Most of the planning energy in a move goes toward the destination – the house, the school, the visa. That makes sense; it’s the exciting part. But the tasks that actually catch people out are almost always on the UK side: the bank account that gets frozen without warning, the council tax bill that keeps arriving at an empty house, the P85 form nobody mentioned until a friend asked “did you do yours?”
None of this is complicated on its own. It just needs sequencing – some of it has to happen months before you leave, some of it in the final week, and getting the order wrong is what causes the stress, not the individual task. Here’s how to work through it properly, timed against a typical move.
Start Here: Tell HMRC You’re Leaving (the P85 Form)
If you’ve been taxed under PAYE and you’re leaving the UK to live abroad permanently, or to work overseas full-time for at least one complete tax year, you need to tell HMRC. For most people not already in Self Assessment, this is done through form P85, submitted online via your Personal Tax Account or by post.
The P85 does three things: it tells HMRC your departure date and destination, it updates your tax code so you’re not overtaxed on any remaining UK income, and it’s usually the trigger for any income tax refund you’re owed for the part of the tax year you were resident. If you already file a Self Assessment return, the equivalent is the residence section (SA109) on your return rather than a separate P85.
One thing worth knowing before you assume you’re done: submitting a P85 does not, by itself, make you a non-UK tax resident. Residence status is assessed separately under the Statutory Residence Test, which looks at your ties to the UK, time spent here, and your overseas work pattern. The P85 handles your PAYE position; it isn’t the same thing as formally establishing non-resident status. This is exactly the kind of distinction worth checking with a qualified accountant if your situation involves rental income, investments, or a business – Gerson Moving Services can manage your physical move, but we’re not the right people to advise on your personal tax position.
UK Bank Accounts: Sort This Earlier Than You Think You Need To
This is the one that catches people out most often – and, from what move managers hear on the phone during the final weeks before a move, it’s the single most common last-minute panic call, more so than anything to do with the shipment itself.
Several UK high-street banks have become noticeably stricter about non-resident customers holding standard current accounts, partly driven by anti-money-laundering rules and the administrative cost of servicing overseas customers. Some banks will restrict or close standard accounts with relatively little notice once they’re aware – or sometimes even suspect – that you’ve become a non-resident.
Before you go:
- Decide which UK accounts you actually need to keep open (a pension, a mortgage, a small buffer account) and check directly with your bank what their non-resident policy is – don’t assume your existing account will continue as normal.
- If you’ll still receive UK-source income (rental income, dividends, a pension), be aware this may remain UK-taxable even after you become non-resident, and you’ll need an account that can still receive it.
- Update your registered address with your bank before you leave, not after – a returned-mail flag is one of the most common triggers for an account review.
Council Tax, Utilities, and Your Address
Contact your local council directly if you’re leaving your UK property – you’re entitled to a refund for any council tax paid beyond your departure date, but only if you tell them. The same applies to utilities: gas, electricity, broadband, and any TV licence need cancelling with a clear final read or final date, not just left to lapse, or you risk being billed for a property you no longer occupy.
If you’re keeping a UK address for post (a family member, an accountant, or a mail-forwarding service), set this up before you leave and update it with HMRC, your bank, your GP, and the DVLA. A gap here is usually what causes the “we didn’t know you’d left” problem when official correspondence needs a response.
Medical and School Records
Before you leave: book any outstanding GP and dental appointments, make sure prescriptions are up to date for the transition period, and ask your GP practice for a summary of your medical records (or how to request one) – some countries’ healthcare systems will ask for this on registration, and it’s far easier to request while you’re still a registered patient than afterwards.
If you have children moving schools, request academic records and transcripts from their current school well before departure – some processes take weeks, and international schools at the destination frequently ask for these as part of enrolment, sometimes months in advance of the intake date.
Your Pets
If pets are part of the move, this is the task with the longest lead time of everything on this list, and it needs to start as early as possible – often months before anything else on this checklist. Rabies vaccination and, for many destinations, a blood titer test have to happen in a specific order with waiting periods built in, arranged through an Official Veterinarian under APHA (the Animal and Plant Health Agency) in the UK. Specialist pet relocation companies handle the destination-specific requirements, and your move manager can put you in touch with one as soon as you have a departure window – this is not a task to leave until the final month.
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How This Lines Up With Your Actual Move
| Timeframe | UK admin task | Where it sits in your move |
|---|---|---|
| 6+ months before | Start pet vaccination/titer process if applicable; request school transcripts | Before or alongside your survey |
| 3–4 months before | Notify bank of upcoming non-resident status; confirm which accounts you’re keeping | Around booking confirmation |
| 6–8 weeks before | Book GP/dental appointments; request medical records summary | Before packing day |
| 2–4 weeks before | Submit P85 (or note it for your next Self Assessment); confirm mail-forwarding address | Final survey/pre-move checks |
| Final week | Cancel utilities with a clear final date; confirm council tax closure | Packing day and collection |
| After you leave | Confirm HMRC has processed your departure; check for any refund | While your shipment is in transit |
Prefer something you can print and tick off as you go? Our covers the same ground in a one-page format you can keep pinned up until departure day.
What This Doesn’t Cover – and Where to Get Proper Advice
This checklist covers the administrative tasks that come up in almost every UK departure. It is not tax, legal, or immigration advice, and it can’t be – everyone’s situation is different, particularly around rental income, investments, business ownership, or complex family circumstances. Where the checklist mentions HMRC, tax residence, or your bank, treat it as “here’s what exists and roughly when it applies,” not as a substitute for a qualified accountant or solicitor who can look at your specific position.
What Gerson Moving Services can do is make sure the physical side of your move – the survey, the packing, the shipping, the delivery – runs on a clear timeline that this checklist can sit alongside, so the admin and the removal aren’t competing for your attention in the same final week. For the fuller picture of how that physical side works step by step, our walks through the removal process itself, including its own checklist for the moving day tasks this article doesn’t cover.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to fill in a P85 form before I leave the UK?
If you were taxed under PAYE and are leaving to live abroad permanently or work overseas full-time for at least a full tax year, and you don’t already file a Self Assessment return, yes – the P85 tells HMRC your departure date and destination and is usually how any tax refund gets triggered. If you do file Self Assessment, the equivalent is the residence section of your return instead.
Does submitting a P85 make me a non-UK tax resident?
No. The P85 updates your PAYE record and departure details, but UK tax residence is assessed separately under the Statutory Residence Test, which looks at your UK ties, time spent in the country, and your work pattern abroad. These are two different processes and it’s worth understanding the distinction rather than assuming one settles the other.
Will my UK bank account be closed automatically when I move abroad?
Not automatically, but some banks do restrict or close standard current accounts for non-resident customers, sometimes with limited notice. It’s worth contacting your bank directly before you leave to understand their specific policy and decide which accounts, if any, you need to keep open.
When should I tell my council I'm leaving?
As soon as you have a confirmed departure date. You’re entitled to a council tax refund for the period after you leave, but only if the council knows to calculate it — an unreported departure usually means bills keep arriving.
How early should I start the process for moving my pet abroad?
As early as possible – often six months or more before departure, since rabies vaccination and, for many countries, a blood titer test have to happen in sequence with mandatory waiting periods. This is usually the longest lead-time item in the whole move, so it shouldn’t wait until the rest of the checklist is underway.
Can Gerson Moving Services help with the tax and admin side, not just the move itself?
We can tell you where these tasks sit on the removal timeline and flag what needs doing before survey, packing day, and departure, but tax, legal, and immigration advice needs to come from a qualified professional, since it depends on your individual circumstances. Your move manager can help you sequence the admin against the physical move, which is often the part people find hardest to plan alone.
Related Topics
Ready to Put This Against a Real Timeline?
A checklist is only useful once it’s mapped against your actual departure date. Your move manager can talk you through exactly when the physical move needs each piece of admin to be sorted, so nothing gets left to the final week by accident.
