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Contents:
Introduction
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Page 7
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Other considerations
Do I really need to file a UK tax return?
Is there a deadline for filling a tax return?
What if I get into tax debt when I am in the UK?
What benefits might I be entitled to if I work/am looking for work?
What shall I do if I leave the UK?
Where can I find more information on living and working in the UK?
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UK Tax in action
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Its a good idea to keep a note or diary of movements in and out of the UK
There is a Statutory Residence Test for tax, which applies from the tax year 2013/14. Different
rules apply for the years up to 2012/13. However under both rules and without exception,
you will always be UK tax resident if you spend 183 days or more in the UK in a tax year.
The following factors can also affect your UK tax residence status:
where your home is and if you have a home in the UK; working in the UK or abroad;
family and other ties to the UK;
how long you spend in the UK as compared with time spent in other countries and whether
you have been resident in the UK in previous tax years. You should note that your residence
status elsewhere is irrelevant in determining your UK tax residence and it is possible to be
resident for tax purposes in two countries.
Residence is a complex area, so you will need to take advice for your specific circumstances.
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You can normally earn a certain amount of money each year, without paying any income tax.
This tax-free amount is called the Personal Allowance. However some categories of nonEU visitors to the UK may not get this even if they are working here - ask your taxback.com
contact for more information about this. You pay income tax on anything above this amount.
The more you earn, the higher the amount of income tax you pay. Below are the key rates and
allowances of income tax, personal allowance and National Insurance contributions.
20%
40%
45%
50%+
2013/14
0 - 32,010
32,010 - 150,000
150,000 +
N/A
2013/14
0 - 34,370
34,370 - 150,000
N/A
150,000 +
0 35,000
35,000 150,000
N/A
150,000 +
Personal Allowance
2014/15
Under 65
Personal Allowance reduced by
1 for every 2 of income above:
9,440
100,000
2013/14
8,105
100,000
2013/14
7,475
100,000
45p
24p
20p
25p
24p
20p
If you work for someone, you are employed and the person you work for is your
employer. Your employer will deduct tax and National Insurance from your wages and pay
it to HMRC.
2013/14
2012/13
12%
146 per week
817 per week
817 per week
If you want to work in the UK you may need a work permit, unless you are a British citizen, an
EEA citizen or a Swiss national.
Class 1 Employed
NIC rate
No NICs on the first:
NICs charged at 12% up to:
2% NICs on earnings over:
12%
149 per week
797 per week
797 per week
Class 2 Self-employed
Flat rate
Small earnings exemption
7,956 - 41,865
7,755 - 41,450
7,605 - 42,475
Over 41,865
Over 41,450
Over 42,475
Class 4 Self-employed
9% on profits
2% on profits
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What is PAYE?
You can also phone the National Minimum Wage Helpline on 0800 917 2368
This system used to collect tax and National Insurance at source is called PAYE (Pay As You
Earn). PAYE spreads your tax and National insurance over the tax year, rather than paying tax
in one lump sum.
PAYE is an estimate, and is not necessarily the exact amount you are required to pay. The final
amount may be more, or often less, than is taken into account during the year. Millions of UK
taxpayers pay too much tax during the year through the PAYE system. PAYE refunds most
commonly arise from the following circumstances:
You can claim a tax refund at the end of the financial year (April 5th) or when you have
finished work and wont be working again in that financial year. Sometimes HMRC will try to
reconcile a refund position themselves at the end of a tax year if they have not heard from
you before the end of the tax year (although they have been known to get their sums wrong!).
They may issue what is known as a P800 calculation and/or a cheque in GBP to an old UK
address for example, rather than a current address. If this happens, or you receive a P800
calculation that looks like it has a mistake, or have no way of cashing a GBP cheque, then
contact your taxback.com representative as we will be able to help!
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If you are self-employed, HMRC would expect that you are carrying on your business with a
genuine expectation of payment and in a regular, developed & organised way. They would
expect that you have a client base and keep records of things like the hours you have worked
for each of them and the hours you have billed to each of them. It is important to distinguish
self-employment from something that you do as a hobby perhaps, or as a favour for a friend.
Sometimes the distinction between employment and self employment can be blurred but it
is vital that you are clear on your status, for the purposes of understanding what your rights
and obligations are. A persons work status is a matter of general law and depends on the
overall circumstances.
Self-Employed
Employed
Your employer will submit this leaver information directly to HMRC, on the last date that they
pay you.
Its important to have a P45 if you start a new job and it may also help you if you want
to claim back any overpaid PAYE. HMRC may not be able to make any tax refund due
without it.
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If you need any help completing or translating any forms you need to complete,
taxback.com can help.
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The taxback.com self-assessed team is on hand to give you more information about
the payment on account system.
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or provide a service
proportion only)
Insurance
Uniform
If you do not have a set of formal accounts drawn up by an accountant, then you will need to
keep details of:
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Irrecoverable debts
Postage
If you use something for both business and private purposes, a mobile phone or a vehicle
for example, you should keep evidence - mobile phone bills/mileage logs, so that the
appropriate proportion of business use can be identified. Taxback.com provide a full guide
to allowable self-employment expenses: www.taxback.com/packs/uk/GuideSE.pdf
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If youre looking for a very quick introduction to record keeping, you can refer to
this table:
Record keeping at a glance:
What records to keep
Most employees working in the UK pay all their tax through their companys payroll system and
are not required to file a tax return. You may however, need to complete a tax return because
for example, you have income from property abroad or your tax affairs are complicated in some
other way (e.g. by being on an expatriate assignment to the UK.) If youre self-employed, you
always have to complete a tax return. In the UK, the onus in generally on the taxpayer to tell HMRC
if they think they need to complete a tax return, but sometimes HMRC will issue a tax return to be
completed based on information provided to them by third parties (e.g. employers of expatriates.)
A tax return is a legal document and is an annual reconciliation of taxable income and gains. It is
important not to leave out any sources of income - no matter how small or whether tax at source
has been operated.
If you are issued with a tax return that you do not consider you need to complete, because, for
example, you have left the UK or paid all your tax under PAYE, you can phone HMRC and ask for
the tax return to be withdrawn. If they agree, you will no longer need to file it and any penalties for
missing the filing deadline will be set aside.
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Taxback.com can confirm the exact circumstances in which you have to file a selfassessed tax return.
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Taxback.com can help you with filling your tax return for very competetive fee.
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UK Tax in Action
Mary is an employee in a factory in Bristol. She worked for 52 weeks
of the 2014/15 tax year and earned 25,000 for the year (480 per
week).
Marys tax and National Insurance are worked out as follows.
Tax
25,000
(10,000) Personal Allowance
15,000
National Insurance
25,000
(7,956) Class 1 NIC Threshold
17,044
As Mary gets paid weekly, the employer will take the tax and National Insurance from Marys
wages each week, via the PAYE system and pay it to HMRC.
Mary will receive approximately 384 each week after tax and NIC
Tax
National Insurance
46,000
(7,956) Class 4 NIC Threshold
38,044
Tax and Class 4 NIC will be paid to HMRC by Alfred through the self-assessment system in
January 2015.
Class 2 will be paid to HMRC via direct debit on a regular basis.
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