Registering As A Non Resident (uk)

[Jared]

HI

Does anyone know if there are any disadvantages to registering as a non uk resident. Ive been trying to fill out my tax returns and they have informed me that I should register as a non resident because I am in Thailand for almost the entire year apart from around 1 month when I will be in England. Im just wondering if i register do I lose any benifits of being a British national?

Jared

[Penkoprod]

You might, or might not be aware, but most of the "benefits" you had while resident in UK, ceased to be, how shall i say?........yours by right, a short time after you left the white cliffs of Dover far behind you.

Your State Pension (if you have an entitlement to one) is frozen from the time you leave

Your right to free healthcare in UK ceased after 3 months out of the country, unless you can fudge an address in UK, and then its not 100% sure that they will accept that

There are probably more than the above, but those 2 are the ones i know about

In short, just go for the "non resident" so that you dont pay UK tax on any income, and not get any benefit from paying it

Penkoprod

[GuestHouse]

Your right to free healthcare in UK ceased after 3 months out of the country, unless you can fudge an address in UK, and then its not 100% sure that they will accept that

Not entirely correct.

Under Magna Carta a British Citizen has the right to come and go (across the national boarders) without let of hinderence.

Under the laws governing health care under the National Health Service, medical care shall be provided at the point of need.

So.... turn up claiming to be returning to live permantly in the UK (an absolute right) and claim health care because you need it (an absolute right).

You 'might' be given a bill 'after' receiving treatment but then if in the meantime you have registered an address you need not pay because you are resident and hence covered by the NHS.

GOD BLESS THE NHS

[Penkoprod]

You might like to read THIS then ...................

http://www.staffnurse.com/nursing-news-art...ckdown-119.html

The government is set to crackdown on British emigrees who seek to retain their right to free NHS care, it was reported yesterday.

Under new rules, emigrees - such as pensioners who retire to Spain - will lose their rights to free care in the UK after six months overseas.

Ministers have discovered an obscure rule that was introduced 14 years ago, according to the Sunday Times.

This allowed the NHS to charge pensioners who had live abroad for longer than three years.

According to the paper, the rule has been rarely applied - but ministers plan to apply it while extending the time limit to six months.

Enforcement of the rule may hit the growing number of people who choose to retire to Spain and other European countries - although it may be that NHS waiting lists have in the past deterred such people from seeking treatment in Britain.

Health minister John Hutton told the paper: "Under regulations brought in by the previous Conservative government 14 years ago, pensioners who lived abroad for more than three months of the year faced the prospect of paying for NHS treatment on their return home.

"We are extending that period to six months. That strikes a much fairer balance."

But Tory health spokesman Dr Liam Fox said: "There could be no clearer betrayal than to deprive our own pensioners of the use of the NHS to which they have contributed throughout their lives at a time when health tourists and illegal asylum seekers are making use of those facilities."

Date: July 28th 2003

Penkoprod

[true blue]

be nice if someone give a bit more info on op question i stay in los for 9 to 10 months a year i have house in uk and pay taxes on my pensions and bank accounts and it would be interesting to here from some one who has gone the non resident route and the difference to were you domicle and were you are resident i pay council tax which may make a difference i think

[GuestHouse]

You might like to read THIS then ...................

I have read that, and I have also returned from overseas for medical treatment.

[scotsman]

When you are non resident the only tax benefit I can see is that you don"t pay tax on your savings. All uk earnings is taxed at source. I would also say that if you have a uk address & still pay uk tax Then it would be very difficult for any hospital to refuse you free treatment as you are still paying your way in the uk. If I did not pay anything in tax to the uk then I would say they are correct. I still go to my GP every year for blood test when I go back to the uk for my 3 week holiday. I never get asked anything. The pension question for non-residents would be that it would be frozen at the time you are 65 and start receiving it but I could be wrong. If that was the case then I would never tell them I am non-resident until it suited me.

[Penkoprod]

Well, those are the RULES ......... how they are circumvented is another matter entirely

Penkoprod

[GuestHouse]

Well, those are the RULES

But the LAW states that a UK NHS doctor/hospital must provide health care on the basis of 'need'.

The LAW also states that a UK Citizen cannot be refused entry to the UK if they produce evidence of citzenship and/or evidence of right to reside in the UK.

So if you go back to the UK and you need treatment - you get treatment.

How do I know> - Because I have done just that myself.

Edited August 11, 2007 by GuestHouse

[Jared]

Someone also mentioned in another forum that aslong as you continue to make your national insurance contributions you should still have the rights to the NHS.

[true blue]

ta for info lads its the pension one im not sure on whether or not to give up my yearly increases for tax rebate then i decide to go home not get increase decsions decsions

[draggons]

Cheers for that info Guesthouse. When I left the UK I left with the intention of only returning to visit family and friends, have no desire to return there to live. In doing so I filled out a form E85, I think it was, that declared I was non resident and not liable to british tax.

Some might think of it as burning bridges but it's made me get my head down and graft to make a decent life for myself here.

[gregchambers]

If you have UK sourced income such as pension and no real savings or investments then there is no advantage to being non-resident and the big disadvantage of having your state pension frozen.

If you have stock exchange investments or non-personal real estate there can be advantages but if you bought them before going non-resident then you have to be non-resident for six years before you can avoid capital gains tax. However, once non-resident you could for instance maintain a UK stock trading acc and not have to pay capital gains on new shares bought and sold. Also you could move savings offshore and avoid income tax on the interest.

So really depends on how much money you have, investments, etc and how long range your thinking is.

I don't believe the Revenue can declare you non-resident against your wishes so the benefit of inflation linked pension and free health care, would be worth keeping if you have small savings and few investments... so even if you are out of the country most of the time and are still able to keep a UK address for correspondence, basically just carry on as if you were UK resident! You can just say you are on an extended holiday!

BTW I believe that the NHS system is now computerized to the extent that if you are non-resident they will red-flag you when you turn up for treatment and give them your name and date of birth. As someone mentioned you can always say you have just moved back to the UK, as long as there are no tax implications.

[1Lucky]

Would appreciate advice on the following question:

If you have declared yourself non-resident UK do you have to pay tax on your savings income (ie bank interest) if it exceeds the basic tax allowance (ie more than about GBP5000)?

Cheers

Lucky

[GuestHouse]

If you have income in the UK, yes it is subject to UK tax (when above the tax threshold).

You are outside the UK tax systems but your income within the UK is not.

----

A point to note before declaring yourself non tax resident is access to tax free investments is closed once you become non UK tax resident.

So if you have a stash of cash that you intend to make an income from look into paying up ISAs etc before moving off shore.

Go see an independent financial advisor for the beans on this issue.

[lotus eater]

So if you have a stash of cash that you intend to make an income from look into paying up ISAs etc before moving off shore.

So after becoming non-resident money already in cash ISAs will continue to accrue tax-free interest, though you can no longer make additional payments into the ISA - do I read your comment correctly?