Finance guides for expats and new UK residents covering mortgages, banking, tax and credit history. Built from GOV.UK, HMRC and FCA primary sources.
Data under Open Government Licence v3.0.
UK expat foreign income reporting 2026: UK residents declare overseas income on SA106 supplementary pages. Finance Act 2025 abolished non-dom status from 6 April 2025; 4-year FIG exempts qualifying new UK residents. Offshore non-disclosure penalties can reach 200% of unpaid tax.
16 Jun 2026 · 11 min read
The UK expat tax treaty USA (2001 DTC) governs pensions, dividends and capital gains. Article 17 allows pension income to be taxed only in the country of residence -- but the US savings clause overrides this for US citizens. Finance Act 2025 introduced residence-based IHT.
16 Jun 2026 · 11 min read
Moving to Portugal from UK pros cons 2026: IFICI (replacing NHR from 2024) for qualifying high-skill workers; Algarve averages 2,700 sunshine hours/year; cost of living 25-40% below UK outside Lisbon. Cons: NHR closed for new arrivals; AIMA timelines 9-18 months.
16 Jun 2026 · 10 min read
Best expat retirement accounts 2026: UK SIPPs can be retained by non-UK-residents. QROPS attract a 25% transfer charge unless in the member’s country of residence. Pensions enter UK IHT from 6 April 2027. Dividend rates from April 2026: 10.75%/35.75%/39.35%.
16 Jun 2026 · 9 min read
UK expat wills abroad 2026: a UK will (Wills Act 1837) is valid in most common-law jurisdictions but a local will is also needed for locally sited assets. Finance Act 2025 IHT: 10-year UK residency triggers worldwide estate from 6 April 2025. Pensions enter IHT from 6 April 2027.
16 Jun 2026 · 9 min read
Buy-to-let UK from abroad 2026: property income rates from 6 April 2026 are 22%/42%/47% (Autumn Budget 2025 OOTLAR). NRLS withholds 20% from rent unless NRL1 approval is held. Section 24 caps mortgage interest at a 20% credit. Expat BTL rates run 0.5-1.5% above UK resident rates.
16 Jun 2026 · 9 min read
International schools in Dubai for UK expats 2026: KHDA rates all 220+ private Dubai schools Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Acceptable, or Weak. British-curriculum fees run approx AED 40,000-100,000/year per child (approx £8,400-£21,000). KHDA reports are free at khda.gov.ae.
16 Jun 2026 · 9 min read
Singapore vs Dubai for UK expats 2026: UAE has zero income tax; Singapore taxes resident income at 0-22% (IRAS). Singapore CBD 2-bed rent approx SGD 5,000-8,000/month vs Dubai AED 10,000-16,000/month. Dubai school fees are 50-70% lower than Singapore. SGD 1 is approx £0.59.
16 Jun 2026 · 10 min read
UK tax on foreign income 2026: non-UK-residents are taxed only on UK-source income. Finance Act 2025 introduced the 4-year FIG regime from 6 April 2025. UK dividend rates from April 2026: 10.75%/35.75%/39.35%. Finance Act 2025: 10-year UK residency triggers worldwide IHT.
16 Jun 2026 · 10 min read
Moving to Canada from UK pros cons 2026: Express Entry CRS pathway; provincial healthcare (OHIP/MSP); UK State Pension uprated. Cons: Toronto median house price CAD 1,040,000 (CMHC Q4 2025); combined federal+Ontario tax up to 53.5%; January averages -4C in Toronto.
16 Jun 2026 · 9 min read
Moving to Spain from UK pros cons 2026: approx 300 sunny days/year (AEMET), S1 healthcare for UK pensioners, cost of living 25-35% lower than UK outside major cities. Cons: Beckham Law tightened under Spain’s 2025 Finance Law; Modelo 720 declares overseas assets above EUR 50,000.
16 Jun 2026 · 9 min read
UK expat rental income tax from 6 April 2026: property income rates are 22%/42%/47% (Autumn Budget 2025 OOTLAR). NRLS withholds 20% from rent unless HMRC NRL1 approval is held. Section 24 limits mortgage interest to a 20% credit. Non-residents file SA105 by 31 January.
16 Jun 2026 · 10 min read
UK landlord tax for non-residents from 6 April 2026: property income rates are 22%/42%/47% (Autumn Budget 2025 OOTLAR). NRLS withholds 20% from rent unless NRL1 approval is held. Section 24 limits mortgage interest to a 20% credit. NRCGT return required within 60 days of sale.
16 Jun 2026 · 10 min read
A UK expat accountant in 2026 should hold ICAEW, CIOT, or ATT Member in Practice status (verify at icaew.com). Fees: £800-2,500 for a departure review; £600-1,200/year for Self Assessment. HMRC late filing starts at £100. Key triggers: SRT departure year and UK rental income.
16 Jun 2026 · 7 min read
UK expat investment account 2026: new ISA contributions are prohibited while non-UK-resident but existing ISAs are retained. Cash ISA limit drops to £12,000 from April 2027. UK dividend tax from 6 April 2026: 10.75%/35.75%/39.35%. Most UK platforms restrict non-residents.
16 Jun 2026 · 9 min read
How to open a UK bank account as a non-resident 2026: international accounts (HSBC Expat, Lloyds International) require £25,000-£75,000 minimum balances. Wise (FCA 900507) and Revolut offer no-minimum alternatives. FSCS covers UK banks up to £85,000. UK accounts are CRS-reported.
18 Jul 2026 · 9 min read
Moving to Australia pros cons 2026: reciprocal Medicare, 7.5h daily sunshine in Sydney (BOM), 4.0% unemployment (ABS). Cons: Sydney 2-bed rent AUD 4,000-5,200/month (approx £2,040-£2,650); UK State Pension frozen; super locked until age 60. AUD 1 is approximately £0.51.
16 Jun 2026 · 10 min read
Moving to France from UK 2026: UK nationals require a VLS-TS visa for stays exceeding 90 days. French income tax runs 11-45%; social charges add 7.5-17.2% on investment income. UK-France DTC (2008) covers double taxation. Paris 1-bed rent is approx EUR 1,200-2,000/month.
16 Jun 2026 · 8 min read
Cost of living UK vs Australia 2026: Sydney rent is comparable to London; Melbourne and Brisbane are 15-25% cheaper. Australian groceries are 10-20% cheaper than London (ABS). No Australian IHT. UK State Pension is frozen for Australian residents. AUD 1 is approximately £0.51.
16 Jun 2026 · 8 min read
Cost of living UK vs Spain 2026: a 2-bed Barcelona apartment costs approx EUR 1,100-1,500/month (£920-£1,260) versus £2,800-4,000 in London (ONS). Spanish groceries are 15-25% cheaper than UK (INE Spain). Spanish income tax runs 19-47%. EUR 1 is approximately £0.84.
16 Jun 2026 · 7 min read
Cost of living UK vs Dubai 2026: Dubai rent is 30-40% cheaper than central London. Zero UAE income tax versus UK rates up to 45%. Monthly groceries in Dubai run approx £480-600. Mandatory private health insurance costs AED 6,000-18,000 per year. AED 1 is approximately £0.21.
16 Jun 2026 · 8 min read
Moving to New Zealand from UK in 2026: the main work route is the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). Skilled Migrant and Active Investor Plus visas lead to residency. NZ income tax runs 10.5%-39%. The UK State Pension is frozen for NZ residents. NZD 1 is approximately £0.46.
16 Jun 2026 · 8 min read
A UK expat mortgage broker must hold FCA MCOB authorisation (register.fca.org.uk). Expat rates run 0.5-1.5% above resident rates; minimum deposits are 25-40% for buy-to-let. Broker fees run £500-1,500. Specialist lenders handle most expat cases in 2026.
17 Jun 2026 · 8 min read
Moving to Dubai from UK pros: zero income tax, October-April climate 25-30C, world-class infrastructure. Cons: a 2-bed Dubai Marina flat costs AED 12,000-20,000/month (approx £2,520-£4,200), 45C+ summers, and distance from UK family. UK SRT requires fewer than 16 days per year.
16 Jun 2026 · 9 min read
UK expat tax advice 2026 is most critical for SRT departure, Finance Act 2025 IHT and 4-year FIG. ICAEW and CIOT members provide cross-border expertise. Fees: £150-350 per hour or £500-2,500 for a departure review. HMRC late filing penalties start at £100.
16 Jun 2026 · 9 min read
UK expat financial planning 2026 covers SRT departure, 4-year FIG (Finance Act 2025), residence-based IHT and pension IHT from April 2027. Dividend rates: 10.75%/35.75%/39.35% from April 2026. IHT nil-rate band £325,000. FCA planners charge 0.5-1.5% of AUM per year.
17 Jun 2026 · 10 min read
The best VPN for UK expats 2026 enables access to BBC iPlayer and UK banking apps. VPN providers must comply with GDPR (ICO-enforced). No VPN is FCA-regulated. Monthly costs range from £2-10. Banking apps often detect VPNs via device fingerprinting not just IP.
16 Jun 2026 · 7 min read
The decisive factor in cross-border advice is your country of residence, not whether the product is British. FCA authorisation alone does not permit an adviser to advise you while you live abroad.
5 Jun 2026 · 7 min read
Health insurance for UK expats in the UAE in 2026: mandatory Dubai and Abu Dhabi cover rules, plan tiers, typical premiums, and dependant coverage.
16 Jun 2026 · 7 min read
UK expat cryptocurrency tax 2026: non-UK residents are exempt from UK CGT on crypto under TCGA 1992 s.1A. CGT rates are 18% basic / 24% higher from October 2024. Annual exempt amount is £3,000 for 2025/26. Finance Act 2025 IHT long-term resident test applies.
16 Jun 2026 · 9 min readGet Kael Tripton in your Google feed
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