P85 - Claiming back UK tax when leaving UK permanently

[MargotDarko 0]

Ok I filed mine myself, but with the help of an accountant, who messed things up a little, but I sent in all the finished and correctforms a bout 3 months ago now, no refund just yet.

I sent mine off in December but only got the rebate about 3 weeks ago. They're not very quick...

That's not too bad, mags. Did you receive all the tax you had paid in the 05/06 tax year? If the rebate is for all tax paid in the current tax year when leaving, I would be getting a ton of money - I don't want to get too excited before I know for sure that's the case though. It should be really uncomplicated for mine - we're leaving Dec this year, and I will have only worked one job (no business and no self-employment to complicate it) at the same pay rate for the nine months in the tax year before then.

How did they give the money to you? I'd like it to go into my UK account, but I was wondering if that would look weird. I'm going to leave my current account open to make it easier to get our dollars into pounds for paying the hubby's student loan.

You dont get all the money back for that year it depends on when you stop work. For me I left my job mid May 2005 and as the tax year had only just started I got all mine back (personal allowances hadnt been used). If you leave towards the end of the tax year then you probably wont get much if anything back.

I know that when I filed my P85 they checked the last few years to make sure I didnt owe anything either before they refund.

In another post, I saw one person who had received £2,800 back and one had received £3,700 - if those weren't full tax rebates, maybe they just had really really big incomes? Hmm...

[Mags 112]

Ok I filed mine myself, but with the help of an accountant, who messed things up a little, but I sent in all the finished and correctforms a bout 3 months ago now, no refund just yet.

I sent mine off in December but only got the rebate about 3 weeks ago. They're not very quick...

That's not too bad, mags. Did you receive all the tax you had paid in the 05/06 tax year? If the rebate is for all tax paid in the current tax year when leaving, I would be getting a ton of money - I don't want to get too excited before I know for sure that's the case though. It should be really uncomplicated for mine - we're leaving Dec this year, and I will have only worked one job (no business and no self-employment to complicate it) at the same pay rate for the nine months in the tax year before then.

How did they give the money to you? I'd like it to go into my UK account, but I was wondering if that would look weird. I'm going to leave my current account open to make it easier to get our dollars into pounds for paying the hubby's student loan.

I had worked for about 6 months of the tax year and paid 2500 quid in tax. I got 500 odd quid back. You can choose where you get it paid too. Cheque or a bank account. My bank account is still in the UK, they paid it in no problem.

[MargotDarko 0]

Ok I filed mine myself, but with the help of an accountant, who messed things up a little, but I sent in all the finished and correctforms a bout 3 months ago now, no refund just yet.

I sent mine off in December but only got the rebate about 3 weeks ago. They're not very quick...

That's not too bad, mags. Did you receive all the tax you had paid in the 05/06 tax year? If the rebate is for all tax paid in the current tax year when leaving, I would be getting a ton of money - I don't want to get too excited before I know for sure that's the case though. It should be really uncomplicated for mine - we're leaving Dec this year, and I will have only worked one job (no business and no self-employment to complicate it) at the same pay rate for the nine months in the tax year before then.

How did they give the money to you? I'd like it to go into my UK account, but I was wondering if that would look weird. I'm going to leave my current account open to make it easier to get our dollars into pounds for paying the hubby's student loan.

I had worked for about 6 months of the tax year and paid 2500 quid in tax. I got 500 odd quid back. You can choose where you get it paid too. Cheque or a bank account. My bank account is still in the UK, they paid it in no problem.

Thanks for the reply. That's helpful info.

[flutter95 4]

Ok I filed mine myself, but with the help of an accountant, who messed things up a little, but I sent in all the finished and correctforms a bout 3 months ago now, no refund just yet.

I sent mine off in December but only got the rebate about 3 weeks ago. They're not very quick...

I started my stuff in november

Stupid tax office, I guess they just don't want to let go of their money!

[Anyta Holland 1]

P85's are dead easy to fill out, and if you have a bank account in the UK they will deposit your return straight in to your account... We sent them by mail just before leaving and got 1000 pounds back in returns!

[homesick_american 1]

Four times? That's crazy! It was a big pain in the butt, but I got my number after just one interview. Have you been working in the UK? If so, I think you'd be on emergency tax code and paying way too much.

Yep...each time I was told I had forgotten a piece of paperwork that they had not told me was required. I'm on an emergency tax rate, but I had an accountant look at the figures and he said it's fine; he said if anything I'm not paying enough. :lol:

[Silver 0]

I don't have my last paycheck stub or my P60 from when I left the UK in November 2005. Would I still be able to claim any tax back without the P60?

[Mags 112]

I don't have my last paycheck stub or my P60 from when I left the UK in November 2005. Would I still be able to claim any tax back without the P60?

You need a P45 which you are given by your employer when you leave a job. This has on it the tax amount you paid up until the time you left.

[MargotDarko 0]

Four times? That's crazy! It was a big pain in the butt, but I got my number after just one interview. Have you been working in the UK? If so, I think you'd be on emergency tax code and paying way too much.

Yep...each time I was told I had forgotten a piece of paperwork that they had not told me was required. I'm on an emergency tax rate, but I had an accountant look at the figures and he said it's fine; he said if anything I'm not paying enough. :lol:

I don't see how that's possible. The emergency tax rate is really high and totally excludes your allowances - ie, first allowance of several thousand with no tax, and then a couple higher levels with lower rates of tax, before you get to the level at which that part is tax at the highest level. Try www.listentotaxman.com - enter your income for the year and select any relevant options. It will tell you how much tax you should be paying monthly and yearly. And also, if you go to American in middle of a UK tax year (Apr to Apr) then you'll have overpaid by a ton that year. Unless there was quite a long period of time when your income wasn't taxed at all, or unless there's some reason you don't have allowances, I don't see how the accountant can be right.

Edited April 16, 2007 by MargotDarko

[homesick_american 1]

I don't see how that's possible. The emergency tax rate is really high and totally excludes your allowances - ie, first allowance of several thousand with no tax, and then a couple higher levels with lower rates of tax, before you get to the level at which that part is tax at the highest level. Try www.listentotaxman.com - enter your income for the year and select any relevant options. It will tell you how much tax you should be paying monthly and yearly. And also, if you go to American in middle of a UK tax year (Apr to Apr) then you'll have overpaid by a ton that year. Unless there was quite a long period of time when your income wasn't taxed at all, or unless there's some reason you don't have allowances, I don't see how the accountant can be right.

He was surprised too, and I verified the figures with HMRC. If I was paying a normal rate of tax I would be paying ever so slightly more in tax than I do on the rate I am currently on. The accountant at the last company I worked for also said that I was not paying over the odds in tax.

[Londonlassie 0]

You are allowed to earn up to £5,225 for tax year 2007/8, TAX FREE. Anything over that you are taxed. When you leave the country, if your earnings from April 1st to your leaving date are under this £5,225, you get all the tax you paid refunded. Any earnings over that limit may be partially refunded....I think that depends on your situation. But, anyone leaving for the US pretty soon, should get all their tax refunded (since April 1st).......unless they are earning a considerable salary.

The P85 is pretty easy to complete, and they can pay the money straight into your bank acocunt if that is what you request. I have done it a couple of times before and got the refund within a few months.

Hope this helps.

[homesick_american 1]

You are allowed to earn up to £5,225 for tax year 2007/8, TAX FREE. Anything over that you are taxed. When you leave the country, if your earnings from April 1st to your leaving date are under this £5,225, you get all the tax you paid refunded. Any earnings over that limit may be partially refunded....I think that depends on your situation. But, anyone leaving for the US pretty soon, should get all their tax refunded (since April 1st).......unless they are earning a considerable salary.

The P85 is pretty easy to complete, and they can pay the money straight into your bank acocunt if that is what you request. I have done it a couple of times before and got the refund within a few months.

Hope this helps.

My husband is afraid that if he fills that out, he won't be able to use the NHS anymore.

[MargotDarko 0]

You are allowed to earn up to £5,225 for tax year 2007/8, TAX FREE. Anything over that you are taxed. When you leave the country, if your earnings from April 1st to your leaving date are under this £5,225, you get all the tax you paid refunded. Any earnings over that limit may be partially refunded....I think that depends on your situation. But, anyone leaving for the US pretty soon, should get all their tax refunded (since April 1st).......unless they are earning a considerable salary.

The P85 is pretty easy to complete, and they can pay the money straight into your bank acocunt if that is what you request. I have done it a couple of times before and got the refund within a few months.

Hope this helps.

My husband is afraid that if he fills that out, he won't be able to use the NHS anymore.

Once he lives in America as a PR for 3 years, he won't be able to use the NHS anymore without returning to the UK and fulfilling residency requirements again.

Edited April 16, 2007 by MargotDarko

[MargotDarko 0]

You are allowed to earn up to £5,225 for tax year 2007/8, TAX FREE. Anything over that you are taxed. When you leave the country, if your earnings from April 1st to your leaving date are under this £5,225, you get all the tax you paid refunded. Any earnings over that limit may be partially refunded....I think that depends on your situation. But, anyone leaving for the US pretty soon, should get all their tax refunded (since April 1st).......unless they are earning a considerable salary.

The P85 is pretty easy to complete, and they can pay the money straight into your bank acocunt if that is what you request. I have done it a couple of times before and got the refund within a few months.

Hope this helps.

My husband is afraid that if he fills that out, he won't be able to use the NHS anymore.

Once he lives in America as a PR for 3 years, he won't be able to use the NHS anymore without returning to the UK and fulfilling residency requirements again.

I can't find any official thing about this right now though... but I've come across it a few times, online and once on a TV show about British people living in Spain.

[Lou Lou 1]

You are allowed to earn up to £5,225 for tax year 2007/8, TAX FREE. Anything over that you are taxed. When you leave the country, if your earnings from April 1st to your leaving date are under this £5,225, you get all the tax you paid refunded. Any earnings over that limit may be partially refunded....I think that depends on your situation. But, anyone leaving for the US pretty soon, should get all their tax refunded (since April 1st).......unless they are earning a considerable salary.

The P85 is pretty easy to complete, and they can pay the money straight into your bank acocunt if that is what you request. I have done it a couple of times before and got the refund within a few months.

Hope this helps.

My husband is afraid that if he fills that out, he won't be able to use the NHS anymore.

Once he lives in America as a PR for 3 years, he won't be able to use the NHS anymore without returning to the UK and fulfilling residency requirements again.

I can't find any official thing about this right now though... but I've come across it a few times, online and once on a TV show about British people living in Spain.

It's 3 months...

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/artic...?articleId=1963

And if you return for a trip...

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/artic...?ArticleId=1086