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Hong Kong / UK split home?

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jul 2012
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    14

    Hong Kong / UK split home?

    I've been offered a job in Hong Kong paying good money, way better than what I get in the UK. While I'm keen to develop my career and my wife is very supportive neither of us are keen to move permanently to Hong Kong. I'm sure we'd both like it there and have both lived abroad before but we are considering keeping our UK home going and just renting a small flat in Hong Kong and splitting our time between both places.

    I would get lots of leave and will get approximately 2 weeks off in every 8. We worked out that if I came back to the UK every other time I get 2 weeks leave and my wife will come out to Hong Kong for 4 weeks the other times I get 2 weeks off then we would never go more than 5 weeks apart and would spend 18 weeks of the year together effectively on holiday. At the moment I get 5 weeks leave and I'm away quite a bit with work.

    I'd get travel concessions too which would make travel between UK and Hong Kong cheap and easy. Sounds crazy but we don't have to accept it. Wondering if anyone has done or does anything similar?!

    Standing by for incoming!


  2. #2

    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Lancashire, UK
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    25

    You might need to pay uk taxes still as you can only visit the uk 3 months out of 12 if you want to be entitled to HK tax.
    This might not be a problem for you but something I would point out if you don't know already!!!


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    United Kingdom
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    Be careful if you do that, me and my husband are moving out to HK, he works for Cathay pacific as a pilot, we were going to do the same thing but if you spend, I think it's 97 days in the UK you are liable for uk tax aswell as HK tax.


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    11,711

    why not try


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jul 2012
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    Original Post Deleted
    I don't think I would be liable. I checked the HM Revenue website and you can visit UK for 90 days a year average over 4 years, or up to 183 days in one tax year.

    We worked out I'd only visit the UK for 6 weeks a year, my wife would visit me the rest of the time so I think UK tax would not be paid.

    My wife won't be paying any tax anywhere so it doesn't matter where she lives right?

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
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    1,686

    Can I have some of your air miles?


  7. #7

    Join Date
    Jul 2012
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    Original Post Deleted
    Yes please, I'm very interested to hear about this as it changes everything. I'd be surprised if 6 weeks made me liable for UK tax but if that's the case better to find out now before I'm committed.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    United Kingdom
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    You are obliged to pay tax if you are in the Uk for then 97 days out of 365 days, whether as a resident of a visa. You will also have to pay tax on the earning that you send back to your wife to sup post the family. This I spretty mug the basic of the tax system. Don't forget you'll also have to pay tax in HK as well


  9. #9

    Join Date
    Jul 2012
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    14

    The Brit, thanks very much for that, interesting, although as you say, with my plans I think I'd be ok, I could always cut my time in the UK down to 4 weeks though. Another option we're looking at is renting our house in UK out to my wife's sister. We would still be able to stay there when we visit but it wouldn't be our home. Obviously the rent would be taxable though.

    Another question I've come up with is this. While working abroad, or when I decide to return to the UK, can I bring all my cash savings back to the UK without any tax implications? Can I regularly transfer money from Hong Kong to my UK bank account also?

    Thanks very much, it all seems rather complicated!


  10. #10

    a better idea would be to rent out your UK home and just stay in HK


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