French CPA for US companies and their French subsidiaries
In France, the professional your US team would call a CPA is the expert-comptable. Only an expert-comptable registered with the Ordre des experts-comptables can keep the books of a company as an outside provider.
MONTABEN Expertise & Conseil is a registered accounting firm in Courbevoie, next to Paris La Défense. We act as the French accountant of US-owned companies and explain everything to your team in English.
Expert-comptable and CPA: what compares, what differs
A regulated profession. Like a CPA, a French expert-comptable holds a state qualification, is registered with a professional body and carries professional liability insurance. The diploma (Diplôme d'Expertise Comptable) follows a master's-level degree, a three-year supervised traineeship and a final exam.
Bookkeeping is reserved. In France, keeping the books of a company for a fee is reserved to registered expert-comptables. Your US CPA firm can review and consolidate the figures, but the French bookkeeping must be done by your own staff in France or by a registered French firm.
Audit is a separate profession. The statutory audit is carried out by a commissaire aux comptes. Independence rules prevent the same firm from keeping the books and auditing them. We work alongside your auditor when one is required.
What we handle for US-owned entities
Bookkeeping and annual accounts under French GAAP (Plan Comptable Général).
Reporting to headquarters in your group format, with a reconciliation between French figures and US group figures. See our page on group reporting.
Corporate income tax and VAT returns.
French payroll and monthly payroll declarations. See our page on French payroll.
Intercompany invoicing: management fees, cost recharges and group loans. See our page on intercompany invoicing.
Year-end closing aligned with your group calendar. See our page on year-end closing.
How we work with your US team
One contact, in English: you speak directly with the expert-comptable in charge of your file.
A calendar agreed at the start, aligned with your group closing dates.
Meetings by video call, and in person in the Paris area.
Who is behind MONTABEN
MONTABEN Expertise & Conseil is led by Abdenasseir Bennacer, French chartered accountant (Diplôme d'Expertise Comptable), registered with the Ordre des experts-comptables of the Île-de-France region. He has nearly twenty years of experience, including Deloitte and Grant Thornton, and has worked with French subsidiaries of foreign groups.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a French expert-comptable the same as a CPA?
- It is the closest equivalent. Both are regulated, qualified accountants. In France, statutory audit is a separate title, the commissaire aux comptes.
- Can our US CPA firm keep the books of our French subsidiary?
- No. They can review and consolidate the figures. The French bookkeeping must be done by your own employees in France or by an expert-comptable registered in France.
- Do we need a statutory auditor in France?
- It depends on the size of your French entity and on your group structure. We review your situation at the start and tell you clearly whether an auditor is required.
- Can you report in US GAAP?
- We keep the French books under French GAAP and produce the reporting your group needs, with a clear reconciliation between the two.
More for foreign groups
Setting up in France
Your French subsidiary handled end to end: registration, accounting, VAT, payroll and reporting in English.
Branch or subsidiary in France?
What actually separates the two structures, and how the choice is usually made.
French payroll, explained
What a French employee really costs, what the monthly filings involve, and the rules that surprise foreign head offices.
French statutory accounts and group reporting
Why your French entity keeps two sets of numbers, and how to bridge French rules and your group framework.
Accounting and tax for French subsidiaries
Bookkeeping, tax, payroll and group reporting for French subsidiaries of foreign groups, explained in English.
French tax and compliance calendar
The main tax, payroll and filing deadlines for foreign-owned companies in France.
Getting paid in France
Payment terms, late payment penalties and the €40 fixed fee.
English-speaking accountant in France
SARL set-up, bookkeeping and French VAT returns, explained in plain English.
Accountant for British entrepreneurs in France
Company set-up, gîtes, SARL de famille, VAT and tax returns, in English.
Running a gîte in France
VAT, tourist tax and the SARL de famille option, explained in English.
French VAT for foreign companies
Rates, reverse charge, intra-EU sales, imports and the VAT mistakes we see most often in foreign-owned entities.
Intercompany invoicing in France
Management fees, cost recharges and group loans: what a French subsidiary needs to document and invoice.
Year-end closing of a French subsidiary
Group deadlines, French statutory accounts, tax return, approval and filing, step by step.
E-invoicing in France
The 2026 and 2027 timeline, approved platforms and what changes for French subsidiaries.
Let's talk about your French entity
Tell us about your group, your French entity and your reporting needs. We will come back to you with a clear scope.
4 avenue du 11 Novembre
92400 Courbevoie
contact@montaben-expertise-conseil.com