Tax

The P85 Form Explained: Telling HMRC You Are Leaving the UK
In 30 Seconds The P85 is the form that tells HMRC you have left the UK, if you are a PAYE employee who does not file tax returns. It updates your record, lets HMRC reconcile the tax you paid in your leaving year, and triggers any refund you are owed for the unused part of your personal allowance. If you file Self Assessment, you do not use a P85 at all: you tell HMRC through the residence section of your return instead. That one distinction is where most of the... Read more...
Tax Free Countries in 2026: The Full List and the Catch With Each One
In 30 seconds: Around a dozen jurisdictions charge residents no personal income tax in 2026: the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman (until 2028), Monaco, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Brunei and Vanuatu. None of them are "tax free" in the ordinary sense; they fund themselves through VAT, duties, corporate taxes and fees instead. And moving to one does not end your UK tax bill by itself: you have to leave UK tax residence properly first. Below is the full list with the honest catch on each, and... Read more...
UK Exit Tax: What Exists, What Was Proposed, and What Leavers Should Know
In 30 seconds: The UK does not have a general exit tax on individuals as of 2026. One nearly existed: ahead of the November 2025 Budget, the Chancellor considered a 20% "settling-up charge" on unrealised gains in UK business assets when a person ceases to be UK tax resident, reportedly targeting around £2 billion, and it was shelved days before the Budget after fierce industry pushback. Shelved is not abolished. Meanwhile the rules that already exist keep tightening: the five year temporary non-residence rules, and from 6 April 2026 close... Read more...
Moving Back to the UK from Dubai: The Tax Guide
In 30 seconds: Moving back to the UK from Dubai has one tax rule that towers over the rest: the temporary non residence rules. If you were UK resident in at least 4 of the 7 tax years before you left, and you return within 5 years, income and gains you took while away, including capital gains and close company dividends, can be taxed in the year you come back. And from 6 April 2026 the net tightens: dividends from your own company received while temporarily non resident become fully... Read more...