reddevil79
Joined: 19 Jul 2004 Posts: 234 Location: Neither here nor there
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 1:56 pm Post subject: |
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There are a couple of threads on this and everyone’s case is different, but basically you have to apply for Class 2 national Insurance Contributions for overseas workers. It took me a long time to persuade HMRC that I was eligible for Class 2 NICs and not Class 3 as they had insisted. This was partly due to the fact that all correspondence was by standard mail, so for someone living a fair distance away from the UK (Mexico in my case) it can be slow going as it takes so long to send and receive mail. I was in the UK for a short stay last year and managed to get things done quicker during that time (sending off contracts, payslips, etc.) Hopefully with the UK government switching more and more services online, future correspondence will be via email which makes far more sense for people living overseas.
If you’re planning to be work outside the UK for a year or two I wouldn’t worry too much as you can pay your NICs retrospectively for up to five years. If you’re planning on working more than that then, yes, I would contact HMRC and try to get things sorted as quickly as possible. We’re pretty lucky actually having this option open to us as Brits, my other non-Brit co-workers have often commented on what a good deal this is. |
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