French CPA in Rouen: accounting, tax and payroll for local businesses
Bookkeeping, tax, payroll and company formation for owner-managed businesses in Rouen and its metropolitan area. A Paris-registered firm, working remotely in English.
Looking for our main English-speaking practice in Paris? See our dedicated hub for international businesses, foreign-headquartered groups and French subsidiaries.
English-speaking accountant in ParisWhy choose Hayot Expertise for Rouen?
What a Rouen business needs depends on whether it trades grain on the quays, runs a professional practice near the teaching hospital, or supplies the chemical plants along the Seine valley. Hayot Expertise is a French chartered accountancy and statutory audit firm registered with the Ordre des experts-comptables Paris Ile-de-France, with offices in Paris 8 and Noisy-le-Sec. We have no office in Normandy: the work runs remotely and in English, through video meetings, online document upload and electronic signature. That suits foreign-owned French subsidiaries and English-speaking founders. Rouen is about 130 kilometres from Paris, so an on-site meeting stays possible.
- Dedicated team, response guaranteed within 24 working hours
- Digital interface, paperless, 24/7 access
- Transparent pricing, no hidden fees
- Firm registered with the Order of Chartered Accountants
Our expertise tailored to your business
Grain trading, logistics and port-driven flows
Exporting through the port reshapes your accounting: proof that the goods left the territory to support the VAT exemption, import VAT reverse-charged on the return, recapitulative statements and the EMEBI survey for EU movements, and stock cycles that follow the harvest campaigns. We map those flows with your freight forwarders.
Healthcare, professionals and the health campus
Around the Charles-Nicolle teaching hospital, the Henri-Becquerel cancer centre and the Rouen Innovation Santé district, needs run from a practitioner's income tax return to incorporating a practice or launching a medtech start-up. We handle the move into a company, payroll for practice staff and research tax credit claims.
Our services in Rouen
A comprehensive offering designed for entrepreneurs, executives and investors.
Accounting & financial statements
Bookkeeping, tax returns, monthly dashboards.
Tax optimisation
Corporate tax, income tax, VAT, R&D credits.
Payroll & HR
Payslips, employment contracts, HR management.
Business structuring
Entity choice, incorporation, fundraising, shareholder agreements.
Wealth & real estate
Real estate companies, wealth planning, inheritance.
International & expats
Expats, transfer pricing, foreign accounts, double taxation.
The economic ecosystem of Rouen
Rouen, the regional capital of Normandy, owes its economy to the Seine. Its port, part of HAROPA PORT, remains Western Europe's leading grain export port and supports traders, silo operators and freight forwarders. Chemicals, pharmaceuticals and energy along the river sustain a tightly regulated supply chain. Office work splits between the right bank, Saint-Sever and the hospital and university campus to the east; Mont-Saint-Aignan hosts the university, Le Madrillet the engineering schools.
Areas served
How to work with us
Free audit
We analyse your situation in 10 minutes, with no commitment.
Tailored proposal
Clear and transparent quote, tailored to your activity and budget.
Ongoing support
Your dedicated accountant responds within 24h, available year-round.
Practical guide: doing business in Rouen
Everything you need to know about doing business in Rouen
Setting up a company in Rouen
Filings go through the INPI one-stop shop, but the file is handled by the Rouen commercial court registry and the incorporation notice must appear in a publication approved for Seine-Maritime. Three decisions come first: legal form and the director's social security status, registered office, and the first year end.
Accounting and tax obligations
Accounts approved within six months of the year end and filed with the registry within one month of approval, two months when filed electronically. CFE is due in each municipality where you hold premises, and the metropolitan authority votes a single rate for its area. Since 1 September 2026 every business within the scope of French VAT must be able to receive electronic invoices; the duty to issue them covers large companies and mid-caps first, smaller businesses from 1 September 2027.
Hiring and running payroll
The pre-hire declaration must reach URSSAF no more than eight days before the employee starts, and monthly DSN reporting applies from your first hire. The local trap is the collective bargaining agreement: road transport, chemicals, pharmacy, construction and hospitality sit side by side here, each with its own pay scales. Getting it wrong costs years of corrected payslips.
Regional schemes and local specifics
The Normandy region and Bpifrance carry most of the support for investment, innovation and export, while Seine Innopolis in Le Petit-Quevilly and Seine Biopolis on the health campus host early-stage projects. Industrial sites along the Seine valley often fall under classified-installation rules, which drives provisions, compliance spending and insurance.
Frequently asked questions — Chartered accountant in Rouen
Answers to questions entrepreneurs in Rouen ask most
Can a Paris-based firm look after a business in Rouen?
Yes, and the point is worth stating: we have no office in Rouen. Work runs remotely through video meetings, online document upload and electronic signature, with travel when a file calls for it.
How do you collect our accounting documents?
Purchase invoices reach a dedicated inbox or a shared folder, bank statements sync automatically, and sales feed in from your invoicing tool. The monthly review then looks at gaps and unusual items.
What does an accountant cost for a business in Rouen?
Fees depend on document volume, bank accounts, your VAT regime, payroll and the level of advice you expect. We quote after reviewing your documents, and the proposal sets out what is covered.
How do we switch accountants during the year?
You give notice to your current firm under its engagement letter. We then send the handover letter required by article 163 of the decree of 30 March 2012, which organises delivery of your file: accounting entries, trial balances, ledger, fixed assets and the latest tax return.
We export through the port of Rouen. What are the VAT rules?
Supplies outside the EU are exempt provided you hold proof that the goods left the territory, and intra-EU supplies need a valid VAT number plus transport evidence. Import VAT is reverse-charged on your return, with pre-filled figures to check.
What do you cover for a French subsidiary of a foreign group?
French bookkeeping under local rules, corporate tax and VAT filings, payroll for French staff, reporting packs for the parent, and the permanent establishment question when a group operates here without a French entity.
When does a French company need a statutory auditor?
Once it exceeds two of the three legal thresholds for balance sheet total, revenue and headcount, with lower thresholds for significant subsidiaries of a group that already has one. Check it before the accounts are finalised.
Let's meet
Whether by video (100% remote) or at the office, we are available to audit your accounting.