BUZZ ACCOUNTINGSold a UK property? The 60-day rule
Non-residents must report the sale of UK land or property to HMRC within 60 days of completion — even when there's no tax to pay. Miss it and penalties start at £100 and climb. We file it fast.
Since 2015 the UK taxes non-residents on gains from UK residential property, and since 2019 on commercial property and property-rich companies too. The reporting rule is brutal in its simplicity: a return within 60 days of completion, with a payment on account of the tax. Residents only file when tax is due; non-residents file even when nothing is due. Solicitors rarely mention it; penalty letters do.
What we do inside the 60 days
- The non-resident CGT computation, using whichever gives the best lawful answer: rebasing to April 2015 (residential) or April 2019 (commercial), time-apportionment, or the whole-period gain.
- Private residence relief for the years you lived there, plus the final months that count automatically.
- The 60-day return itself, the payment-on-account calculation (18% or 24% on residential gains), and getting you set up to pay from abroad.
- The year-end Self Assessment entries so nothing is taxed twice.
If you've already missed the deadline
File anyway, fast — penalties stop accruing when the return goes in, and a reasonable-excuse appeal is far stronger with a completed return attached. We've dealt with plenty of late ones; the worst thing to do is nothing.
£449 per return, including the non-resident CGT computation and rebasing.
Fixed, agreed in writing before we start. Two or more services together? Ask for the bundle quote.
Get startedAsked about this every week
The sale completed three weeks ago. Am I already in trouble?＋
No — you're inside the 60 days. Send us the completion statement and purchase records today and the return goes in comfortably before the deadline.
I've already missed the 60 days. What now?＋
File fast — penalties stop accruing once the return is in, and a reasonable-excuse appeal is stronger with a completed return attached. We handle late ones regularly.
There's no tax to pay. Do I really have to file?＋
If you're non-resident, yes — nil returns are still mandatory for UK property disposals, and the £100-plus penalties apply even at nil. Residents only file when tax is due; non-residents always.
Most clients pair this with…
Leaving the UK: get the tax right on the way out
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