Council Directive (EU) 2023/2226 (DAC8) — EUR-Lex