Tax on your UK income if you live abroad
Rental income
You need to pay tax on your rental income if you rent out a property in the UK.
You may also need to pay tax if you make a gain when you sell property or land in the UK.
If you live abroad for 6 months or more per year, you鈥檙e classed as a 鈥榥on-resident landlord鈥� by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) - even if you鈥檙e a UK resident for tax purposes.
How you pay tax
You can get your rent either:
- in full and pay tax through Self Assessment - if HMRC allows you to do this
- with tax already deducted by your letting agent or tenant
Get your rent in full
If you want to pay tax on your rental income through Self Assessment, fill in form NRL1i and send it back to HMRC.
If your application is approved, HMRC will tell your letting agent or tenant not to deduct tax from your rent and you鈥檒l need to declare your income in your Self Assessment tax return.
HMRC will not approve your application if your taxes are not up to date, for example you鈥檙e late with your tax returns or payments.
Get your rent with tax deducted
Your letting agent or tenant will:
- deduct basic rate tax from your rent (after allowing for any expenses they鈥檝e paid)
- give you a certificate at the end of the tax year saying how much tax they鈥檝e deducted
If you do not have a letting agent and your tenant pays you more than 拢100 a week in rent, they鈥檒l deduct the tax from their rent payments to you.
Filling in your tax return
You need to declare your rental income in a Self Assessment tax return unless HMRC tells you not to.
You cannot use HMRC鈥檚 online services. Instead, you need to:
- send your tax return by post
- use commercial software
- get help from a professional, like an accountant
You need to complete the 鈥榬esidence鈥� section (form SA109 if you鈥檙e sending it by post) and the 鈥榩roperty鈥� section (form SA105).
You鈥檒l be fined if you miss the deadline - it鈥檚 earlier if you鈥檙e sending your return by post (31 October).
If you鈥檝e paid too much tax
You can ask for a refund if both:
- your rental income is lower than your Personal Allowance
- your letting agent (or tenant) already deducted basic rate tax on it
Fill in form R43 and send it back to HMRC.
You cannot ask for a refund if you鈥檙e not eligible for a Personal Allowance.
Companies and trusts
A company is a 鈥榥on-resident landlord鈥� if it receives income from renting UK property and either:
- its main office or business premises is outside the UK
- it鈥檚 incorporated outside the UK
Your company will get its rent in full if it鈥檚 for tax purposes - this includes UK branches of companies based abroad if they鈥檙e registered for Corporation Tax.
A trust is a 鈥榥on-resident landlord鈥� if it receives income from renting UK property and all trustees usually live outside the UK.
Apply to get your rent in full
Companies should use form NRL2i to ask HMRC to get rental income in full. Trusts should use form NRL3i.