TTC

French Acronym

Meaning	grand total
Literally	all taxes included
Register	normal
Pronunciation		[tay tay say]
IPA		[te te se]

French receipt  March 2013

Usage notes: You see it on receipts, you hear it in ads, but what does the French acronym TTC actually mean? It stands for toutes taxes comprises, and is equivalent to "grand total" in English. Prices are usually quoted as TTC, and you’re likely to hear those three letters rattled off very quickly whenever you ask for a price:

Par exemple…

Quel est le prix TTC ?		What’s the total with tax?
Ça coûte 50 euros TTC.		It costs 50 euros, including tax.

However, it’s not uncommon to see HT, or hors taxe, in ads for expensive products and in business-to-business transactions.* HT, which can also be expressed as total partiel, has many possible translations (see below) but the bottom line (no pun intended) is that it does not include TVA** or shipping charges. When prices are in HT, you can ask the clerk for the prix TTC (C’est TTC ou HT ?) or use an online calculator.

Hors taxe translations

• base price
• net price
• not including tax
• pre-tax
• subtotal
• without tax

  Français en action

The receipt above is from a grocery store. Even though the higher tax rate has changed** this particular receipt is interesting because it has two TVA rates: 5.5% for food, and 19.6% for non-food items like sponges and laundry soap. Here’s what all those acronyms and terms mean:

À rendre		Cash due
CB EMV	Carte bancaire Europay, MasterCard, Visa	Amount paid by credit card
Code TVA		(see below)
Espèces		Change due back if I’d paid cash
Montant dû		Amount due
Mt. HT	Montant hors taxe	Subtotal
Mt. TVA	Montant taxe sur la valeur ajoutée	Amount of tax
Mt. TTC	Montant toutes taxes comprises	Grand total

* As I understand it, businesses don’t have to pay TVA – see Le fonctionnement de la TVA

** TVA (taxe sur la valeur ajoutée) refers to French value-added tax, and the rate depends on the type of purchase. Most goods and services are taxed at 20% (formerly 19.6%, as for the non-food items in my receipt). There are two different TVA rates for food and non-alcoholic beverages: 10% when intended for immediate consumption (e.g., in a restaurant) and 5.5% for delayed consumption (purchased at a grocery store). Transportation and lodging are also taxed at 10%. For info about the rates for other products and services as well the 1 January 2014 rate changes, please see Comment appliquer les différents taux de TVA ?

 Related lessons

• French alphabet
• Acronyms
• Money and banking
• Numbers and counting
• Restaurant
• Shops and businesses
• Tout as an adjective
• Verb conjugations: comprendre | coûter | inclure | payer