Tax emigration question

Surfer · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:07

I always turn to ocuk for help...and more than ever i need you now!

Ive worked in the UK for at least 15 years. Apparently if i am emigrating i can get a tax rebate if i am not intending to come back?

Is this true?

How much do you reckon? and what is it based on?

elmuzzy66. · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:12

I think you can claim the tax paid on the current financial year.

Surfer · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:16

so just that year alone then?

Biohazard · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:21

P85 iirc

Don't expect your entire UK existance to simply be refunded to you however.

Phone hmrc or speak to an accountant.

daver · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:22

You can claim your unused allowances for this year yes. But as its already February chances are you will only get a small repayment for one months worth of allowances, probably about £125 for a basic rate taxpayer. If you are higher rate the refund would be more substantial.

I left in a January and got about £450 and when I came back I started work in Jan but didnt pay any tax till the new tax year.

zebedeee · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:23

you can infact claim most years back, it is based upon how many years you have been in work, and you must also be careful what calculation they give you since during the years 2004 and 2008 much of the uk residents went uncalculated and classed as not working when infact they were working. go to your local inland revenue and discuss this with them as you are intitled to a rebate and at a guess i'd say a large chechue is in store for you,

act fast before the offices get inundated with all the other business etc trying to get their rebates before the end of the tax year... if you go later rather than sooner you'll find it an absolute nightmare getting the information you need.

edit - you won't get all tax paid back... but if you was paying towards a pension then you get all that back etc, it's worth goin there tomorrow and enquireing on this further, i definately would

daver · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:25

zebedeee said:
you can infact claim most years back, it is based upon how many years you have been in work, and you must also be careful what calculation they give you since during the years 2004 and 2008 much of the uk residents went uncalculated and classed as not working when infact they were working. go to your local inland revenue and discuss this with them as you are intitled to a rebate and at a guess i'd say a large chechue is in store for you,

act fast before the offices get inundated with all the other business etc trying to get their rebates before the end of the tax year... if you go later rather than sooner you'll find it an absolute nightmare getting the information you need

I wouldn't want to mislead him here...from my impression the guy has been working normally in the Uk for the past 15 years, if there are no other circumstances apart from him leaving the UK then it will effect no years other than the one he departs the uk.

Vonhelmet · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:26

You may be eligible for split year treatment, but whether it's of any use to you will depend entirely on your sources of income and gains in the year of departure. If your only income is PAYE'd earnings then you'll probably be entitled to nothing back from HMRC.

Biohazard · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:27

zebedeee said:
you can infact claim most years back, it is based upon how many years you have been in work, and you must also be careful what calculation they give you since during the years 2004 and 2008 much of the uk residents went uncalculated and classed as not working when infact they were working. go to your local inland revenue and discuss this with them as you are intitled to a rebate and at a guess i'd say a large chechue is in store for you,

act fast before the offices get inundated with all the other business etc trying to get their rebates before the end of the tax year... if you go later rather than sooner you'll find it an absolute nightmare getting the information you need.

edit - you won't get all tax paid back... but if you was paying towards a pension then you get all that back etc, it's worth goin there tomorrow and enquireing on this further, i definately would

I think it's three years, and dependent on your usage of your allowance.

You cannot claim 'most years back'

Surfer · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:30

edit - you won't get all tax paid back... but if you was paying towards a pension then you get all that back etc, it's worth goin there tomorrow and enquireing on this further, i definately would

state pension?

Not planning to ever come back to stay in the UK. Yes visit but retire here no.

Planning on leaving in August so april, may, june, july of 2011 i would get back?

Would they also look at previous years to see whether i was owed any?

Vonhelmet · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:31

zebedeee said:
you can infact claim most years back, it is based upon how many years you have been in work, and you must also be careful what calculation they give you since during the years 2004 and 2008 much of the uk residents went uncalculated and classed as not working when infact they were working. go to your local inland revenue and discuss this with them as you are intitled to a rebate and at a guess i'd say a large chechue is in store for you,

act fast before the offices get inundated with all the other business etc trying to get their rebates before the end of the tax year... if you go later rather than sooner you'll find it an absolute nightmare getting the information you need.

edit - you won't get all tax paid back... but if you was paying towards a pension then you get all that back etc, it's worth goin there tomorrow and enquireing on this further, i definately would

I'm a chartered tax adviser, and I have no idea what you're talking about. Can you explain?

zebedeee · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:31

not really vonhelmet, i'm not really in the taxes game. I've claimed substantial rebates back in the past and can only guess where other matters are concerned, I have heard of some tax rebates going back a fair few years tho.

it's still worthy of a trip to the inland revenue tomorrow for more information on the matter whatever the case

Biohazard · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:32

zebedeee said:
it's still worthy of a trip to the inland revenue tomorrowwhatever the case

Which was said before you splurted some stuff that was not really accurate.

daver · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:34

AFAIK you can't claim NI back but there is probably a lot that you need to look in with the pensions service to as you may be able to receive some state pension still when you are of age and/or it might be worth making contributions still when you leave.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensionsandretirementplanning/StatePension/Basicstatepension/DG_10026714

Vonhelmet · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:36

Surfer said:
Planning on leaving in August so april, may, june, july of 2011 i would get back?

You wouldn't get back the tax paid in those months. You just wouldn't be regarded as UK resident after you leave and thus wouldn't be subject to tax on your foreign income after that date.

It's about not paying more tax, rather than paying less, if that makes sense.

The only way you could get some back is if they let you use a whole year's personal allowance in the time before you leave, but I can't remember whether that's the case or not. See if Kemik rocks up - I think he might know better than me.

daver · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:37

vonhelmet said:
You wouldn't get back the tax paid in those months. You just wouldn't be regarded as UK resident after you leave and thus wouldn't be subject to tax on your foreign income after that date.

It's about not paying more tax, rather than paying less, if that makes sense.

The only way you could get some back is if they let you use a whole year's personal allowance in the time before you leave, but I can't remember whether that's the case or not. See if Kemik rocks up - I think he might know better than me.

Yes it is the case. You have to be out of the UK for at least a complete tax year though. (used to work at HMRC for my sins)

Surfer · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:39

ok thanks Vonhelmet. It was a long shot anyway.

Kemik · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:50

Surfer said:
I've worked in the UK for at least 15 years. Apparently if i am emigrating i can get a tax rebate if i am not intending to come back?

Is this true?

How much do you reckon? and what is it based on?

Nope. If you think you're ever going to come back (e.g. for retirement) you might wanna continue NIC contributions too (£2.40 a week isn't exactly gonna break the bank).

The only "rebate" you'll get is if you do a self assessment at the end of the year (or ask HMRC to run one for you) to calculate how much PAYE tax you've paid on your salary as your PA and basic rate band is divided by 12 when it should be divided for the amount of time in the tax year you'd spent in the UK.

Note: I'm assuming your leaving the UK for at least one tax year.

Edit: Boooo V beat me too it

- I should always check first haha

Kemik · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:52

zebedeee said:
you can infact claim most years back, it is based upon how many years you have been in work, and you must also be careful what calculation they give you since during the years 2004 and 2008 much of the uk residents went uncalculated and classed as not working when infact they were working. go to your local inland revenue and discuss this with them as you are intitled to a rebate and at a guess i'd say a large chechue is in store for you,

Total balls. You won't even give your NIC contributions back sorry!

Surfer · 14 Feb 2011 at 18:53

ahhh okies. Heres a stupid question: can i continue to pay NIC and qualify for pension and such but be non-resident? ie live and then retire somewhere else but still draw the pension? (basically somewhere where the cost of living is better) Or do i need to retire IN the uk to get it?