Forum

Moved back to the UK from Germany - do I need to complete two tax returns?

RachelA

RachelA

Messages count : 2
Likes count : 0
Registration : 16 April 2020
Contact in PM
Hello! I apologise if my question has already been answered, I've had a look at quite a few threads and a lot of them seem to very nearly answer my question, but not quite...

So I was living in Germany from February-October 2019. I registered as self-employed there as I'm a freelance translator. I also had two 'Mini Jobs' while I was there, as a hotel pianist and a babysitter. In October, I moved back to the UK, and now I'm trying to figure out my tax return(s).

I rang HMRC yesterday and was assured that all of my income would be considered 'foreign income' as all of my clients are based abroad and pay me in euros. However, I've done some online research and according to HMRC's website, if I have lived in the UK for more than 183 days of the tax year (which I just have), I am officially tax resident in the UK, and all of my self-employed income for the tax year should be taxed in the UK, no matter where it came from. BUT according to the German rules, if I lived in Germany for more than six consecutive months (which I did) I'm tax resident there for that tax year. Needless to say, I'm slightly confused.

I found this helpful, from an expert's answer to a previous question: 'Where you are working and performing services as a freelance worker, is where you are going to be liable for taxes' - I feel like this should clear things up for me, but should I still be completing a German tax return for all the freelance work I did BEFORE I moved back to the UK? Or should all of my self-employed income earned in the UK tax year (April '19 to April '20) be taxed in the UK?

My other query is that some of my German clients still pay into my German bank account (it's just easier)...would this income still be taxed in the UK? Or would I have to file two tax returns, one to the UK and one to Germany?

Thank you so much and, again, apologies if my question has actually been answered already!

RachelA

Connecting tech talent

Free-Work THE platform for all IT professionals.

Its contents and its IT job board are 100% free of charge for contractors and freelancers.

Free-workers
Resources
About
Recruiters area
2024 © Free-Work / AGSI SAS
Follow us

FreelanceUK has moved to Free-Work

We would like to welcome you to Free-Work, an international platform dedicated to supporting IT freelancers and contractors with their professional journeys in the tech industry.

FreelanceUK news, guides and resources, including the forum, have now moved to Free-Work, where we will continue to report on everything from tax issues and market demand to freelancing tips and technology trends. You can also search the latest IT contracts and freelance tech job opportunities on our jobs page.

💡 Good to know: Your forum profile remains the same. To login, nothing could be simpler, all you need to do is use your email linked to your FreelanceUK account and your password.

Enjoy your visit!

The Free-Work team

FreelanceUK