So you’ve travelled across the UK and had a fantastic time funding your adventures with short-term work. Then the time comes to pack up and head home. What most working holiday makers don’t realise is that once you leave and return back home, you are still able to claim back the tax you paid whilst travelling across the UK!
This makes the crash back to reality a lot more comfortable and ensures your time in the UK doesn’t render you bankrupt when you’ve returned home.
Depending on how much you earned throughout your year abroad and the timing you entered the country, you could be entitled quite a sum. What you get back from the tax man is predominantly based on the tax year you fall into, which runs from 6th April to 5th April the following year.
If you entered the UK at the start of March and worked immediately, there would only be one month left of the tax year. In this case you’d be unlikely to be able to claim back any tax paid. But this is a worst-case scenario and most travellers take this into account and work during the summer months.
For an estimate of your tax rebate, take a look at our handy tax calculator.
To get cracking on this you need to dig out that P60 you were given at the end of the year. You will need this to check and claim your tax refund for the previous tax year.
If you are leaving the UK, make sure your last employer provides you with a P45. Once you have this, you can claim a tax refund. If you’ve lost these forms, just ask all of your employers for a statement of earnings.
This will serve as a replacement for a P45/P60 for the UK’s Inland Revenue. Simple!
For more information on how to lodge your UK Tax Return online fill out our online form.