Check VAT on your painting quote in 2026

When you receive a painting quote, the difference between 20% and 10% VAT can reach €3,000 on an invoice of €30,000 before tax. Yet many homeowners sign without checking the rate applied. In 2026, understanding VAT rules on painting work remains a concrete budgeting issue, especially since from 1 March 2025, Cerfa certificates 13947 and 13948 are no longer required for work in residential properties, a written mention directly on the quote or invoice is sufficient1.

The three VAT rates for painting work in 2026

Three levels structure the system: 5.5%, 10% and 20%, depending on the nature of the work performed. For painting work, the most common rate is 10%, but it does not apply automatically.

The 10% VAT rate applies to improvement, maintenance and transformation work in a home over 2 years old, excluding energy renovation. It covers painting, electrical work, plumbing, floor coverings and carpentry. The deciding factor is how long the property has existed: it must have been completed more than two years ago.

The 20% rate applies in all other cases: new construction, recently built homes less than two years old, and commercial premises. An apartment delivered in March 2025 and whose walls you paint in July 2026 is considered new: 20% VAT.

The reduced rate of 5.5% is reserved for energy renovation work with RGE certification. For standard painting, even in a 1930s Paris apartment, this rate does not apply on its own. It may cover the thermal insulation part of an external facade renovation, but the finishing paintwork remains at 10%.

The administrative simplification that makes a difference in 2026

The major practical change for 2026 concerns the procedure. The customer attests by this mention that the work meets the criteria for the reduced rate. Documents must be kept until 31 December of the fifth year following completion of the work. For a project carried out in 2026, they must therefore be kept until 31 December 2031.

In practice, your painter no longer needs to have you fill out a separate Cerfa form. The mention must simply appear on the quote or invoice, with confirmation that the property is over two years old and that it is indeed a residence (primary or secondary). This simplification speeds up the process, but does not change the eligibility conditions.

If your painter still asks you to fill out the old paper form, it is not an error, but it is no longer mandatory. The written mention is sufficient. However, it is better to check from the quote that the correct rate is mentioned.

How to verify your quote in four points

First step: look at the completion date of your property, not the purchase date. Reference date: the date of completion of the building's construction work (declaration of completion of work), not the purchase date or your project date2. If you live in a Haussmann building in Paris, a house built in the 1980s in Rennes, or a renovated apartment in Lyon in an older building, the 10% rate applies.

Second point: verify that the quote explicitly mentions the VAT rate line by line. If you are VAT-registered, each line must show the pre-tax price, the applicable rate (10% or 20%), the VAT amount, and the total including tax. A quote that only shows a total amount including tax, without details of the rate, does not allow you to check compliance.

Third check: if the quote combines several types of work (for example interior painting and external thermal insulation), each item must have its own rate. The same quote can have multiple rates: 10% on labor and painting materials, and 5.5% on the insulation part if the criteria are met. Do not let a tradesperson apply a single average rate to everything.

Fourth point: if you buy the paint yourself, know that the purchase of materials alone is subject to the standard 20% VAT rate, unless they are supplied and applied by the professional. To benefit from the reduced rate, the professional must invoice materials and labor together.

What to do if there is an error on the invoice

If the tradesperson invoices at 20% by error, it is up to you to request a credit note and a corrected new invoice. The error is not automatically corrected by the tax authorities. You must act quickly, ideally before paying the balance of the work.

If you notice the error after payment, contact the professional immediately in writing (email or registered mail). Indicate the invoice reference, the rate applied, the rate that should have been applied, and request a credit note for regularization. Keep all correspondence: in case of a future tax audit, you will need to prove that you acted in good faith.

Responsibility is shared between the customer and the professional. If the painter applies too low a rate without justification, the authorities may ask for a catch-up payment from the customer. Conversely, if the rate is too high without valid reason, it is up to the customer to claim the difference.

In major cities like Marseille, Toulouse or Bordeaux, where renovation projects of older apartments are frequent, checking the VAT rate when signing the quote avoids complicated regularizations several months later. On our platform, all painters are registered with a valid SIRET number, which guarantees that invoices comply with legal form requirements, but it remains essential for you to verify yourself that the rate matches your situation.

Plan ahead to avoid nasty surprises

Before requesting quotes, gather the information that will allow the painter to apply the correct rate from the start: the completion date of your property (found on the deed of sale or declaration of completion of work), the use of the property (residence or commercial premises), and the exact nature of the planned work.

If you are unsure about the completion date, particularly in an older cooperative building in Nice, Lille or Strasbourg, ask the building management or consult the cooperative bylaws. For a house in Normandy or Brittany, the date appears on the initial building permit or declaration of completion.

When the professional has seen the space (via photos and videos or during a visit), they should be able to tell you the applicable rate and justify it in a few words on the quote. If this information is missing, ask for it before signing. A clear quote on VAT is also a sign of a professional who knows their trade and limits the risks for both you and them.