International business services in France
International · France · Reporting
A point of contact for accounting and administrative support for your French entity.
Set up or organise the French entity
A French operation needs to work with both group requirements and local obligations. We help teams organise accounting, administrative information and reporting, with responsibilities defined between the head office, French team and our firm.
You are preparing a French presence
Start by describing the proposed activity: customers, contracts, invoicing, employees, premises, payment methods and relationships with other entities. Structural choices, incorporation documents and formalities are examined within the engagement scope and with the relevant advisers.
This preparation also anticipates daily operations: who receives invoices, who approves expenses, where records are stored and how information reaches the head office. Tools and the accounting timetable should be consistent with that organisation.
You already operate in France
We examine available accounts, returns already prepared, data held in group systems and difficulties encountered. An engagement may cover bookkeeping, review, annual accounts, reporting or specific historical issues. Historical work is distinguished from ongoing support.
An example: group reporting closes before local accounts
The group may require rapid monthly reporting while some local documents arrive later. The data available at each stage, any estimates, their approval and subsequent reconciliation with the accounts need to be defined. A shared timetable makes differences visible and avoids several unexplained versions of the figures circulating.
Prepare for onboarding
- Group structure and identification of the French entity.
- Description of activities, contracts and intercompany flows.
- Latest available accounts and returns.
- Chart of accounts, sample reporting and head-office requirements.
- Tools, export formats and responsible contacts.
- Local deadlines and group reporting timetable.
The requested detail is adapted to the engagement. A planned establishment and the takeover of existing accounting records require different initial work.
Connect French accounts with group reporting
Group reporting and French annual accounts may serve different objectives. Account mapping, accounting policies and adjustments need to be documented so that differences can be explained.
Organise data mapping
We can work with your team on the correspondence between the group chart of accounts and French accounts, required analytical information and support for entries. Specific treatments and adjustments should remain traceable between source data and the documents produced.
Intercompany flows require particular attention: contracts, invoices, financing, recharges and balance confirmations. International tax or transfer-pricing matters are identified and coordinated within an appropriate scope with the professionals involved.
Prepare French requirements within a group system
Using foreign software does not remove the need to examine French requirements for presenting accounts and data. The DGFiP provides an FAQ on English-language accounting software in a French subsidiary, including the French accounting entries file, or FEC.
We examine exports and software capabilities with your teams and providers. Checking the format alone is insufficient: the data must also be consistent with the accounts and supporting evidence.
Deliverables to define
- French GAAP bookkeeping or review, depending on the engagement.
- Preparation of annual accounts and agreed tax work.
- Head-office reporting and explanations of adjustments.
- A communication timetable and tracking of missing records.
- Work on procedures, exports and traceability.
Can we retain our team and software?
We start with the existing organisation. Responsibilities, exchange formats and controls are examined before a change is proposed. The engagement can complement the internal team’s work within the agreed scope.
What if the activity uses crypto-assets?
The entity owning wallets and platform accounts, contracts and intercompany movements must be identified. Our crypto accounting support connects these records with the wider file.
For other requirements of the French entity, explore accounting services, payroll and HR support and director advisory.