Leaving the UK: Tax Accountants for Closing, Selling or Keeping Your UK Business
Emigrating does not end your UK tax affairs; it changes who is responsible for them and when the final filings are due. TaxDigit handles the UK side for company owners, sole traders and individuals who are moving abroad: the final accounts and returns, the Companies House closure, the HMRC departure paperwork, and the UK income you keep after you go.
In short: if you are leaving the UK you normally have three jobs. First, decide what happens to the business: strike off a UK company (Companies House form DS01, £18, after 3 months without trading), close it through a members' voluntary liquidation where more than £25,000 is to be distributed, sell it, or keep it running from abroad. Second, tell HMRC you are leaving: form P85 if you do not complete a tax return, or the residence pages (SA109) with your Self Assessment return if you do, with split-year treatment where it applies. Third, keep filing for any UK income that continues: UK rent under the Non-Resident Landlord Scheme, non-resident Capital Gains Tax returns within 60 days of a UK property sale, and the 5-year temporary non-residence rule if you come back. TaxDigit does all of the UK side; registration or filing in your destination country is done by a local adviser there. Figures below were read on gov.uk on 26 October 2026.
Which route fits your UK company when you leave?
The right route depends on what is left in the company and whether it has value to someone else. The table compares the four options we deal with most often; the sections below explain each one.
| Route | Typical fit | Who does it | Key UK filings | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voluntary strike-off (DS01) | Company has stopped trading, no creditors, distributions of £25,000 or less | Directors apply; TaxDigit prepares and files | Final accounts and CT600, final confirmation statement, VAT and PAYE deregistration, DS01 (£18), 2-month Gazette notice | gov.uk strike-off guidance, updated 14 Oct 2026 |
| Members' voluntary liquidation (MVL) | Solvent company with more than £25,000 to distribute, or where capital treatment matters | A licensed insolvency practitioner in our network; TaxDigit prepares the pre-liquidation accounts and tax | Declaration of solvency, final CT600 to cessation, liquidator's distributions, BADR claim on your return | Insolvency Service; CTA 2010 s.1030A (HMRC CTM36220) |
| Sell the company or the business | Goodwill, contracts, staff or recurring revenue worth paying for | Buyer and seller advisers; TaxDigit on the UK tax and completion accounts | Share sale or asset sale, CGT on your return, timing against your departure date | gov.uk CGT rates, updated 2 Oct 2026 |
| Keep the company running from abroad | Trade continues; you remain director or PSC while non-resident | TaxDigit as HMRC and Companies House agent | Annual accounts, CT600, confirmation statement, Companies House identity verification, UK registered office | See our non-resident page |
Insolvency appointments are not ours. A members' voluntary liquidation can only be run by a licensed insolvency practitioner. TaxDigit introduces you to a licensed practitioner in our network, prepares the accounts and tax computations the liquidator needs, and deals with HMRC; the liquidator holds the appointment and charges their own fee.
Closing a UK company when you leave
Strike-off (form DS01)
A company can apply to be struck off the register if, in the last 3 months, it has not traded or sold stock and has not changed its name, it is not threatened with liquidation and it has no agreement with creditors such as a CVA (gov.uk, updated 14 October 2026). The fee is £18. Companies House publishes a notice in The Gazette and, if nobody objects, dissolves the company after the 2 months stated in the notice. Before the application goes in we close the company properly: final statutory accounts and a Company Tax Return to the date trading stopped, Corporation Tax paid, PAYE scheme closed, VAT deregistered, the final confirmation statement filed, and the bank account emptied, because once the company is struck off you lose access to it.
Distributions of £25,000 or less
Where the company is being struck off and the total distributed to shareholders does not exceed £25,000, the distribution is treated as capital rather than a dividend under section 1030A of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 (HMRC manual CTM36220), provided the company has settled, or intends to settle, its debts. If the company is not dissolved within 2 years of the distribution, ordinary dividend treatment applies instead. For 2026/27 Capital Gains Tax is 18% within the basic rate band and 24% above it, with a £3,000 annual exempt amount (gov.uk, updated 2 October 2026).
Members' voluntary liquidation (MVL)
Above £25,000, a solvent liquidation is the route to capital treatment. The directors swear a declaration of solvency, a licensed insolvency practitioner is appointed, and distributions are made by the liquidator. Business Asset Disposal Relief, where it applies, charges qualifying gains at 18% for 2026/27 (gov.uk). Two timing points matter for someone emigrating: the shareholder's residence on the date of each distribution, and the temporary non-residence rule, which can bring gains back into UK charge if you return within 5 years. We plan the dates with you before the declaration is signed.
Anti-phoenix rules
Capital treatment on a liquidation can be withdrawn under the targeted anti-avoidance rule if, within 2 years, you carry on the same or a similar trade through another vehicle and tax is a main purpose. If you plan to run the same business from your new country we look at this before, not after, the liquidation.
Selling a UK company or business before you emigrate
A sale is taxed on the date of the contract, so the order of events decides the UK position: a sale completed while you are UK resident is a UK gain; a sale completed after you have become non-resident is usually outside UK Capital Gains Tax unless the asset is UK land or a company that derives 75% or more of its value from UK land, where non-resident CGT applies and a return and payment are due within 60 days of completion (gov.uk, updated 13 January 2026). The temporary non-residence rule then matters: leave for 5 years or less and come back, and gains on assets you owned before you left can be charged in the year of return. Your destination country's treaty with the UK decides which state taxes the gain; we read the article and give you the UK side in writing.
- Share sale or asset sale: completion accounts, warranties on tax, and the CGT computation on your return.
- Business Asset Disposal Relief at 18% for 2026/27 where the conditions are met.
- Treaty position and a certificate of residence request to HMRC where your new country asks for one.
Sole traders and individuals leaving the UK
HMRC must be told when you move abroad permanently or go to work abroad full time for at least one full tax year. If you do not normally file a Self Assessment return, you complete form P85 and attach parts 2 and 3 of your P45. If you do file a return, you report your departure on the residence pages (SA109) with that return, on paper, because this cannot be done through HMRC's online services; the paper deadline is 31 October after the tax year (gov.uk, updated 30 September 2026). Under the Statutory Residence Test the year of departure is usually split into a UK part and an overseas part, but only if you stay abroad for at least a full tax year (gov.uk, updated 1 October 2026).
| Item | What happens | Deadline or test |
|---|---|---|
| Final Self Assessment return | Cessation date, final trading figures, SA109 residence pages | 31 October (paper) after the tax year of departure |
| Form P85 | Only if you are not in Self Assessment | When you leave; refund of PAYE overpaid in the year |
| Split-year treatment | Tax year divided into resident and non-resident parts | Must be abroad for at least one full tax year |
| Automatic overseas test | Fewer than 16 UK days (or 46 if non-resident in the previous 3 years), or full-time work abroad with fewer than 91 UK days and no more than 30 working days | gov.uk, updated 1 October 2026 |
| Class 2 and Class 4 NIC | Stop with the trade; voluntary contributions can protect your State Pension record | Review before you go |
| VAT registration | Cancel if the UK business stops; keep if UK supplies continue | Tell HMRC when the UK taxable supplies stop |
| Temporary non-residence | Certain income and gains taxed on return | Back in the UK within 5 years of leaving |
UK pensions and ISAs can be kept after you leave; you cannot normally pay new money into an ISA once you are non-resident, and pension withdrawals are taxed under the treaty with your new country. Student loan repayments continue from abroad on a country-specific threshold and must be reported to the Student Loans Company.
Keeping UK income after you leave
- UK rental income. If you live abroad for 6 months or more a year you are a non-resident landlord. Your letting agent, or a tenant paying more than £100 a week, must deduct basic-rate tax unless HMRC approves you to receive rent in full on form NRL1i (companies NRL2i). A non-resident Self Assessment return is still due each year.
- UK property sales. Non-residents must report a UK property disposal and pay within 60 days of completion, even where there is no tax to pay or a loss is made.
- UK dividends, interest and pensions. Non-resident returns, the disregarded-income rules and the treaty article decide the UK charge; a certificate of residence from HMRC may be needed to claim relief in your new country.
- A UK company you keep. Accounts, CT600, confirmation statement and the director's Companies House identity verification continue every year; TaxDigit acts as agent and registered office.
UK accountant for non-residents → · International tax advisory →
Going to a specific country
The UK has double taxation conventions with most destinations our clients move to. The treaty, not the UK rules alone, decides which country taxes your salary, pension, dividends, rent and gains after you leave, and whether the UK must give credit or exempt. We advise on the UK side only. Registration, filings and advice in your destination country are done by a local adviser there whom you engage directly; if you do not have one, we introduce one from our network and you deal with them on their own terms.
Frequently asked questions
Can I strike off my UK company after I have moved abroad?
Yes. There is no residence requirement for the directors who sign form DS01. The company must not have traded or changed its name in the previous 3 months, must not be facing liquidation and must have no creditor arrangement. We file the final accounts, Company Tax Return and confirmation statement first, then the DS01, and track the Gazette notice until dissolution.
How much does it cost to strike off a company at Companies House?
The Companies House fee for a DS01 application is £18 (gov.uk, read 26 October 2026). Our fee for the closing accounts, final returns and the application is quoted once we have seen the last accounts and the bank position.
When do I need an MVL instead of a strike-off?
When the amount to be distributed to shareholders is more than £25,000 and you want it taxed as capital rather than as a dividend. Up to £25,000 a strike-off distribution is treated as capital under section 1030A CTA 2010; above it a members' voluntary liquidation run by a licensed insolvency practitioner is needed.
Does TaxDigit act as the liquidator?
No. Only a licensed insolvency practitioner can take an MVL appointment. We introduce a practitioner from our network, prepare the accounts and tax to cessation, and handle HMRC clearance and your personal tax; the practitioner charges their own fee directly.
What is Business Asset Disposal Relief and does it apply when I emigrate?
It reduces Capital Gains Tax on qualifying disposals of a business or shares in your personal trading company. For 2026/27 the rate is 18% (gov.uk, updated 2 October 2026). The relief is claimed on your UK return for the year of disposal, so the date of each liquidation distribution relative to your departure date matters.
How do I tell HMRC I am leaving the UK?
If you do not file a Self Assessment return, send form P85 with parts 2 and 3 of your P45. If you do, report your departure on the SA109 residence pages with your return; the return must be sent on paper by 31 October because the online service does not accept SA109 (gov.uk, updated 30 September 2026).
What is split-year treatment?
When you leave part-way through a tax year, the year is usually split into a UK-resident part and a non-resident part, so foreign income after you leave is outside UK tax. It is not available if you return to the UK before you have spent a full tax year abroad.
What is the 5-year temporary non-residence rule?
If you are non-resident for 5 years or less and then return, certain gains and income arising while you were away, on assets you held before leaving, are taxed in the year you come back. It affects company distributions, share sales and pension lump sums, so it is part of every departure plan we prepare.
I will keep a UK rental property. What do I have to do?
Register under the Non-Resident Landlord Scheme (form NRL1i) so you can receive rent without basic-rate tax deducted, and file a UK Self Assessment return each year with the residence pages. Without approval your agent, or a tenant paying more than £100 a week, must deduct tax.
I sold my UK flat after leaving. When is the tax due?
Within 60 days of completion. Non-residents must file a UK property disposal return and pay any tax in that window even if there is no tax to pay or the sale made a loss (gov.uk, updated 13 January 2026).
Can I keep my UK company and run it from abroad instead of closing it?
Yes. Many clients keep trading through the UK company with TaxDigit as agent and registered office. You remain responsible for annual accounts, the CT600, the confirmation statement and Companies House identity verification. Central management from abroad can affect where the company is tax resident, which we review against the treaty with your new country.
Will you register me for tax in the country I am moving to?
No. Registration and filing in your destination country are done by a local adviser there, whom you engage and pay directly. If you do not have one we introduce an adviser from our network. We deal with the UK side and liaise with them on the treaty position.
Do I need to tell Companies House my new address?
Yes. A director's or PSC's change of residential address and service address must be filed, and a company must keep a UK registered office. TaxDigit provides the registered office and files the changes.
Leave with the UK side finished
One firm for the closure, the final returns and the UK income you keep after you go. Tell us your planned departure date and what the company holds, and we will set out the route and a fixed fee.
Speak to a UK accountant →Tax and Companies House references last reviewed 26 October 2026 against gov.uk, HMRC manuals and the Insolvency Service. This page is general information, not advice on your circumstances.