Simple, clean and reliable to use for landlords self assessment tax return when living overseas. This is my 3rd year of using it. It saves, totals and keeps all the data while you are completing the return, alerts you to any potential errors and upload to the HMRC website is completed without a hitch. You can also switch between current and previous years’ returns very easily
Filing a UK Tax Return While Living Overseas with GoSimpleTax
Completing a UK Self Assessment return from abroad doesn’t need to feel complicated.
Living outside the UK doesn’t mean you can leave HMRC behind. If you still earn UK income — from renting out a property, a pension, self-employment, capital gains, or investments — you may need to file a Self Assessment tax return. For many people overseas, that’s where the frustration begins.
You’re juggling different time zones and unfamiliar international tax rules, and then you discover that HMRC’s own free online service won’t let you file everything a non-resident needs. To declare your residence status, you need authorised third-party software.
GoSimpleTax is HMRC-recognised software designed to make Self Assessment simple — wherever you are in the world. It guides you through the process, checks your entries, calculates your tax, and lets you submit directly to HMRC.
How Can You File a UK Tax Return If You Live Overseas?
Many UK taxpayers living overseas cannot use HMRC’s standard online service for every part of their return. This is usually because the SA109 form — needed for residence and remittance basis details — isn’t supported by HMRC’s free filing software.
That leaves two main choices:
- Complete paper forms and post them to the UK. This carries an earlier deadline of 31 October, plus the risk of postal delays or documents going astray.
- Use HMRC-approved commercial software like GoSimpleTax that supports international filing.
By choosing GoSimpleTax, you gain access to all the supplementary pages you need and can submit your return securely and directly to HMRC from your computer or smartphone, no matter where you are in the world.
What Do UK Taxpayers Living Abroad Actually Need to File?
Most UK residents complete an SA100 — the main Self Assessment tax return. But if you live overseas, your tax position is more complex, and you’ll likely need one or more supplementary pages on top of the SA100.
SA109 - Residence and Domicile
This is the form that catches most overseas taxpayers off guard. The SA109 is a supplementary page that tells HMRC about your residency position — whether you’re a UK resident, a non-resident, or eligible for split-year treatment — and whether special rules such as the remittance basis apply.
You may need the SA109 if you are:
- Not resident in the UK for tax purposes
- Claiming split-year treatment after moving to or from the UK
- Domiciled outside the UK
- Classed as dual resident in the UK and another country
- Claiming the remittance basis
- Reporting UK income while living abroad
Crucially, the SA109 cannot be submitted through HMRC’s own online service. You must use authorised software like GoSimpleTax to file it online — otherwise you’re looking at a paper return, with its earlier deadline and postal risks.
SA105 - UK Property Income
If you rent out a UK property, you must report that income on the SA105 page. This form covers your total rental income and any allowable expenses you want to claim — letting agent fees, repairs, insurance, finance costs, and more.
What Information Do Overseas Taxpayers Need Before They Start?
Before you begin, it helps to gather your key records. You don’t need to understand every tax box yourself — GoSimpleTax asks clear questions and places the information in the right sections. It helps to have:
- Your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR)
- Your National Insurance number, if you have one
- Your overseas address and UK contact details
- Your UK income records for the tax year
- Details of UK tax already deducted
- The dates you lived in or left the UK
- The number of days you spent in the UK
- Rental income and expenses, if you’re an overseas landlord
- Any letting agent statements or Non-Resident Landlord Scheme records
- Details of foreign tax paid, if you may claim relief
You enter the figures you know, and the software builds the return around your answers.
How GoSimpleTax Helps Overseas Residents File Their UK Tax Return
GoSimpleTax guides you through the full Self Assessment process in plain English. It asks straightforward questions about your circumstances — where you live, what income you receive, and when you left the UK — then builds the right return for you automatically. Here’s what that looks like in practice.
Automatic Form Selection
When you tell GoSimpleTax you live or work abroad, the software automatically adds the SA109 to your return. If you have UK property income, it includes the SA105; if you have foreign income, it adds the SA106. You don’t need to decide which HMRC pages to download — GoSimpleTax works that out for you and builds the complete return in one place.
Plain-English Residency Questions
The SA109 is notoriously complex, covering residence, domicile, split-year treatment, and remittance basis questions. GoSimpleTax replaces the dense HMRC wording with clear, conversational prompts. It helps you understand whether you qualify as a UK resident, a non-resident, or whether you’re eligible for split-year treatment — then records your answers in the correct boxes. This reduces the risk of missing key information or sending an incomplete return.
Real-Time Tax Estimates
As you enter your rental income, expenses, and any other UK income, GoSimpleTax updates your estimated tax bill instantly. There are no surprises at the end — you’ll know exactly what you owe before you file, including any tax already deducted under the Non-Resident Landlord (NRL) Scheme.
Claim Every Expense You’re Entitled To
GoSimpleTax prompts you on allowable expenses as you go, mapping your entries directly to the correct SA105 categories — repairs and maintenance, letting agent fees, insurance, finance costs — so nothing gets missed and your return stays consistent. This helps you lower your tax bill legally without needing to study complex tax codes.
Validation Before You Submit
Before you file, GoSimpleTax runs built-in checks across your return. It flags missing figures, inconsistent answers, and common mistakes, so fewer errors reach HMRC and you face a lower risk of enquiries or penalties. You can review your full tax calculation before submission, spotting problems early rather than after HMRC receives your return.
File Directly to HMRC, From Anywhere
GoSimpleTax works entirely in a browser, so there’s nothing to download, no paper to post, and no need to visit the UK. Whether you’re in Spain, Singapore, or South Africa, you can log in, complete your return, and submit it directly to HMRC through a secure connection — from a computer or a smartphone. You’ll receive immediate confirmation along with your tax calculation.
What Our Users Say
What Is the Non-Resident Landlord Scheme — and Do I Still Need to File?
HMRC defines a non-resident landlord as someone who rents out a UK property but spends more than six months of the year living abroad.
Under the Non-Resident Landlord (NRL) Scheme, your letting agent or tenant deducts basic rate tax from your rental income before passing it on to you, paying that tax directly to HMRC on your behalf.
However, this doesn’t mean you’re off the hook for Self Assessment. You may still need to file a return — for example, if you want to claim allowable expenses, if you pay tax at a higher rate, or if HMRC has asked you to file one. GoSimpleTax handles the NRL Scheme correctly, accounting for any tax already deducted when calculating your final liability, and ensuring you receive any personal allowances you’re entitled to.
If you want to receive your rent in full without deductions, you can apply to HMRC using form NRL1i. Approval means you manage your own tax through Self Assessment — which is exactly where GoSimpleTax comes in.
What Is the 183-Day Rule for UK Tax Residency?
The 183-day rule is one of the key tests used to determine your UK tax residency. If you spend 183 days or more in the UK during a tax year, you’re automatically treated as a UK tax resident — regardless of where you normally live.
Spending fewer than 183 days in the UK doesn’t automatically make you non-resident. HMRC uses a Statutory Residence Test (SRT) with several additional factors, including whether you have a home in the UK and the nature of your ties here.
GoSimpleTax walks you through these questions when you indicate you’ve lived or worked abroad, then uses your answers to determine your residency status and complete the SA109 accordingly.
How Does Split-Year Treatment Work?
If you moved overseas part-way through a tax year, you may qualify for split-year treatment. This means you’re only taxed as a UK resident for the portion of the year you spent in the UK — which can significantly reduce your UK tax liability.
GoSimpleTax asks when you left the UK and helps determine whether you qualify. If you do, it completes the SA109 split-year claim for you. This is one of the most commonly missed reliefs for people who moved abroad mid-year.
Can I Claim Double Taxation Relief as an Overseas Resident?
Yes, in many cases. If you pay tax on your UK income in both the UK and your country of residence, you may be able to claim relief under a Double Taxation Agreement (DTA). The UK has agreements with more than 130 countries, designed to ensure you don’t pay tax twice on the same income.
How relief is applied varies by country and by income type. GoSimpleTax helps you declare your UK income correctly and ensures your SA109 is completed in a way that supports any relief claim you’re entitled to make. For complex treaty situations, it’s worth also speaking with a tax professional in your country of residence.
Do I Still Get a UK Personal Allowance if I Live Abroad?
Many UK citizens living abroad retain their right to the UK Personal Allowance — the amount of income you can earn before paying tax. Your eligibility depends on factors such as your nationality or country of residence. GoSimpleTax helps you claim this allowance on your SA109 form if you qualify.
Example: Oliver’s Move to Spain
Oliver worked in the UK and rented out a villa in Spain, declaring his Spanish rental income on an SA106 alongside his UK employment income each year.
When he decided to move to Spain permanently, his tax situation changed. He rented out his UK house and needed to report that income on an SA105. He also needed to complete the SA109 residency pages to inform HMRC of his move and make a split-year claim.
Oliver logged into the government gateway only to discover that HMRC’s portal wouldn’t let him complete the residency section online. So he signed up for GoSimpleTax instead. The software added both the SA105 property pages and the SA109 residency pages, logged his rental income, deducted his letting agent fees, and confirmed his departure date. It calculated his exact liability instantly and let him submit straight to HMRC — sitting at his laptop poolside in Spain, weeks ahead of the January deadline. No accountant, no posted forms, no trips back to the UK.
Why Use GoSimpleTax if You Live Overseas?
GoSimpleTax is designed to make Self Assessment clearer, faster, and less stressful. For overseas taxpayers, it offers:
- Online filing for returns that include the SA109
- Support for UK property income (SA105) and foreign income (SA106)
- Simple, plain-English prompts that explain what to enter
- Automatic tax calculations as you go
- Built-in checks before submission
- A secure dashboard for your records
- Direct HMRC submission from outside the UK, on computer or smartphone
- Support if you have questions while completing your return
How GoSimpleTax Saves You Time
GoSimpleTax removes much of the manual admin from Self Assessment. You don’t need to search for the right supplementary pages, transfer figures between forms, or calculate your tax by hand. You enter your income, expenses, tax deducted, and residence details once, and the software populates the correct sections — without relying on post, paper forms, or spreadsheets.
How GoSimpleTax Gives You More Confidence
Filing from abroad can make simple questions feel harder. You may be unsure which forms apply, what HMRC needs, or how your UK income should be reported. GoSimpleTax keeps everything in one place — showing your tax estimate, highlighting missing information, and guiding you through the return step by step. That means you can file with more confidence, even from another time zone.
GoSimpleTax is designed to make Self Assessment clearer, faster, and less stressful. For overseas taxpayers, it offers:
- Online filing for returns that include the SA109
- Support for UK property income (SA105) and foreign income (SA106)
- Simple, plain-English prompts that explain what to enter
- Automatic tax calculations as you go
- Built-in checks before submission
- A secure dashboard for your records
- Direct HMRC submission from outside the UK, on computer or smartphone
- Support if you have questions while completing your return
How GoSimpleTax Saves You Time
GoSimpleTax removes much of the manual admin from Self Assessment. You don’t need to search for the right supplementary pages, transfer figures between forms, or calculate your tax by hand. You enter your income, expenses, tax deducted, and residence details once, and the software populates the correct sections — without relying on post, paper forms, or spreadsheets.
How GoSimpleTax Gives You More Confidence
Filing from abroad can make simple questions feel harder. You may be unsure which forms apply, what HMRC needs, or how your UK income should be reported. GoSimpleTax keeps everything in one place — showing your tax estimate, highlighting missing information, and guiding you through the return step by step. That means you can file with more confidence, even from another time zone.
Frequently asked questions
Start Your UK Tax Return from Abroad Today
Filing a UK Self Assessment return from overseas is genuinely more complicated than doing it as a UK resident. The forms are different, HMRC’s own website won’t let you file everything you need, and the penalties for late or incorrect returns are just as real.
GoSimpleTax removes the complexity. It selects the right forms, guides you through residency questions in plain English, updates your tax estimate in real time, runs checks before you file, and submits your return directly to HMRC — from any computer or smartphone, anywhere in the world.
Whether you’re a non-resident landlord, a UK expat, or someone who moved abroad mid-year, GoSimpleTax has you covered.
Sign up now. No obligation FREE trial.
There’s no need to wait to see if GoSimpleTax is right for you. Our no-obligation FREE trial is available immediately, with no credit card required. Still not sure? Speak with our team by emailing [email protected].