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Girardin industrial scheme simulator: offset your tax with a net gain
The Girardin industrial scheme finances productive investment in France's overseas territories in exchange for a tax reduction larger than the contribution paid: you commit a non-recoverable sum smaller than the tax wiped out, and pocket the difference — typically a 10 to 15% net tax return from the following year. It is a one-off scheme with no resale value, whose absolute key is the soundness of the operator and cover against the risk of clawback.
A net tax gain, collected the following year
Above the standard overall ceiling on tax breaks
No residual value — the quality of the arranger is everything
The simulator
Simulate your Girardin transaction
The simulator calculates the required contribution and the net tax gain according to the transaction's return. Your data is neither stored nor transmitted.
Girardin industrial scheme simulator
Neutralise your income tax through a one-off overseas investment with a tax yield.
Indicative calculation, based on 2026 rules and the assumptions entered above.
Why
Why the Girardin scheme is a tax yield, not an investment
The Girardin industrial scheme is unlike any other. You are not buying an asset meant to gain value: you contribute funds to a company that finances productive equipment or social housing in the overseas territories, and the state grants you, the following year, a tax reduction larger than your contribution. The “gain” is the gap between the reduction and the sum paid — it is a tax gain, and it is immediate.
The wealth case is purely arithmetical and powerful: for a taxpayer with significant tax to pay, turning a €9,000 contribution into €10,000 of tax wiped out amounts to a net return of about 11% over a few months. No conventional investment offers that. It is a tool for managing tax cash flow, not a wealth-building investment.
But this mechanism comes at a radical price: the contribution is legally lost. There is no resale, no recoverable capital and no residual value. The only return is the tax reduction. The Girardin scheme is therefore only for those who have tax to neutralise and who accept this one-way mechanism — having understood it fully.
What the calculation shows
The 3 truths about the Girardin scheme that few sellers own up to
On paper, the mechanism is simple: a reduction greater than the contribution, received from the following year. On €10,000 of tax neutralised with a €9,000 contribution, the net gain is €1,000, or ~11% in a few months. And the dedicated overseas ceiling makes it possible to go beyond the overall €10,000 cap on tax breaks, which makes it one of the last levers available for very high tax bills that have already hit the cap.
If the productive investment does not meet its conditions — actual operation overseas, minimum holding period for the equipment, approval for large amounts — the tax authorities can challenge the reduction. You would then lose both the contribution (by nature) and the tax advantage meant to offset it. The danger never comes from a stock market crash: it comes from a failing arranger or a badly put-together transaction.
A quality Girardin comes with a completion guarantee and cover by the operator against the risk of tax clawback. That is precisely what separates a professional transaction from a trap. Never subscribe without checking the arranger's experience, their record of tax reassessments, and the reality of the guarantees. This is the heart of due diligence — and the first thing an open-architecture adviser checks.
Case study
Case study: Antoine, 46, managing director of a consulting firm in Paris
Antoine has €12,000 of income tax to pay and has already used up his €10,000 tax-break ceiling with other schemes. He neutralises this tax through a Girardin transaction offering a 12% tax yield. Here is what the simulator calculates:
| Indicator | Amount | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Tax to neutralise | ≈ €12,000 | target reduction |
| Contribution paid (not recoverable) | ≈ €10,700 | permanently committed |
| Net tax gain | ≈ €1,300 | ≈ 12% yield |
| Resale value | €0 | one-off scheme |
By committing ≈ €10,700 on a non-recoverable basis, Antoine wipes out €12,000 of tax and generates a net gain of ≈ €1,300 the following year — a return of ~12% over a few months, outside the overall tax-break ceiling he had already used up. It is one of the very few levers still available in his situation.
But this gain only exists if the transaction holds up legally. Antoine signs only after checking the arranger's track record, the reality of the overseas operation and the completion guarantee covering any reassessment. Without these guarantees, the “tax yield” can turn into an outright loss.
In practice
With Girardin, choose the arranger, not the rate
This simulator calculates the theoretical tax gain. In reality, everything turns on the soundness of the operator and cover against clawback risk: a displayed rate of return is worth nothing if the transaction is fragile. It is the only scheme of this kind where the quality of the arranger entirely outweighs the figures.
Balmont Conseil is a wealth management advisory firm based in Lyon, a member of ANACOFI-CIF, with no capital ties to any Girardin scheme provider. We select schemes on their soundness and the guarantees offered by the provider. Let's book an appointment to secure, where appropriate, a transaction suited to your tax bill.
Frequently asked questions
What clients ask us.
How can you make money with a “non-recoverable” investment?
Because the tax reduction obtained is larger than the contribution paid. You commit a sum that is permanently lost (no resale), but the state grants you a larger tax reduction the following year. The gain is the gap between the two — typically 10 to 15%. It is a purely tax-based, immediate return, not an investment that would gain value.
What is the real risk of the Girardin industrial scheme?
The risk is not the market but the structure. If the overseas productive investment does not meet its conditions (actual operation, equipment holding period, approval for large amounts), the tax authorities can challenge the reduction. You would then lose both the contribution and the advantage. Hence the critical importance of a sound arranger and a completion guarantee.
Does the Girardin scheme count towards the overall cap on tax breaks?
Girardin benefits from a higher ceiling specific to overseas schemes, above the standard overall ceiling of €10,000 a year. That is what makes it a valuable lever for heavily taxed taxpayers who have already used up their ceiling with other tax advantages.
Who is the Girardin scheme really suited to?
For a taxpayer with significant income tax to pay, who understands and accepts the “non-recoverable” nature of the contribution, and who is looking for an immediate tax yield rather than a capital investment. It is never a wealth-building tool: it is an instrument for neutralising tax, to be handled with discernment and support.
Why is the choice of arranger so important here?
Because Girardin is the scheme where the quality of the arranger makes all the difference between a net gain and an outright loss. We select operations on their soundness and the guarantees offered by the arranger, in your interest.
