Notts

If your income is above $88,000 as an individual or $176,000 as a family then if you don't have health insurance then on top of the Medicare Levy you pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge at 1%, 1.25% or 1.5%, depending on income.

We have a problem with our hot water. It is a Rheem electric water heater/tank at mains pressure. Sometimes when we turn the hot water tap on (any one in the house) the pressure drops off quickly to a trickle - other times it is fine. When the pressure is low, turning the cold water on and off rapidly results in a noise from a valve near the Rheem and a return to full pressure. The problem is more likely to occur after the washing machine has been used - the rapid on/off of the cold water at the start of the cycle results in a 'clang' from a valve. We've had two plumbers look at it - one suggested a problem with the duo valve at the tank's inlet and the other a problem with the pressure limiting valve at the outlet. The second one couldn't explain why turning the cold tap on and off rapidly made a difference. Neither had seen the same problem before. Any suggestions from any experienced plumbers out there?

The ATO's summary of the foreign exchange rules is https://www.ato.gov.au/Business/International-tax-for-businesses/In-detail/In-detail/Overview/Foreign-exchange-(forex)--overview/. There is a profit (or loss) involved where exchange rates move, as your asset is worth more or less than it was before. Of course under a self-assessment regime taxpayers are required to declare all taxable income - it is not about the ATO going looking for gains. They can ask for more information if your return is audited/they suspect something.

The first question is which visa are you on? If it is a temporary visa then you are likely to be exempt from tax on overseas income. Assuming that is not the case: - Yes, gains due to movements in exchange rates are assessable for tax. It is possible to elect for bank accounts holding up to $250,000 (in total) to be exempt. Search the ATO website for the relevant rules. - Liability for capital gains tax arises on the sale, so if you sell before moving then Australian CGT isn't an issue. (The gain won't attract UK CGT as it will be covered by the Principle Private Residence Relief) - Regarding the investment property, yes you will need to consider Australian CGT when you sell it. Currently you wouldn't have to pay UK CGT as non-residents, but this is due to change from the 2015/6 tax year.

There is a distinction between tax residency and temporary/permanent residency for immigration purposes. Holders of temporary visas may be tax resident in Australia - see https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Income-and-deductions/How-much-income-tax-you-pay/Are-you-an-Australian-resident-for-tax-purposes-/ for an introduction to tax residency - but most are covered by an exemption from the requirement to pay tax on foreign income - https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/International-tax-for-individuals/In-detail/Foreign-income-of-Australian-residents/Foreign-income-exemption-for-temporary-residents---introduction/. (For example people in a relationship with an Australian citizen or PR do not benefit from this exemption as they are defined as residents under the Social Security Act 1991).

The income will be taxable in Australia, but you will get a credit for the tax you have already paid so you don't pay two lots of tax.

There are generally exemptions from the liquid rules when travelling with a baby, for example http://travelsecure.infrastructure.gov.au/international/lags/exemptions.aspx.

The general rule for employment income is that it is assessable when received, regardless of when it was earned. For example, bonuses paid in August 2014 in respect if the year to 30 June 2014 are taxable in the year to 30 June 2015. This would suggest that any payment received once you are tax resident in Australia should be included in your return. What visa are you on? Most temporary visa holders are exempt from paying tax on overseas income.

From your own post: Isn't that clearly saying you can't submit using the free online service if you are non-resident?

The HMRC online system is good, but you can't submit a non-resident return using it - you need to pay for one of the commercial packages to get access to the residence supplementary pages.

Correct. Overseas income whilst a tax resident of Australia is assessable in Australia (unless you are on some temporary visas), but not income earned before then.

You have to use the Aus tax year for all entries in your Aus tax return.

As the tax years and rules for tax residence differ between countries, it is possible to be tax resident in more than one country for the same period of time. Regardless of that, British citizens (and some others) are entitled to a UK personal allowance each year, even if they do not live in the UK. This may change in the future, as the UK Government is currently looking at a number of issues relating to non-residents.

That is usually referred to as the subclass, not the number.

No. Moving money between the two countries does not normally give rise to a tax liability. Did you sell the house before you moved, and then brought the money over? If so there is no Capital Gains Tax as any capital gain was before you moved over. Depending in your visa (temporary or permanent), there is a possibility of a Capital Gains Tax liability if you sold after you moved, but given short time frame it is not likely to be much.

Only temporary visa holders can get it back after they leave, and it is subject to withholding tax of 35%

I think what Westley meant was if you are not committed in the sense you could apply for a different visa, then there might be better options than ENS available to you (perhaps a partner visa?).

You can't (legally).

What visa are you on? If you are on a temporary visa such as a 457, then there is a concession whereby your overseas income is not subject to Australian tax. If it is assessable, then the net income is taxed at normal rates. Not mentioning it in your tax return when you are required to would be illegal. You would also be required to pay UK tax if the income was above the personal allowance (which is available to non-resident UK citizens, at least for now). Regarding selling the property, you may be liable for Australian capital gains tax (CGT). Again if you are on a temp visa this isn't applicable. Otherwise you would need to consider the change in value in AUD since you became tax resident in Australia. Do you have a property in Australia? If not, then selling your UK property lass than six years after moving means that you are probably exempt from Australian CGT. Non-residents don't currently pay UK CGT, but this might be about to change.

How old are you? What visa do you hold? If you have a temporary visa, you may be able to claim a 'Departing Australia Super Payment' ('DASP') once you have left and your visa has ended/been cancelled. Any payment will be subject to a tax charge, normally 35%. If you have PR or are a citizen then this option is not available to you. If you have reached the age at which you can access your super funds in Australia, then you can take the money with you. Your post suggests this isn't the case. In which case there is no legal way of taking the funds with you (i.e., there is no equivalent of the QROPS rules you will have used to bring your UK pension fund to Australia with you).

If you pay tax under PAYE. on wages/pensions, then the amounts deducted each month assume you will be paid evenly through the year. If you leave during the year, you still get the whole personal allowance, but obviously no more income after you leave. Therefore you will have paid too much tax on your income, and you should be able to get the rest back. I think the form is P85 - Google for the HMRC page on leaving the UK for all the details.

According to the information published by the UK government https://www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/inheritance-tax-when-someone-living-outside-the-uk-dies, your super and other assets in Australia will not attract IHT. Your share of the UK property would. This assumes that you have not been tax resident in the UK since you moved to Sydney. On your point 3, owning an investment property in the UK does not affect your status as a non-resident/non-domiciled individual.

Can you provide a link to an official site that confirms this ? The ATO site is clear that only holders of temporary visas can reclaim their super payments. It is always a 'friend of a friend' that claims to have got their money back after having PR.

Although a PR visa allows you to live in Aus permanently, it also has a travel component which only allows you to enter Aus within a certain time - usually 5 years from grant. You will need to look into whether you qualify for a returning resident visa. If not, you would need to make a new application.

You have to have appropriate cover in place for the whole year to avoid the Levy - it is not pro-rata. (That's why the health funds are all stressing the 30 June in their ads at the moment.) If you do try and get everything sorted in the next 10 days, make sure you get a Lifetime Health Cover letter from the Medicare office, as the health fund will need to it so they don't apply the LHC loading (assuming you are over 31).