Leaving a UK job to teach overseas: organise your HMRC departure records

Keep the employment dates clear

Leaving a UK job and starting an overseas teaching role creates a useful moment to organise tax records. Record your UK employment end date, departure date and overseas contract dates separately. A school year and a UK tax year are not interchangeable planning periods.

This is a general preparation explainer, not a tax-residence decision or a promise of a refund. Passport nationality, immigration permission and teaching qualifications do not by themselves determine which tax reporting route applies to your circumstances.

Check the correct HMRC route

HMRC’s P85 guidance explains how people leaving the UK may claim back tax from UK employment. It says the form is not needed where a Self Assessment return is being sent for the departure tax year. Check the current instructions and any circumstances requiring specific advice before submitting overlapping forms.

The page asks applicants to have their P45 details available and provide relevant information about a UK home, overseas work, UK-paid salary and intended UK visits. If you have not yet left the UK, its instructions require printing and posting the claim. The page was last updated on 23 August 2024 and was rechecked on 7 November 2026.

Prepare a small evidence folder

TeachAtlas recommends retaining the P45, final payslips, employment contract, departure dates and correspondence in a secure folder. Note any continuing UK income or commitments for discussion with HMRC or an adviser. Do not send those private records to a teaching-information website or a recruiter who has no reason to receive them.

If your circumstances change after departure, keep a dated note. An intended year abroad may become a shorter placement or an extended stay. Accurate records make it easier to explain what actually happened without relying on memory at filing time.

Budget without assuming a repayment

Put a potential refund in an unconfirmed column, not in the cash available for flights or a rental deposit. HMRC decides whether a repayment is due. Keep access to your correspondence and banking arrangements while the matter is being processed.

Finally, investigate the destination’s own payroll and reporting requirements separately. A UK departure submission is not a substitute for local compliance. Ask for a written breakdown of the teaching offer’s gross pay, deductions and expected payment dates, then build your budget from amounts you can substantiate.

Understand assistantships, eligibility and current-cycle checks.

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