An expat is someone who lives abroad, or outside their home country. As a result, they might be liable for tax in both their home country and in the one they’re currently residing in.

If you’re an expat in the UK, HMRC will treat you as a UK tax resident if:

• you’re physically in the UK for at least 183 days in a tax year
• or if your only home is in the UK, and you spent at least 30 days there in this tax year.

Two things can happen:

• if HMRC says you’re a UK tax resident, then you’ll pay UK tax on your income from all over the world, not just from the UK
• if you’re a non-resident, then you’ll only pay UK tax on your UK income but not on any foreign income.

Sometimes you may end up being taxed twice on the same earnings unless your home country has a double-taxation agreement with the UK. If it doesn’t, you can still file a Self Assessment tax return and claim tax relief.