Booklet A

Verified 22 May 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Do you want to grow your savings securely and without paying tax? You can open a booklet A. It is an investment with an interest rate set by the government. Your money remains available and you can make withdrawals if needed. We present you the information to know.

The livret A can be opened by all natural persons and by some legal persons.

Natural person

Anyone can hold a livret A, there is no condition of age, nationality, or tax residence in France.

One minor can open a booklet A without the intervention of sound legal representative, but he can't withdraw until he's 16. In addition, to make withdrawals, you need the agreement of your legal representative.

If a person is the subject of a legal protection measure (for example: guardianship) it is his legal representative who can open the booklet for him.

Legal person

The legal persons The following may hold an A-booklet:

  • Non-profit association not subject to business tax
  • Union of co-owners
  • Housing organization with moderate rent (HLM).

The booklet must be open on behalf of the legal person by a person who is legally entitled to represent it.

The answer depends on whether the holder of the Livret A is a natural person or moral :

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Natural person

He is forbidden hold several booklets A.

A booklet A is personal, it cannot be joined with another person.

Failure to comply with the prohibition on holding more than one A-booklet shall be punished by a fine corresponding to 2% the outstanding amount of the second booklet. The fine shall not be recovered if it is less than €50.

Legal person

An association or a syndicate of co-owners may hold only one livret A.

By exception, housing organizations with moderate rent (HLM) can open several booklets A.

Failure to comply with the prohibition on holding more than one A-booklet shall be punished by a fine corresponding to 2% the outstanding amount of the second booklet. The fine shall not be recovered if it is less than €50.

The livret A can be opened in any bank.

Most online banks also offer Livret A.

The account is opened by a contract between the bank and the holder or his representative.

The contract specifies the rules of operation of the Livret A (deposit, withdrawal, calculation of interest, closure of the account, etc.).

The opening contract must contain obligatory the following information:

  • Reminder of the ban on holding several A-booklets and the penalties for non-compliance with this rule
  • Indication of the verification procedure carried out by the bank with the tax authorities to determine whether the customer already holds another livret A in other establishments
  • Authorization to be given by the customer for the tax administration to communicate (or not) to the bank detailed information on the other A-books that he would hold.

Please note

The customer cannot refuse that the tax administration answers on the mere existence of a livret A.

The procedure for opening the Livret A varies depending on the response of the tax authorities and whether the customer has given them permission (or not) to provide detailed information to the bank.

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The customer does not hold an A-book in another establishment

If the tax authorities confirm that the customer does not hold an A-book at another institution, the bank must open the A-book to him without delay.

The customer holds another Livret A and has agreed that the tax authorities will provide information to the bank

If the tax authorities notify the bank that the customer has at least one booklet in another institution, the bank must pass the information on to the customer, offering him to choose one of the following 3 solutions :

  • Close already existing A booklets by itself
  • Authorize the bank to complete the formalities for closing the already existing Livret A and to transfer the funds to the new Livret A
  • Abandon the request to open the new Livret A.

The customer holds another livret A and he refused that the tax administration provide information to the bank

If the tax authorities notify the bank that the customer already holds at least one A-book at another institution, the bank must refuse to open a new A-book and inform the customer of the reason for the refusal.

The banking institution is obliged to declare any opening of an A-book to the Ficoba file. This declaration includes the name, surname and address of the holder, the references of the booklet and its opening date.

Yes, it is possible to accumulate a livret A with other accounts on livret (for example, the sustainable development booklet or the booklet Jeune).

FYI  

Since 1er In January 2009, it is not possible to hold both a livret A and a special account on the livret du Crédit Mutuel (livret Bleu), unless these two livrets were opened before the 1ster September 1979. It is possible to keep these two old booklets provided that you do not transfer one of these two booklets to a new bank.

The paper booklet on which deposits and withdrawals were recorded is replaced by account statements.

The beneficiary of the livret A does not receive a checkbook or payment card. However, the bank may issue him a withdrawal card which can be used in the distributors of his network.

The transactions carried out on the livret A (opening, deposit, withdrawal and closing) are free.

It all depends on the establishment where the livret A is open.

General case

The minimum amount of a deposit on the livret A is €10.

Postal Bank

For the booklet A opened at La Banque Postale, the minimum amount of a payment is €1.5.

The livret A may be supplied by:

  • Check
  • Cash payment at the counter
  • Or transfer from an account that belongs to the holder of the livret A.

Since 1er July 2023, it is possible to make a transfer to your livret A from a current account opened in a bank other than the one where the livret A is located.

There is no obligation to make periodic payments. Deposits or withdrawals of money are possible at any time.

The situation is not the same for natural persons and legal persons :

Natural persons

The maximum amount of savings recorded on the livret A is €22,950.

When the balance of the booklet reaches the ceiling, or exceeds it, as a result of the addition of interest, it is not more possible to make a deposit on the booklet.

The interest generated each year continues to be added, even beyond the ceiling, and without limit, as long as the booklet remains open.

Legal persons

For associations and syndicates of co-owners, the maximum amount of savings on the livret A is €76,500.

For syndicates of co-owners, whose number of lots of the co-ownership for use in housing, offices or businesses is greater than 100, this ceiling is increased to €100,000.

Housing organizations with moderate rent are allowed to make deposits on their livret A, without a limit of a ceiling.

When the balance of the booklet reaches its ceiling, or exceeds it, as a result of the addition of interest, it is not more possible to make of deposit on the booklet.

The interest generated each year continues to be added, without limit, as long as the booklet remains open.

Minimum Withdrawal Amount

General case

The minimum amount that can be withdrawn from the Livret A is €10.

Postal Bank

The minimum amount that can be withdrawn from the Livret A is €1.5.

Reminder

If the holder of the livret A is minor, he may not withdraw from his livret A until he is 16 years old.

Even if the licensee is over 16 years of age, legal representative may object to the withdrawal of money from his livret A by notifying the bank by registered letter.

Maximum withdrawal amount

There is no maximum withdrawal amount.

But it is not possible to withdraw more money than there is on the livret A. Indeed, the balance of the livret A must never be negative.

Place of withdrawal

The holder the booklet can make the withdrawal in all agencies.

However, the legal representative of the holder may not withdraw that in the agency where the booklet was opened.

The annual interest rate for Livret A is 1.5%.

Interest is calculated on 1er and the 16th of each month.

The value date taken into account for the calculation of interest varies according to the date of the transaction (deposit or withdrawal):

Tableau - Date of the value taken into account for the calculation of the interest on the Livret A according to the date of the transaction

Operation

Until 15 of the current month

From the 16th of the current month

Filing

16 of the same month

1er day of next month

Withdrawal

Last day of the previous month

15 of the month

The sums deposited generate interest if they are placed in full fifteen.

Example :

In case of deposit of money on the livret A between 1er may and may 15, the deposit will be taken into account by the bank on may 16.

In case of deposit of money on the livret A between May 16 and May 31, the deposit will be taken into account by the bank on May 1er June.

In case of withdrawal of money on the livret A between 1er May and May 15, the balance of the account will be settled as of April 30.

In case of withdrawal of money from the livret A between May 16 and 31, the balance of the account will be stopped on May 15.

At December 31 of each year, the accumulated interest on the year is added to the principal.

The addition of interest on December 31 may increase the value of the booklet beyond €22,950.

The interest added to the capital at the end of the year in turn produces interest the following year, although the ceiling has already been exceeded.

The interests are exempt income tax and social security contributions.

A seizure can be made on the livret A by the administration or by a creditor who has obtained a court decision recognizing the debt.

The transfer of an A-book from one bank to another is no longer possible since 1er January 2012.

If the holder of the livret A wishes to transfer it, he must first close it in the first bank and pay the savings into an account of his choice. He will then be able to open a new livret A in another bank and transfer the savings that were on the old livret.

The holder of the booklet A may close it at any time by sending a letter to his bank or by traveling to the agency.

He must specify the references of the livret A and the account number where the sums remaining on the livret must be deposited.

The bank must close within 15 working days the receipt of the request.

If the bank does not close within this period, it is possible to refer the matter to the banking ombudsman.

In order to prove the date of receipt of the request by the bank, it is necessary to send the mail by registered mail or request an acknowledgement of receipt at the counter.

FYI  

In the event of the closing of the Livret A during the year, the interest on the period from 1er January to the balance sheet date are credited to the balance sheet date.

If the holder of the livret A is a minor child, or a person under legal protection, closure must be made by the legal representative.

When the bank is informed of the death of the holder of the livret A, it must close the account.

Since November 13, 2025, the law provides for 3 cases of gratuitousness for transactions related to the succession. In other cases, inheritance fees are now capped in all banks for deposit and booklet accounts.

The bank may charge you fees for the steps it takes as part of the estate (inventory of funds, transfer of money to heirs,...).)

The amount of the fee is capped at 1% the total balance of the accounts and savings products of the deceased. This amount cannot exceed €857.

Warning  

The bank cannot not charge you fees in one of the following 3 situations:

If the holder of the livret A does not contact the bank that holds the livret, this savings account is considered as inactive. The bank has an obligation to hold the funds for a certain period of time. But after this period, she will have to close the account and transfer the funds to the Caisse des Dépôts.

It is possible to request to recover the funds using the online service Ciclade:

Ciclade (search for forgotten amounts from inactive accounts)

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