Life Admin Checklist for Leaving the UK

Taxes and the HMRC

As the saying goes, nothing in life is certain but death and taxes. Jump on the gov.uk website to check your individual circumstances, but as a minimum you’ll want to make sure you have the following documents in order:

• P45: Whenever you finish work with any employer you should receive one of these. It provides a summary of your salary and the amount of tax you’ve paid in the financial year to date. Make sure you’ve got a P45 from your last job – this should come from your umbrella company if you used one, or whoever was paying your PAYE salary (e.g. the hospital payroll or private practice manager)
• P60: This form shows the tax you’ve paid on your salary in the tax year, and you should receive one by 31st May from your employer (it might be an electronic or paper copy so make sure they have your forwarding email and postal address)
• P87: Use this form to reduce your taxable income and claim “tax relief” on any work-related expenses you had to pay for yourself. I show you how to fill it out here.
• P85: Complete this form when you’ve finished working in the UK to inform the HMRC you’re leaving and reclaim any tax you might have overpaid. I walk you through this one here too.

Consider cancelling your HCPC registration

£90 per year to remain on the register is not very expensive in the grand scheme of things, so if you think there may be a possibility you’ll return to the UK, or you’ll work in the Channel Islands, you might find this a worthwhile investment (especially considering how much work it takes to fill out all that registration paperwork in the first place!). 

You can elect to deregister if you’re not planning to work in the UK anymore. If you deregister during the first registration year of the cycle, you’ll get a £90 refund if you’ve already paid the £180 biannual fee. If you deregister in the second year, you won’t get a refund. 

If you do deregister, you can always apply for readmission to the register at a later date if you do decide to return to the UK for whatever reason. At the moment this costs £225 – you might find this a cheaper option than paying for your registration every year depending on how long you’re away.  

Get all the most up to date info on the HCPC website. 

Close your UK bank account

It may be a requirement of some current accounts that you’re resident in the UK. To keep your money safe you might consider transferring it elsewhere.

Consider closing your pension fund

If you kept the pension fund that was automatically opened for you and you don’t plan to retire in the UK, you might want to get in touch with your fund about what happens with the money. There are rules about when you can take money out of a UK pension fund, so be sure to get some good advice about whether or not having a pension is a good idea for you in the first place (it’s not much good to you locked away until you’re 70!).

Moving out of your home away from home

Depending on your living arrangements make sure you’ve finished any leases, paid up bills and cancelled utilities so they’re not in your name. Don’t want those international debt collectors chasing you for cash you didn’t know you owed or power you didn’t use! 

Cancel contracts, memberships and subscriptions

Go through any direct debits you’ve got linked to your bank accounts and debit cards and make sure they’re cancelled. Gyms, clubs, all the usuals…

Speak to your GP

If you registered with a GP make sure you inform them that you’re leaving, and get a copy of any records so you can take them to your doctor back home.

Redirect mail

If you get any regular or important snail mail, it might be an idea to put a redirection in place with Royal Mail, especially if you’re expecting tax forms or cheques to arrive from the HCPC.

Organise your farewell party

Time to say see you later alligator to new friends – hopefully it’s not long before they come visit you!

> Completing your P87 tax form

< Back to the UK