Reporting requirements on leaving the UK

Introduction

Practical issues for payroll operation when employees are leaving the UK are covered in the Outbound employees ― payroll issues guidance note. A review of opportunities for UK employers to improve the tax consequences for themselves or their employees is in the Pre-departure planning from an employer’s perspective guidance note. This guidance note pulls together the mandatory steps that must be taken when an individual leaves the UK to take up employment overseas and those that would be wise to take to achieve the best objectives.

The overall requirements when an individual leaves the UK to work overseas vary depending on factors:

1. •

   how long the employment is expected to last

2. •

   in which country the employment will be located

3. •

   whether there will be more than one employer

4. •

   whether the employer(s) will be UK based or overseas

HMRC guidance leaflet CWG2 (updated annually) provides advice on RTI for employers. This includes the circumstance of an employee leaving the UK to work elsewhere in full or in part, but remaining employed by the UK entity. The HMRC guidance provides further practical assistance.

Practicalities ― employer

When the employee leaves to go abroad, the reporting requirements for the existing UK employer responsible for payroll differ depending on whether the individual will be on the payroll of a different employer (based in the UK or overseas) or continuing to be contractually employed solely by the same UK employer. The latter category includes the situation where there is an overseas company that administers the pay and / or is responsible for funding.

If, after the move, the employee has more than one employment so that he will be on the payroll of more than one employer, then each employment situation is treated as if stand-alone and subject to the same reporting principles.