If you live in the UK, there’s a good chance most of your tax is handled automatically through PAYE. But the moment you have income that isn’t fully taxed at source—think rental income, side work, dividends, foreign income, or capital gains—HMRC may expect a Self Assessment tax return.

Expat Global Tax provides UK tax filing support that’s built for internationally mobile clients—especially Americans living in the UK who also need their US return done correctly. Our London office works alongside our global team (Houston, Toronto, Dubai, and London) to keep your UK return compliant, your reporting clean, and your overall tax position properly planned across borders.

What UK tax filing support actually covers

Our UK tax filing support is hands-on help from the first question (Do I even need to file?) to the final submission and payment planning. Typical support includes:

● Confirming whether you need Self Assessment (and why)

● Registering for Self Assessment if required

● Preparing and filing your UK tax return (online or paper where applicable)

● Reviewing UK income sources: employment, rental, dividends, interest, foreign income, capital gains

● Helping you understand your tax bill and payments on account

● Aligning UK reporting with your US expat tax return so the numbers match and relief is claimed correctly

If your situation is straightforward, we keep it simple. If it’s messy multiple income streams, foreign income, capital gains, timing issues, our UK tax filing support is designed to bring order quickly.

Who is required to file a UK Self Assessment return?

You must send a tax return if, in the last tax year (6 April to 5 April), any of these applied:

● Self-employed (sole trader): earned more than £1,000 before expenses

● Business partnership: you were a partner in a partnership

● Capital gains: you had Capital Gains Tax due after selling/disposal of an asset

● Child Benefit: you had to pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge and do not pay it through PAYE

● Untaxed income, including (common examples):

○ rental income from property

○ tips/commission

○ income from savings, investments, and dividends

○ foreign income taxable in the UK

Even if you’re not sure, HMRC has a checker tool—but in practice, one short review with proper UK tax filing support usually answers the question faster (and flags issues people often miss).

Also important: If HMRC has issued you a notice to file, you generally need to file (or get the notice withdrawn if you genuinely don’t meet the criteria).

UK tax filing deadlines (Self Assessment)

Most taxpayers file online. These are the main dates to plan around:

• Register for Self Assessment (if you need to file) 5 Oct
• Online return filing deadline 31 Jan
• Pay tax owed 31 Jan
• First payment on account (if applicable) 31 Jan

Two practical notes:

1. If you register late, HMRC may issue a different filing deadline (often 3 months from their letter/email), but the payment deadline remains 31 January in many cases.

2. If you want HMRC to collect a small Self Assessment bill through your PAYE tax code (where allowed), there’s usually an earlier cut-off date.

This is exactly where UK tax filing support saves time: we build your timeline early, so you’re not chasing documents in January.

Penalties for missing deadlines and why one day late still hurts

HMRC penalties escalate quickly:

● Late filing: starts with an automatic £100 penalty

● After 3 months: daily penalties of £10/day up to £900

● After 6 months: additional £300 or 5% of tax due (whichever is higher)

● After 12 months: another £300 or 5% (whichever is higher)

● Late payment: penalties based on 5% of unpaid tax at key points, plus interest

If you’ve missed a deadline already, don’t ignore it. Proper UK tax filing support can reduce the damage by getting you filed, paid, and back into a stable compliance position quickly.

Child Benefit and the £60,000 issue easy to miss

From tax year 2024/25 onwards, if you or your partner earns over £60,000, the High Income Child Benefit Charge can apply. The charge increases as income rises and is fully repaid at £80,000+ (based on adjusted net income).

Many expats don’t connect Child Benefit with Self Assessment until HMRC sends letters later. If this might apply in your household, UK tax filing support is worth it just to avoid surprises.

UK tax filing support for Americans living in the UK

Americans abroad often face a double-layer problem:

1. UK reporting (Self Assessment, foreign income, capital gains, rental income)

2. US reporting (worldwide income rules, information reporting, exclusions/credits)

Our focus at Expat Global Tax is helping Americans living abroad stay compliant and reduce overall liability where the law allows. With offices in Houston, Toronto, Dubai, and London, our teams (based out of the US, Dubai, and London) bring Big 4 background and deep expat experience to each file.

This matters because your UK return doesn’t live in isolation—your US return needs consistent numbers, correct categorisation, and properly supported relief/credit positions. Solid UK tax filing support makes the US side cleaner too.

How our UK tax filing support process works

1. Quick intake review – We identify whether you need to file and what HMRC schedules apply.

2. Document checklist – You get a simple list based on your situation (PAYE, rental, investments, foreign income, gains).

3. Preparation + review – We prepare the return, then walk you through what’s included and why.

4. Submission + payment plan – We file, confirm what’s due, and discuss payments on account if relevant.

5. Cross-border alignment (if needed) – If you’re also filing US taxes, we ensure the UK and US positions line up.

If you want UK tax filing support that feels organised, responsive, and built around real expat situations, we can help.

FAQs

Q1. Do I need Self Assessment if I’m only on PAYE?
Ans: Often, no. But you may still need it if you have untaxed income (rent, dividends, foreign income, gains) or if HMRC issues a notice to file.

Q2. What if I don’t know my final profit yet?
Ans: You may still need to file by the deadline. This is common for sole traders and side businesses—our UK tax filing support helps you handle it properly.

Q3. What if I registered late?
Ans: HMRC can assign a different filing deadline after late registration, but you still need to watch the payment deadline. We’ll map this out for you.

Ready to get it done?

If you’re looking for UK tax filing support that doesn’t waste your time, contact Expat Global Tax and we’ll triage your situation quickly.