Hi… @JaneJones had alerted me to this thread. I’ll pick out the questions and answer them on a podcast QandA me and @cat are recording on Wednesday
Thanks @George1 - very useful to know.
I think this only works if the form has been created in the right format? Certainly I can’t fill in HMRC PDFs with standard Adobe Acrobat 
It has to be a “fillable form” for drop down lists and text boxes to appear.
But you can add text and images to any non-locked PDF with Acrobat.
That’s what I did with my FFI. I just embedded text boxes in the appropriate places and added ticks in the tick boxes. It’s very easy to do with any pdf.
I must be particularly stupid then.
I just used a pen 
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I did have a quick look online to see if there is some “médiateur” type service to turn to, if your local Impôts office is utterly useless. The only suggestions that came up were ones I imagine you’re already used eg a) sending them an FFI via your messagerie sécurisée from your Impôts account, or b) with a covering letter using the lettre recommandée accusé de réception? Tax médiateur services seem to focus, understandably perhaps, on folks who think the fisc has got it completely wrong, or who can’t pay!
On PDFs, I just use the edit pdf tool in that link I posted earlier and it happily amends/edits the FFI model letter.
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Well, I’m virtually the same age as you (65 in Feb ‘25) and have elected to take the whole of my DC fund as part of my 25% tax free allowance from the combined funds of the DB and DC schemes my employer had run ( they closed the DB scheme 7 years before I left and replaced it with a DC scheme).
From my research, I intend to declare the 25% lump sum with impots as an exceptional income and get taxed under the quatrieme method, whereby, the lump sum is spread over 4 years income allowance and the tax is therefore lower than it would be if declared as one single income in the 2025 tax year ( based on mine and yours birthdays in Feb 25). Although it is spread over 4 years of tax allowance, sadly, you have to pay it all in the first year’s declaration. Also, due to us not being 66, we won’t have an S1, so will have to pay social charges as well!
or anywhere in south Manche! On the other hand, if you buy a house north of, e.g. Percy, you’ll be covered by the wonderful St Lo office, of whom I cannot speak too highly 
I’ve had a look at the PDF24 tools and am most impressed - especially with the one that converts to Word, which could be handy in all sorts of situations! Thank you for that link
I’ve tried to book a rdv with Avranches to see if that at least gets me past the door. Last time I booked one to talk about paying CGT on the sale of my UK house, they unilaterally cancelled it saying it wasn’t needed… 
I’m trying one approach at a time!
Thank you - I am currently gravitating towards Vienne or Charente, on the grounds of a bit more warmth and a bit less rain, although I do have friends who live between Domfront and Bagnoles-de-L’Orne…
Word can open PDFs directly I think, you don’t have to convert them first. Although I haven’t tried it on a PDF with form fields.
Yes something else I thought you could do but doesn’t work when I tried it.
Maybe it’s a locked PDF? Word for Mac just reopened one of my contracts though when I tested it a few moments ago. But who knows with software!
Exactly!
@Carl I think I saw there was some change to rhat 4-year thing recently, it may have been.on quechoisir.org. I think it was coverage during this calendar year that I saw so just possibly there might be something that could be about to change.
it depends on versions I think
Agreed. My reason for having separate FFIs is timing. I want to start my private pension annnuity at age 65 (Feb 2025), but won’t get my UK state pension until Feb 2026.
A fine vintage I think. I’m only just Feb - 28th is the day.
I don’t/won’t get an S1 anyway as France is my competent state, having worked here for 15 years. I then claimed my French pension from Feb 2022.
I intend to avoid the lump sum issue by not taking one, opting for the higher monthly income instead.
I am currently between Belgium and France. Moving early next year to France permanently.
The Belgians don’t tax me (DTA) but it gets added to my income to calculate tax band. I believe the French will do the same.
Thanks for any help