I'm hoping to head off on a long tour in July (18 months to 2 years). I'm selling my house but think that I need to keep a UK address for tax purposes. Most of my friends/ relatives live on their own and have Council Tax discounts as single persons. I don't want to compromise then by using their address. Any ideas about how to manage this? Thought about PO Box but they only seem to hold mail for two weeks.
Having a UK address when doing a long tour abroad.
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Tom...
Veteran
I'm not sure that Council tax would even know that you were using a friends address for 2 years. It's very rare they actively look for SPD fraud as it stands. And your situation wouldn't be fraud so no worries there.
A detailed letter to the local authority explaining the situation would sort it if a problem arose. But I doubt Ctax would even be bothered.
Bazzer
Setting the controls for the heart of the sun.
- Location
- On the edge of reality
Why do you think you need a UK address for tax purposes?
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
You could use a friends address as long as you are not living there.
Chislenko
Veteran
Some friends of ours lived abroad for 15 years but for purposes of banking / doctors / NHS prescription s etc gave the UK address of their son so to all and sundry it looked like they had never left.
Going back to the touring though if some of your touring is in the Schengen area as a UK citizen you will be subject to the maximum stay (unless you can find some Irish heritage and get an Irish passport )
Going back to the touring though if some of your touring is in the Schengen area as a UK citizen you will be subject to the maximum stay (unless you can find some Irish heritage and get an Irish passport )
bikingdad90
Guru
Usually in order to pay UK taxation rates which maybe cheaper than where he/she is going and also to avoid the whole issue of double taxation especially if there is no treaty agreement in place. For tax purposes you can say you are non domiciled in the foreign country. In other words pull a Rishy type stunt. 😂😂
Once a Wheeler
…always a wheeler
Tax residence status is a world of its own, you need to check up with an accountant. The UK differentiates between residence and domicile and many other countries do not. Six months is the critical period — to claim UK residence you need to be in the UK for 6 months of the year plus one day; however, if you are on the move and will be in no country for more than 6 months of the year you may be able to retain UK status — check with the accountant. If you lose UK tax residency, some things such as upgrades to UK state pensions may not be payable. There are all sorts of catches and niggles. Overall, I would think the best thing to do would be to buy a micro-residence that has its own postal address and is liable for council tax and pay the council tax on it. That shows clear intention even if it does not in itself decide the issue. Consult a professional and remember there may be opportunities in the circumstance as well as liabilities.
T4tomo
Legendary Member
there is a tendency to over complicate things on here.
Post #2 is good advice for maintaining a UK address.
as the OP is not indenting to move overseas permanently they can reman Uk tax domiciled, particular if they are ravelling to several countries.
they should continue t pay tax on any UK income i.e pension / investment income etc.
It might be an idea to let out your UK property @ the OP and fund your travelling off the income, rather than selling it and spending the capital, but clearly you know your situation better than random people on the internet.
Post #2 is good advice for maintaining a UK address.
as the OP is not indenting to move overseas permanently they can reman Uk tax domiciled, particular if they are ravelling to several countries.
they should continue t pay tax on any UK income i.e pension / investment income etc.
It might be an idea to let out your UK property @ the OP and fund your travelling off the income, rather than selling it and spending the capital, but clearly you know your situation better than random people on the internet.
There is no impact to your friends, relatives etc who allow you use their address. There is no liability with HMRC, Council or any other authorities. You will certainly need a UK address for all essentials while you travel around the World. The good news is that nearly everyone including banks and authorities now offer email notification, statements etc with little paper going to the UK address so it would much of bother for them.
I found the Postal Services struggle with PO Box, redirection, kept mail etc when it comes to long term.
I found the Postal Services struggle with PO Box, redirection, kept mail etc when it comes to long term.
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
I'd try and find a friend or relative who is willing to accept your mail. What exactly do you want them to do with it ?.....hand you a sack of historic mail when you return after two years or scan each letter and email it to you in some far-flung land?
I'm just curious.
I'm just curious.
- Location
- Glasgow
You could ask a solicitor to receive your mail.
They will charge, of course, but who gets much mail nowadays?, the service should not be too expensive.
I believe you can then give out your address as c/o whatever is the solicitor's name/company.
They will charge, of course, but who gets much mail nowadays?, the service should not be too expensive.
I believe you can then give out your address as c/o whatever is the solicitor's name/company.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
It isn't that easy, sadly.
HobbesOnTour
Guru
- Location
- España
The bolded bits are the things that are important. If you're going away for that length of time you want to be certain of your tax status - or possibly deal with lots of stress on the road or bills when you get back.
I can't see an issue with simply using an address but I'm just a randomer on the Internet. Check.
Like @slowmotion I wonder if you're asking the right question.
Do you anticipate having to take any action on any mail you might receive? How will you do that if you don't know what's in it?
It looks like someone will need to open your mail and inform you of the contents.
That might be the better question - who can you count on to do that?
It's not just the tax. Banking would be another important one.
If you haven't thought this through it would be a very good idea to run through various what if and worst case scenarios.
You don't say if you're travelling alone or with others. That can be relevant as is where you plan to go.
While I've no doubt that this is meant with the best of intentions it could lead to a false sense of security.
Many organisations are happy to communicate by email.... until a certain security threshold is reached. Then email just won't cut it - and rightfully so. If my bank allowed me to change my address, request new bank or credit cards and PIN numbers by email I'd look for another bank.
To my mind these are the things the OP needs to be considering.
I don't know if HMRC conduct business via email. Easily checked and verified, no?
In theory whatever works for the OP now should work for a two year adventure abroad - until something goes wrong - a lost telephone, a damaged bank card, a compromised credit card. Perhaps the person at the address they're using moves.
Sending off an email will, at best, be a teeny tiny step on the road to restoring normality.
Ditto for bank accounts that are online only.
A sound course of action, especially if the OP lacks reliable, trustworthy and competent friends or family but I could see costs mounting very quickly, especially if anything more than just collecting mail is required. Or maybe I've just had bad solicitors
