Preparing to Depart the UK
Preparing to depart the UK can be made much easier with a bit of planning and preparation. This includes booking flights ahead of time, and thinking about winding up everything from accommodation and employment to utilities and bills, bank accounts and mail.
Flights and Accommodation
By booking your flights ahead of time, you will secure a better ticket price and also set a goal for yourself to work towards. If you've accumulated additional luggage, it's best to start packing up non-essentials and shipping them home the long way, as shipping usually takes between 10 and 12 weeks.
If you’re sharing accommodation, it pays to let your flatmates know, so you can start advertising for new flatmates to take your room or dissolve your lease. You’ll also need to finalise your utilities and bills, including TV, gas and electricity.
Financial Matters
Financially, you will have UK bank accounts that you can choose to keep open, or close up on your departure. If you want to keep your bank account open, you will require a UK postal address for statements to be posted to. If you have pounds that you need to transfer to dollars, this can easily be managed by Currency Online.
If the exchange rate is not in your favour, it may pay to leave your hard earned money in the UK for a while.
You will also need to complete a HM Revenue and Customs P85 form that declares you are leaving the UK, and indicates how how much you earned and how much tax you paid while in the UK.
Other matters that may need your attention:
- Phone contracts
- Gym membership
- Redirection of mail
- Requesting job references from UK employers
- Rental cards for movies etc
Claiming Tax Back
There's a good chance you may be due a tax refund as millions of pounds of overpaid tax go unclaimed each year. This can either be done on your behalf by UK tax agents (for up to the last five years) or you can do it yourself on your return home with your P85 form.
You will also have built up funds in your National Insurance account which go towards the Basic State Pension and the State Second Pension in the UK. You can either hold your funds in the UK or transfer the balance to an approved fund back home.
Landing Back Home
Once you land back home, it pays to have a few things in place so you can hit the ground running. This includes updating your CV while still in the UK, and sending it out even before you land so you can leap straight back into the job market. Touching base with recruitment agents in Australia is also advised to distribute your CV and gauge the job market in your particular field/s. Now is also the best time to contact myOE for an introduction to your Australian based salary packaging expert.