Return to the UK.For informational purposes only. Not financial, legal, or tax advice. UK tax rules changed significantly on 6 April 2025. Consult a qualified UK tax adviser.
FIG Regime Eligibility
4-Year Foreign Income & Gains Regime (FIG)
Introduced 6 April 2025, replacing the remittance basis. Available to qualifying new UK residents who have been non-UK tax resident for at least 10 consecutive tax years.
Enter years abroad above
Relief Period
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tax years
Exemption Ends
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UK tax year
Illustrative annual income tax avoided
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one-year illustration using the income entered
UK Pension Planning
SIPP Contribution Calculator
Use as much of your pension tax relief as you can before the allowance resets each April. Contributions attract 20%-45% income tax relief depending on your rate band.
Have you taken flexible income from a pension?
Enter salary above
Your Annual Allowance
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max total pension input
Max Personal Contribution
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after employer deduction
Net Cost to You
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after tax relief
Gov't Top-Up
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basic rate relief auto-added
| Allowance Type | 2024-2027 Amount | When It Applies |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Annual Allowance | GBP 60,000 | Default for all pension savers |
| Tapered Annual Allowance | GBP 10,000 minimum | Threshold income >GBP 200k; adjusted income >GBP 260k (GBP 1 reduction per GBP 2) |
| Money Purchase Annual Allowance | GBP 10,000 | Triggered permanently once flexible income drawn from DC pension |
| Individual Lump Sum Allowance | GBP 268,275 | Lifetime tax-free cash (25% of pot up to this cap) |
| Non-Resident Gross Contribution | GBP 3,600 (GBP 2,880 net) | For non-residents: max 5 years post-departure with no UK earnings |
Holding your investments
Offshore Investment Bond vs Direct IBKR Holdings
❌ Held directly on IBKR
- ❌ Dividends taxed each year at dividend rates above the GBP 500 allowance
- ❌ Gains above the GBP 3,000 exempt amount taxed at 18% or 24% when you sell or rebalance
- ❌ No equivalent bond 5% tax-deferred withdrawal allowance
- ❌ No time apportionment relief on non-UK period
✅ Offshore Investment Bond
- ✅ Internal gains grow free of CGT and income tax
- ✅ Cumulative 5% annual withdrawal allowance: tax deferred, not tax-free
- ✅ Time Apportionment Relief (TAR) reduces taxable gain
- ✅ Top-slicing relief on encashment reduces effective rate
- ✅ Cash in during a low-income year to pay less tax
Inheritance tax: A bond held outside a trust is part of your estate, just like direct holdings. UK assets are always in scope. Since 6 April 2025, non-UK assets come into scope once you have been UK resident for 10 of the previous 20 tax years. GOV.UK long-term UK resident guidance.
Time Apportionment Relief (TAR): When a gain arises on a foreign life policy or capital redemption bond, the gain is reduced by the proportion of days in the policy period when you were not UK resident. If you held the bond for 10 years and were UK resident for 4, broadly 40% of the gain is taxable. HMRC IPTM3732. Bond charges can outweigh these reliefs, so compare the full cost with direct holdings before buying one.
Avoid a "personal portfolio bond": In UK tax law a personal portfolio bond is a bond where you can select personalised assets, such as individual shares. It is an anti-avoidance category: HMRC taxes a deemed gain of 15% of premiums and earlier deemed gains every year. HMRC IPTM7705. Check that any bond's permitted investments keep it outside these rules.
Bringing savings home: Salary earned in the Gulf while you were not UK resident is not taxable in the UK, so savings built from it can generally be brought home without a UK charge. Keep records showing where the money came from and when. Mixed-fund rules matter mainly for people who were UK resident and taxed on the remittance basis. The Temporary Repatriation Facility (12% in 2025-26 and 2026-27, 15% in 2027-28) is only for people to whom the remittance basis applied in an earlier year. HMRC RDRM73200.
Common Questions
UK Repatriation FAQ
Yes. Electing the FIG regime via your Self Assessment return (boxes 28 and 29) forfeits your personal income tax allowance (GBP 12,570) and the CGT annual exempt amount (GBP 3,000) for that tax year. The trade-off is worthwhile if your foreign income or gains exceed roughly GBP 15,000-GBP 20,000 - below that, the personal allowance is more valuable.
No. The FIG regime only shields foreign income and gains. Any UK-sourced income - UK rental property, UK dividends, UK employment income - is fully taxable from day one of your return, regardless of whether you elect FIG. Only foreign accounts, foreign property, and foreign ETF portfolios like your IBKR holdings are protected.
No. The FIG regime requires at least 10 consecutive years of non-UK tax residency. If you were absent for fewer than 10 years, you return under the "arising basis" - worldwide income and gains taxable from your return. Split-year treatment may still apply to the year you return. Rebasing to 2017 values and the Temporary Repatriation Facility are only for people to whom the remittance basis applied in an earlier year, so most British expats returning from the Gulf will not qualify.
Yes, with limits. If you joined a UK pension scheme before leaving the UK, you can contribute up to GBP 3,600 gross (GBP 2,880 net - HMRC adds GBP 720 as basic rate relief) for up to 5 full tax years after your departure, even with zero UK earnings. After that 5-year window, no relief is available until you resume UK taxable employment. If you're planning to come back, these five years are worth using.