sicklyman

by posting details of my situation on a public forum...

FriendlyExpat

Your UK entries & exits have been comprehensively recorded for the past few years in an easily accessibly fashion - so don't rely on that trick working!

UKMS

Completely depends on what port you may have travelled in and out of, when (how recently - things tightened in 2015) and how you travelled. Also unless HMRC conduct a full detailed tax investigation they wouldn’t access that information as a matter of course. Incoming and outgoing info is collected for immigration purposes not to catch an expat staying extra days, although of course HMRC can access if need be.

Sabi Star

Although HMRC may not have details for your exact days in UK for past years they may well send you a letter asking for your tax records for last few ( like 20) years.

Millhouse

Not quite. Five years for the individual and six for a company unless something has changed.

Gobobo

Not very checkable though, is it.

I'm not doing that, although apart from up to around 2010 I've been careful in only being in the UK a short time each year.

It was always Heathrow/Gatwick, by airplane obviously.

Good luck them getting them! It'd probably cost them more to do the research than they'd gain in any taxes, I've been pretty steadily out of the UK for more than 42 weeks each year for about a decade, and my salary isn't enough to raise any eyebrows.

Okay, that seems sensible. I've had the same full-time employer since 10/2013. Will probably be the same for a few years yet.

Sabi Star

Well - do you know about David Hartnett's billets doux when he was at HMRC?

aarushdev

This information was very useful to me!!

scrubbedexpat141

No, no. All companies except for yours.

Sabi Star

I was told very honestly I thought by someone very helpful at KPMG, Dubai, not to ever try to get UK tax advice from someone who was not in UK because you would not be able to sue them if they gave you incorrect advice.

christmasoompa

Erm.....seriously?!? I've no idea if BE would be legally required to give your info if asked, but if so HMRC would have no issue in finding out who you are.

Gobobo

You mean the literally zero info I gave when joining? That's going to get the HMRC reeeaaallly far.

Anyway, it's not important. As I said I've worked temporarily in the UK and I've received the salary free of tax. I thought this was because I was under the threshold only, but the company there has had me fill out a form to say I'm non-resident for tax purposes every time I worked for them. It seems I've been acting more legally than I once thought, ha ha.

All's well that ends well, jolly good, tally ho, pip pip.

christmasoompa

Just PM’ed you. Just as well HMRC won’t be looking for you.

FriendlyExpat

HMRC use an IT system called "Connect" that links together disparate pieces of information, quite likely including what websites you have visited and posts you have made. This can all be linked together with your mobile phone usage, your IP address and your internet search records (including google accounts, etc) that may be easily linked to your real identity.

See e.g. The tax man is watching you: HMRC snoops on public 14,000 times in a year | The Independent (and that was a half-decade ago).

In summary - one should never assume internet anonymity!

UKMS

With respect you live in a fantasy world if you think those methods are deployed to catch someone who may or may not owe tax who posts on here. Read the article and the context of the measures that HMRC can use is in relation to serious and organized crime ... not seeking someone on an expat forum. Remember that the role of HMRC extends well beyond collecting income tax !