British expats need to act soon to meet this year’s tax filing deadlines.
Self-assessment forms need to be filed with HM Revenue & Customs for the tax year that started on April 6, 2017 and ended on April 5, 2018.
Expats who want to have any tax due collected from pension payments must file online by midnight on December 30, 2018.
The final deadline for everyone else is midnight on January 31, 2019.
Any income tax or capital gains due must also be paid by the same deadline.
Late self-assessment returns will pick up an automatic £100 penalty even no tax is due.
Do you need to file a return?
Expats with untaxed income sourced from the UK must submit a return.
This income would include:
- Money from renting out a property
- Tips and commission
- Income from savings, investments and dividends
An HMRC online tool is designed to help expats decide if they need to file a return.
Taxpayers must register with HMR to file online – and there is no paper option once the October 31 deadline has passed for hard copy returns.
HMRC has different ways to register if you are:
Changing past tax returns
You can make a change to your tax return after filing, for example because you made a mistake.
You’ll need to make your changes by:
- 31 January 2019 for the 2016 to 2017 tax year
- 31 January 2020 for the 2017 to 2018 tax year
If you miss the deadline or if you need to make a change to your return for any other tax year you’ll need to write to HMRC and explain why you want to update your return.
Tell HMRC the following:
- The tax year you’re correcting
- Why you think you’ve paid the wrong amount of tax
- How much you think you’ve over or underpaid
Your tax bill will be updated based on what you report. You may have to pay more tax or claim a refund.
The window for claiming a refund is open for four years after the end of the tax year the claim relates to.
If you are claiming a refund, also tell HMRC:
You’re making a claim for ‘overpayment relief’
- Include proof that you’d paid tax through self-assessment for the relevant period
- How you want to be repaid
- Confirm you have not previously tried to claim back this refund
- Send a signed declaration saying that the details you’ve given are correct and complete to the best of your knowledge
