What Does TTC on a French Receipt Mean?

The French acronym TTC stands for toutes taxes comprises ("all taxes incuded"), and lets you know the grand total that you will actually be paying for a product or service. Most prices are quoted as TTC, but not all, so it's best to pay attention to the fine print on your receipt.

European Union VAT

The main tax in question is the TVA (taxe sur la valeur ajoutée) or VAT, a value-added tax on goods and services that European Union (EU) members like France must pay to maintain the EU. The EU does not collect the tax, but each EU member state adopts an EU-compliant value-added tax. Different rates of VAT apply in different EU member states, ranging from 17 to 27 percent. The VAT each member state collects is part of what determines how much each state contributes to the EU's budget.

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Basic Vocabulary You'll Need to Go Shopping in France

By ThoughtCo Team

EU VAT, known by its local name in each country (TVA in France) is charged by a business and paid by its customers. Businesses pay VAT but are usually able to recover it through offsets or credits. The final consumer does not receive a credit for VAT paid. The result is that each supplier in the chain remits tax on the value added, and the tax is ultimately paid by the end consumer.

If VAT is Included, It's TTC; Without, It's HT

In France, as we mentioned, VAT is called TVA (taxe sur la valeur ajoutée). If you are not charged TVA, your receipt will provide a total due that's HT, which stands for hors taxe (the base price without TVA). If the receipt itself is HT, it might say, total partiel; HT in English might be any of the following: "subtotal, without tax, net price, pre-tax." (In the case of online purchases, HT does not include shipping charges either.) You'll usually see HT in promotional flyers and stores for big-ticket items, so you have to remember that you'll actually be paying considerably more. If you want to know more, read "La TVA, comment ça marche ?" ("How Does the TVA Work?")

French TVA Varies From 5.5 to 20 Percent

The amount of TVA owed varies according to what you are purchasing. For most goods and services, French TVA is 20 percent. Food and non-alcoholic drinks are taxed at 10 percent or 5.5 percent, depending on whether they are intended for immediate or delayed consumption. The TVA on transportation and lodging is 10 percent. For details on rates for other goods and services as well as information about the rate changes that occurred on January 1, 2014, see "Comment appliquer les différents taux de TVA ?" ("How Do You Apply the Different TVA Rates?)

A TTC Conversation

If you're not good at math, you can either request the prix TTC ("tax-included price") or use an online calculator at htttc.fr. Here is a typical exchange between customer and salesperson about calculating TTC:
Le prix pour cet ordinateur-là, c'est TTC ou HT ? > Does the price for that computer include tax or not?
   C'est HT, Monsieur. > It's before tax, sir.
   Pouvez-vous m'indiquer le prix TTC, s'il vous plaît ? > Could you please tell me the price including tax?