Been back for while BUT ....
 

Hello,

so here are my circumstances

I am a British male, aged 5x.

I was born in the UK have a UK birth certificate and passport.

I moved to the Europe in the mid 90's and lived and worked there until mid 2012, Then I decided to relocated back to the UK due to the untimely death of my wife.

I have been living back in the UK with my mother since I came back to the UK but I did not register to work (i.e. HMRC) and have been living off my savings.

I have now decided that I would like to get back into "the system" but have no idea where to begin and am somewhat concerned about the HMRC although I have not worked since being back I hear a lot of stories how people can be pursued for the minutest of things and be charged or penalized.

Any advice would be appriciated

Re: Been back for while BUT ....
 

Lots of people exist for years off the National Insurance and HMRC radar. Just get back into the sytem The position ius You were *non0employed" and economically inactibe for some time. Now you want to look for work. Happens all the time !

Re: Been back for while BUT ....
 

If you haven't been working or getting other income that would attract tax such as rental income, then I can't see that you have anything to worry about. HMRC won't chase you for money you don't owe! If you're looking for work and have a NINO, you're good to go.

Re: Been back for while BUT ....
 

True, but HMRC can impute income and try to tax it if they determine that your lifestyle implies a certain level of income. So if a self employed builder is reporting earnings of £30,000/yr but is living in a mansion and driving a Ferrari he can expect a tax bill for imputed income, because HMRC know what other builders living in mansions and driving Ferraris earn. Such a tax bill isn't "final", it is a negotiating ploy by HMRC, but it has the potential to become final if you ignore them and don't file an accurate tax return with supporting documentation.

That said, so long as he has bank and broker statements to support his spending habits, then he has nothing to worry about.

Re: Been back for while BUT ....
 

Back in the system as in working for an employer again? You’ll just need your passport/birth certificate and NINO. Asking for a copy of your National Insurance Contributions record would be wise so you can pay up some of the years you’ve missed to ensure you get a full state pension.

https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/short...rm/NIStatement

Re: Been back for while BUT ....
 

Many thanks to all for the replies

In regards "Back in the system as in working for an employer again? " I was thinking of working for myself as consultant as my background is in IT.

I guest it should not be much different in respect to NI, plus i should be able to get all the NI contributions from the EU country i was in transferred over I was told a few years back that some sort of reciprocal arrangement does exist for this, is there one?
In regards to HMRC in this case what would be best, contact and register with them first or just work and at end for financial year do a self assessment and do it all then?

Many Thanks

Re: Been back for while BUT ....
 

There are penalties for failing to file your taxes on time which for filing self assessment online is January 31st following the end of the tax year, so for 2018/19 that would be Jan 31st 2020. I've heard horror stories on BBC MoneyBox of folks filing self assessment for the first time, leaving it too late to register and missing the January 31st deadline.

Personally I would first ensure I have my NI number, and then then go online and apply for a self assessment number, known as a UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference). This process can take weeks and is essential for filing your taxes, in fact the UTR is mandatory on your self assessment but the NI number field is optional.

Re: Been back for while BUT ....
 

Reciprocal arrangements exits for many countries - not just in the EU. Contact National Insurance Overseas Branch at Lonmgbenton.