goingbacksoon

Yes AA it is good to know that there are others out there going through the same roller coaster ride!! Garage sale went pretty well this weekend - some people bought lots, some not so much. Still have a few items to go that I advertised online and will be picked up this week (hopefully!). I'm having a new oven, hob and hood put in this week to smarten up the kitchen. Soooo many things to do and really busy this time of year at work (I'm a high school teacher).

On last night's news they reported that Australia ranks 61st in world retirement income!! Here is the link to the website: http://www.cota.org.au/australia/news/newslist/2014/australia-ranked-61st-in-the-world-on-retirement-incomes.aspx.

Congratulations on setting a date. This made me feel eeeekkkk - only 17 weeks to go!!! I am working to the same time frame as you (late Jan/early Feb), but am trying to decide when to put my house on the market. I think I had better get a wriggle on !!! We are having a big clean out / garage sale this weekend, so feeling a little bit more organised.

I agree with Seraphim and Echidna - I watch shows like "The Block" and "House Rules" and have a good old chuckle to myself as I sit here waiting (yet again!) for the electrician / builder / plumber to turn up when they are supposed to. Renovating my home has been a very, very frustrating (and expensive) business.

Yes it is a long time and I do wonder sometimes where those years have gone!! Where do I start? The people that know me well have said they are not surprised as they can see how unsettled I've been for quite a few years. There is no one defining reason, and I definitely don't hate Australia and I have had some amazing experiences here. However, the feeling of not being totally at 'home' has grown stronger over the last few years. Every time we come back to Oz it has taken us longer and longer to get settled again. Somehow I just can't see me finishing my days here in Australia. A few years ago my brother, his wife and my niece came for a visit and we had a wonderful time. However they have said that it is just too far for them to come again. I understand how they feel - it it such a long way. I have a great family and am very close to my siblings particularly my younger sister. I still have those forever friends from school and college in the UK. Career wise it makes sense, I have worked in the education and business sectors so have lots of flexibility. I'm really ready for a change and there are lots of opportunities in the UK. In terms of schooling, perfect timing for the younger one, but not so good for the older one! She is confident that she will be fine and has very supportive schools both here and there who are helping with the transition. She is keen to pursue studies in the performing arts / media sector and there are lots more opportunities for her in the UK. I don't want to live my life wishing 'if only'...:daydreaming:

After 29 years moving back to the UK at the beginning of 2015, as soon as house sells I'm off!! Have got six months long service leave and six months unpaid leave for whole of 2015. My eldest daughter is leaving in early December so she can have a couple of weeks of school and then start the term properly on 5 January. We are so ready to go - we were in the UK in April and didn't want to come back. Now even the constant sunshine is getting on our nerves!! I'm so looking forward to being close to my family and being able to experience that sense of tradition, culture and history that unfortunately is just not here in Oz. It is probably not the smartest move financially, however there are some things that are just so much more valuable.

Hi Daisy - good luck with your move. You don't say in your post where you are moving to in Oz and the type of house you will be living in. In the suburbs and regional areas the home here tend to be quite spacious. I am going the other way, back to the UK and culling like mad as I have a five bedroom house all with built in wardrobes. Also some of my furniture is quite large and too big for the style of home I'll be buying in the UK (3 bedroom semi!), however based on experiences on this forum I am still going to take as much as possible to reduce the initial financial shock as much as possible!

Wow thanks Marisa - that is great. I will definitely look into the Citibank option. I will need to keep some funds in Australia when I leave. It is great to have such a wealth of knowledge on this forum. I'm so busy with work, organising schooling, getting the house ready to sell, decluttering, etc etc leaves little time for shopping around for the best deals. Also, thank you for the Pension advice. I will get busy and dig around for all that information. My old UK passport has the dates I arrived in Australia and I have references, tax statements, etc. Lucky I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to paperwork. Do I need letters from people in the UK or Australia? Guess I could split the difference and get one from each country

Hmmmm...agree I will have to check this. Looks like getting some advice from a UK/Oz tax specialist is the way to go. I am going to fly down to Brisbane next week to open a bank account with HSBC, so I will see if I can get some advice while I'm in the big smoke. Does anyone know how to claim NI contributions using the reciprocal agreement with Oz and UK prior to 2001? I have searched the Internet but cannot find exactly how to do this. I have tax returns for many of those years, but not all of them. Has anyone gone through this process and can give me some advice?

Thank you so much - that makes things so much clearer. I will need to change my LSL application at work tomorrow as I thought I was better off getting it in fortnightly instalments, seems that is not the case! I'm sure that one way or another I will be paying lots of tax before I leave

I'm 50 years old and going back to the UK to live permanently. I have superannuation and understand that I can't touch it until it matures when I'm 59. I've been told to wait until I'm 60 so it will be tax free. Not sure if that will still be the case when I am a UK resident - can anyone clarify? What happens when it does mature? Do I cash it in and take the lump sum or use it to generate an income from Oz? I also have a portfolio of shares. I understand that it will be better to sell them before I go and bank the money. My question is WHEN is the best time to do this? I will finish work in January 2015. I hope to sell my house in December/January and also bank that money, so potentially there could be quite a lot of interest to be earned. I am employed in the Education system and I have the option of either going on unpaid leave and/or taking my long service leave. I was thinking of taking unpaid leave from January to April, Long Service Leave (at half pay) from April to September, and unpaid leave from September to December. I can either take the long service leave in fortnightly payments or in one or two lump sums (split across two tax years). Not sure what option to take. I hope to have a few months off and maybe do some contract/relief work in the UK. When do I cease being an Australian resident and become a UK resident for taxation purposes? Lastly, National Insurance - I worked for a few years before coming to Oz. I understand that the reciprocal agreement is no more, however am I able to claim credits for the period I was working in Australia up until 2002? If so, what evidence do I need to show them or is it as simple as giving them my TFN? I would really love some advice on this. It was all so simple when I came here many years ago with a backpack and a bit of cash!! Now it all seems rather complicated...!

What a dilemma! Personally, I would use what savings you have to get on a plane and return back to the UK while you still can. After a certain number of months into your pregnancy airlines will not accept you, so you are going to have a make a quick decision. It sounds as though your ex doesn't want any contact, so should be easy to leave. Nothing beats being around your family when you have a baby and as someone whose been away from their family for a long time, it's tough even when you have some money behind you.

Having taught for over a decade in the Queensland state system, the push for student data is enormous and placing a tremendous strain on teachers and their work load. I am going back to the UK in a few months and realistically don't expect the data gathering to be any different. One thing I am looking forward to is the half term system - Aussie kids usually have 10 week terms and for some of them it is just too much and they need a break.

...and Twiglets!

I am in a similar situation - my daughter is at the end of Year 10 and will start school in the UK in Term 2 in early January. The school she will be attending is near my sister so she is leaving Oz ahead of us just after Christmas. The school has been really supportive of her enrolment and we are picking subjects for her GCSEs that are similar to her Year 10 course work. She currently attends a Catholic School. It will be a lot of work to catch up but I believe she is capable of doing well particular as there is now less focus on coursework. Not an ideal situation, but she is so excited, particularly about attending a sixth form college next September!

I'm also planning on returning to the UK in 2015, probably around April. Lots of factors to consider, i.e. selling house here in Oz and getting a job in the UK. I'm not 100% sure where to settle - most of my family live in Hampshire and my sister is in Surrey. Scary house prices in the south of England, however looks like things may be settling down a little. I don't want to live in a big city, so am going to wait until I get there and have a look around first and rent somewhere for six months or so. Very excited about the move, but also slightly overwhelmed at the amount of hoops to jump through. Silly me let my old British Passport expire many years ago, so currently going through the process of reapplying from scratch. They want so much more information and documentation these days!

4. I have had two children in day care and the answer is 'yes' you will have to pack lunches (and morning / afternoon tea) for day care. A few years ago I did use a day care centre that provided the meals - it was run by the Uniting Church and it was wonderful! Also, unless you send your children to a very expensive private school that have boarders and provide hot lunches, you will be making packed lunches for many, many years to come unless you want to buy your children food from the tuck shop. I am so envious of my family and friends in the UK who just have to pay a few pounds each day for a hot meal.

I know exactly how you feel. Good luck with your move back to the UK. I have made up my mind, but have to wait until 2016 as my daughter is going to finish her Year 12 schooling first. I'm trying to make sure that we spend the next two years enjoying life - it is very difficult when part of me has already left

Medicare contributions will be going up to 2% from 1 July 2014. Also, if you earn over $80,000 and don't take out private health insurance you have to pay an extra surcharge - the details are on the ATO website. I pay about $235 a month for a policy that gives me top hospital plus some extras (physio, dental, etc). Even with this a recent filling cost me about $400, and I'm going to see a specialist in August - the initial appointment is $300 and not covered by my private health policy I recently got new prescription glasses and sunglasses and that only cost me $29