Leaving the UK: get the tax right on the way out

Most people leave the UK with a removal van booked and no tax plan. The rules in the year of departure decide how much of that year's income the UK taxes, what happens if you sell shares or the company while you're away, and whether your State Pension quietly stops building. An hour of planning before (or shortly after) you go is worth more than any amount of tidying up later.

The departure review covers

• Your residence position under the Statutory Residence Test — the day-count limits you must respect after leaving, in writing, so there's no ambiguity about when UK taxation of your worldwide income stopped.
• Split-year treatment — whether your departure year splits, from what date, and what that does to your final payslips and any bonus paid after you go.
• P85 / final return — reclaiming overpaid PAYE from your leaving year (often four figures).
• The five-year trap — sell shares, crypto or the company while temporarily non-resident and return within five years, and the gain is taxed as if you never left. If an exit or sale is on the horizon, the timing of your return matters enormously.
• Property — NRL scheme registration if you're letting your home, and the CGT clock if you'll sell it later.
• National Insurance — whether to keep paying voluntarily (see voluntary NI) — at £3.50 a week, Class 2 is the best pension deal in Britain.
• ISAs and pensions — what freezes, what keeps growing, what you can still pay in (facts and tax treatment; we don't give investment advice).