There are special rules if you work overseas (and rules for working away in the UK)
This blog focuses on working overseas. The important thing to make sure you keep good records and tell your accountant!
Office/employment outside UK
TCGA92/S223 (3) (b)
You may allow relief for a period of absence of any length throughout which an individual worked in an employment or office all the duties of which were performed outside the United Kingdom, or a period of absence throughout which the individual lived with a spouse or civil partner who worked in such an employment or office if the conditions set out in CG65046 are fulfilled.
All of the duties of the employment must be performed outside the United Kingdom. You can ignore any return to the United Kingdom for holidays, but you should not ignore any duties which are in practice performed in the United Kingdom even if they are only incidental to the main duties performed outside the United Kingdom.
Before the period of absence there must be a time during which the dwelling house was the individual’s only or main residence.
Condition B
After the period of absence there must be a time during which the dwelling house is the individual’s only or main residence (if within S223 (3) (a), (b), (c) or (d))
Use of residence during period of absence
It does not matter how the residence is used during a qualifying period of absence. For example, it may be let without any loss of relief.
Principle Private Residence Relief (PPR) is useful relief that saves you capital gains tax (18% for basic rate tax payers and 28% for higher rates tax payers) on your main residence, but how does it work, lets take a basic example
Property Purchase Date 30/04/2001
Property Purchase Price £100,000
Date Moved Out 30/10/2010
Letting Start Date 01/11/2012
Date Sold 31/10/2014
Sale Price £200,000
Capital Gains tax calculation
Sale proceeds 31/10/2014 £200,000
Cost (assuming no improvements) -£100,000
Gross capital gain £100,000
Reliefs available
Principle Private Residence Relief
Actual Occupation 9.5 Years
Started 30/04/2001
Ended 30/10/2010
Plus last 18 Months of Ownership 1.5 Years
The Property was empty prior to letting
Up to 18 months could be by ‘absence for any reason’
Total period where private residence relief is
available 11.0 Years
Total Period of ownership 13.5 Years
Principle private residence relief
£100,000 x (132 mths/162 mths) £81,481
Gain after principle private residence relief £18,519
Letting Relief
01/11/2012 to 31/10/2014 2.0 Years
Lettings relief is to lower of
£40,000 statutory maximum
£81,481 the principle private residence relief in this example
The gain for the letting period
Gain attributable to letting 2/13.5 x £100,000 £14,815
This is the lowest figure
For gains on sales prior to 6 April 2014, PPR is available for the last three years of ownership of a property that has been a main residence at any time. This is the case regardless of whether or not it has been occupied during the last three years of ownership.
But as a result of the 2014 Budget, from 6 April 2014 the automatic exemption from tax on gains in relation to the final years of ownership is now restricted to cover the last 18 months rather than three years.