Selling a UK home while non-resident makes you liable for UK Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on gains accrued since April 2015, with rates up to 24%. You must report the sale to HMRC within 60 days of completion, even if no tax is due. Private Residence Relief (PRR) may apply if it was your main home, reducing or eliminating the tax.
You have to pay tax on gains you make on property and land in the UK even if you're non-resident for tax purposes. You do not pay Capital Gains Tax on other UK assets, for example shares in UK companies, unless either: you return to the UK within 5 years of leaving.
Yes. The good news is that selling a UK property from abroad is perfectly achievable. If you select the right estate agent and conveyancing solicitor, you should be able to conduct the entire property sale without having to return to the UK.
You may have to pay tax on certain income or gains made while you were non-resident. This doesn't include wages or other employment income. These rules (called 'temporary non-residence') apply if both: you return to the UK within 5 years of moving abroad (or 5 full tax years if you left the UK before 6 April 2013)
Under the pre-2020 rules, a property could retain its CGT-free status if sold within 6 years of moving out (or indefinitely if not rented). But now, if you're a foreign resident at the time of disposal, the 6-year rule provides no protection.
Yes, a foreign person or citizen is responsible for paying capital gains tax on U.S. property, i.e., real estate, even if they are a nonresident.
It allowed sellers to claim CGT exemption for the final 36 months of ownership, even if they had moved out. However, this was reduced to 18 months in 2014 and further to 9 months in 2020, which remains the rule today. This general law is in place as it prevents short-term transaction benefits concerning taxation.
To avoid the UK's 60% tax trap (an effective 60% rate on income between £100k-£125k), the key is to reduce your adjusted net income back below £100,000 by making tax-efficient contributions, primarily via pension contributions, which reclaim your full £12,570 Personal Allowance, and also through salary sacrifice for benefits like childcare or cycle-to-work, and Gift Aid donations to charity.
An Exit Tax is usually a Capital Gains Tax (CGT) levied on individuals and/or businesses when permanently leaving a country. The idea is to prevent people from avoiding tax by leaving before a taxable event occurs. Typically, it taxes unrealised gains on assets as if they were sold at the time of departure.
Your UK residence status affects whether you need to pay tax in the UK on your foreign income. Non-residents only pay tax on their UK income - they do not pay UK tax on their foreign income. Residents normally pay UK tax on all their income, whether it's from the UK or abroad.
Your UK citizenship will not be affected if you move or retire abroad. If you want to live in an EU country, check the country's living in guide for information about your rights. You may need a visa.
Normally, if you sell (or otherwise dispose of – for example, if you give away) your only or main home, you do not have to pay capital gains tax on any profit if it has been your only or main home throughout the entire period of ownership. This is called main residence relief (or private residence relief).
The amount you can borrow is based on your salary. Most lenders will loan around 4 or 4.5 times your annual income. To be approved for a £200,000 mortgage, you'd need an annual income of around £44,000-£50,000. This is above the average UK annual salary, currently £39,039 (January 2026).
You get Private Residence Relief for the time you lived there (7.5 years). You also get relief for the last 9 months you owned the property, even though you were not living in it. This means you get Private Residence Relief for 8.25 of the years (55% of the time) you owned the property.
The full 50% CGT discount is generally not available to foreign and temporary residents for assets acquired after 8 May 2012. However, an apportioned discount may be available if you had a period of Australian residency before you became a foreign resident.
Other ways to minimize capital gains taxes
With rising rents, a tough job market and pay cheques stretched to the limit, some young Britons are choosing to build their futures overseas.
The "6-year rule" for Capital Gains Tax (CGT) in Australia allows you to treat a former main residence as tax-exempt for up to six years after you move out, even if you rent it out, enabling you to avoid CGT on any growth during that period. You qualify by moving out, choosing to treat it as your main home for tax, and can reset the rule by moving back in. If you rent it out for longer than six years, only the portion of the gain after the six-year mark becomes taxable.
Make maximum use of tax-efficient wrappers
The simplest way to reduce capital gains tax is to invest within an individual savings account (ISA). The ISA allowance is currently £20,000 a year3 and all growth and income within the ISA is free from CGT and income tax.
FAQs on UK Taxation
Why do the rich pay less tax? The rich often pay less tax due to the use of tax-efficient strategies, such as investing in capital gains assets, maximising pension contributions, and utilizing tax-advantaged accounts like ISAs.
You can live abroad and still be a UK resident for tax, for example if you visit the UK for more than 183 days in a tax year. Pay tax on your income and profits from selling assets (such as shares) in the normal way. You usually have to pay tax on your income from outside the UK as well.
Selling a house before two years of ownership can have some financial implications. You likely won't recoup the money you invested in the house, and you may have to pay capital gains tax. Capital gains tax is tax that you pay on any asset that you sell for more money than you paid for it.
Overview. Inheritance Tax is a tax on the estate (the property, money and possessions) of someone who's died. There's normally no Inheritance Tax to pay if either: the value of your estate is below the £325,000 threshold.