izzi81

Clearly there is something I need to do, but I don't know what it is. We've lived in Canada for over 3 years now. Back in the UK both my partner and I were self-employed. Now we live here, with no income at all from the UK. He seems to have escaped HMRC's clutches, however I still get letters telling me I have NI to pay, telling me its time to file my tax return and so on. I have emailed, I have spoken to people on the phone, and still I get these things.

As I handle the financial paperwork type stuff for myself and my partner I've no idea what I could have done differently with him that has disconnected him from HMRC but not me! Any ideas? I really want to tell them that I DO NOT LIVE OR WORK IN THE UK LEAVE ME ALONE lol.

christmasoompa

Did you fill in a P85 when you left? Are you still paying NI? Most people do still choose to as it's such a tiny amount but they can then get a UK pension anyway.

Engineer_abroad

If you are living overseas you need to apply separately to pay voluntary NI.

https://www.gov.uk/government/public...butions-ca5603

izzi81

I'm not paying NI, can't afford it right now (even though it's a small amount!)

I'm pretty sure I didn't fill out a P85 when we left, but I can't get my head around why my partner isn't getting this stuff because he would only have filled one out if I stuck it in front of him!

Right now I don't need to apply to pay NI, they still expect me to!

So is a P85 what I need to fill out and mail in to them? *off to find one online*

beckiwoo

This is on my list of things to do. I will check this out

Yeah the P85 is the form to fill in. You get any tax you are owed back and they leave you alone (or at least they haven't contacted me)

izzi81

Amazingly they let you do the form online! Definitely a relief as I was worried it was just going to get stuck in the postal strike.

Now all I need to do is try and find my old P45

izzi81

Thanks loads for the help... P85 submitted! I even managed to find my old P45 which is a miracle given our current filing system.

Hopefully this will stop all the requests for tax returns etc.

christmasoompa

Not a clue! Maybe he had a moment of brilliance and did it without telling you.

It would be a different level of NI though, living abroad you only need to pay the lowest amount, think it's about £11 a week? Trouble is that if you've not told them that you've moved abroad, you'll be accruing NI debts, as they'll think you're liable to pay!

beckiwoo

Really? Sorry to hijack but generally can you call them up and find out how much you owe and set up a payment plan? (like student loans let you do).

Engineer_abroad

By the sounds of it HMRC don't even know you have left the country. When you leave you should fill in a P85 which informs them you are no longer a resident for tax purposes. Fill it in and send it back to them and everything should get sorted.

christmasoompa

Sorry, I've just edited my post - was meant to say about £11 a week, not a month! Still a bargain though to get a full pension.

You can get your NI record to find out how many years you'd need to contribute to get a full pension, and then see if paying voluntary contributions would be worth it.

HTH.

Tirytory

Hmm I feel like this is something I need to investigate... Can you backdate payments?

Engineer_abroad

I believe you can back pay for up to 5 years of missed contributions on your record, don't quote me.

https://www.gov.uk/government/public...ty-abroad-ni38

christmasoompa

Yes, 6 years worth - https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-nationa...-contributions

HTH.

beckiwoo

Is it worth it though seeing as there may not even by a pension at the end especially for someone of my age who have another 35 years of working?