Hi I work for a company called Accenture Services in the UK…

Hi

Thanks for your question

There is no time e limit, if the redundancy position is genuine, rather than a cost cutting exercise.

HMRC would ask why you were not just transferred to the Singapore branch rather than being made redundant as this would suit you and the employer, and this is where care has to be taken. If, however your leaving the UK company through redundancy is genuine, and you secure the Singapore position without any input or arrangement from the UK company, then you should be permitted to keep your redundancy money. However, the tax free element, only applies to statutory redundancy, if any of your payment is made up of salary, holiday pay, bonuses, pay in lieu, then these elements will remain liable to tax.

Now onto the employment abroad, unless you are awarded an employment contract that will at last at least a full tax year (so if you went before 05/04/2011 then you would haver to have an employment contract that lasted until at least passed 05/04/2012) and that having secured that contract that lasts at least a full tax year, that your visits back to the UK do not exceed an average of more than 90 days each tax year, then you will be treated as not resident and can have this money free of UK tax.

But if this position is just for the 8 months, then you will remain UK resident and liable to UK tax on this income, as well as any other income earned during the tax year.

If you suffer local taxes, then you can claim credit against your UK liability, as you will not have to suffer tax on the same income twice. This is through the double taxation agreement that we have with Singapore.

Thanks

Sam