1. Income tax and the advantages of Assurance Vie products
Assurance Vie products offer several incentives to savers:
- There is no limit on the amount invested in an authorized Assurance Vie.
- Investors benefit from favourable tax treatment.
- Withdrawals of capital or regular income can be made, with only the growth element of the withdrawal being liable to tax.
- Assurance Vie providers offer a wide range of funds to clients. These include the traditional asset classes of equities & bonds and guaranteed protected capital funds

Assurance Vie taxation on maturity/withdrawals/surrenders
The rules outlined below are based on the Loi de Finances 2018 (published on 27th September 2017)
Tax payable on withdrawals may be deducted at source by the insurer before any pay-out or declared as again in your annual income tax return.
If you opt for deduction at source, the following
Assurance Vie tax rates are levied on any gains:
As you can see, there are clear benefits when investing in a Spanish compliant investment bond. On the one hand, if you don’t take money from your account, there will be no tax to pay; on the other, if you make withdrawals, the tax payable amount will be significantly reduced.
In conclusion, you should consider the level of tax in a country in light of available investment structures and the opportunities they offer investors. Indeed, one could argue that Spain is almost a ‘tax haven’ for retirees who use or intend to use personal investments to provide income!
For additional information on the Spanish compliant investment bond, please get in touch with us below:
It is important to note that every time a withdrawal is made, the growth of the overall wrapper is calculated. Each withdrawal is considered part capital and gain, using the same overall growth factor. Ultimately, the ‘gain element’ of the withdrawal is subject to tax and not the whole withdrawal itself.
The tax treatment of French life insurance products is as follows:
Assurance Vie taxation rates on existing policies with premiums paid up to 26th of September 2017
The old withholding tax rate system, Prélèvement Forfaitaire Libératoire (PFL) plus social charges (pre-27th September 2017), will be maintained.
- Gains realized in 1 – 4 years are taxed at 52.2% (35% fixed withholding tax (PFL) and 17.2% social security contributions)
- Gains realized in 5 – 8 years are taxed at 32.2% (15% fixed withholding tax (PFL) and 17.2% social security contributions)
- Gains realized after 8 years are taxed at 24.7% (7.5% fixed withholding tax (PFL) and 17.2% social security contributions)
It is still necessary to declare the withdrawal in your annual tax return. There is normally no further tax to be paid after that.
Annual tax-free allowance
There is an annual tax-free allowance for withdrawals from policies after an 8-year investment term. This currently amounts to €4,600 for a single person and €9,200 for a couple; there is, however, a 17.2% social tax charge (to which the tax-free allowance does not apply).
*Note: During the first 8 years, the proportion of the “gain” relating to new capital added since 27/9/17 (as a percentage of total capital) would be taxed at 12.8%. There is also the 17.2% social tax charge.
Assurance Vie tax rates on new policies with premiums paid from the 27th of September 2017
From the 27th September 2017, taxpayers who invest new premiums with an Assurance Vie provider will be taxed on gains in respect of withdrawals as follows:
If the policy value is more than 150,000 €, there is a flat tax of 30% (12.8% tax plus 17.2% social charges) on any gain realized.
- Gains realized within 8 years are taxed at 30% (12.8% compulsory one-off fixed payment (PFU) and 17.2% social security contributions) or if it occurs after the 8th anniversary proportional to the amount exceeding the threshold of 150,000 €.
- Gains realized after the 8th anniversary of the first payment if the policy value does not exceed 150,000 € are taxed at 24.7% (7.5% compulsory one-off fixed payment (PFU) and 17.2% social security contributions)
Once again, there is an annual tax-free allowance for withdrawals from policies after an 8-year investment term. This amounts to €4,600 for a single person and €9,200 for a couple; there is also the 17.2% social tax charge (to which the tax-free allowance does not apply).
Withdrawals declared as a gain in your annual income tax return
If you declare your gains from your policy on your annual income tax return in France, you pay tax on them at your highest applicable rate; social taxes are also levied. This may be the best choice if you have a limited annual income.
*Note: If you do not use an Assurance Vie, you will pay either your top band rate income tax – or the new fixed-rate tax of 12.8% – plus 17.2% social taxes – on all gains, dividends & interest credited to your portfolio each year. These charges are levied even if you make no withdrawals. If your objective is to have a long-term investment, using an Assurance Vie wrapper is generally in your interest.