Donation: everything you need to know to make a donation

Updated on Friday 3 October 2025

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Understand the donation

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How is a donation taxed?

A donation is an act by which a person, the donor, voluntarily and irrevocably transfers ownership of something, free of charge, to another person, the donee (Civil Code, Art. 894).

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A question ? Need help ?

I am single and have no children. My niece wants to buy her own home and I would like to help her financially. What is the maximum amount I can give her without having to pay donation tax?

Theoretically speaking, nieces and nephews benefit from an allowance of 7967 euros on the value of donations received from their aunt or uncle (art. 779 V of the CGI). If you have no children of your own, your niece may also claim the 31865-euro allowance applicable to the donations. The…
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I am 70 years old, single and have no children. I am considering giving €4,000 to my adult niece. Will she have to pay gift tax?

It is possible to give your niece up to €31,865 without her having to pay any gift tax, provided that you have no descendants (children or grandchildren), that you are under 80 years of age, and that your niece is of legal age on the date of the gift (Article…
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What are the dangers of a manual donation?

In the French Civil Code, a donation is a solemn act. Note that there is a difference between a "présent d'usage" and a "don manuel". A "présent d'usage" or "faux don manuel" is a gift made on the occasion of a specific event (birthday, anniversary, etc.). It must be proportional…
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My husband has passed away. We lived in a home that had been gifted to him by his parents. This gift included a right of reversion that his parents now wish to exercise. Do I still have a lifetime right of use and habitation over this property?

No. The surviving spouse may claim a lifetime right of use and habitation over the property that was their main residence at the time of the spouse’s death, provided it belonged to the couple or to the deceased (Article 764 of the French Civil Code). However, case law (a body…
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