Rent from a flat in China or another country, interest from a bank abroad, gains on US shares: whether you pay UK tax on them depends first on whether you're UK tax resident, not on where the money is.
Resident or not makes a big difference
UK residents normally pay UK tax on all their income, from the UK and abroad.
Non-residents only pay UK tax on their UK income, not on foreign income.
How to tell if you're UK resident
The UK uses the Statutory Residence Test, applied separately to each tax year.
You're automatically resident if, for example:
you spent 183 days or more in the UK in the tax year, or
your only home was in the UK for at least 91 days in a row, and you stayed there for at least 30 days.
You're automatically non-resident if, for example:
you spent fewer than 16 days in the UK, or fewer than 46 days if you weren't UK resident in any of the previous 3 tax years, or
you worked abroad full-time (averaging at least 35 hours a week) and spent fewer than 91 days in the UK.
If neither applies, it depends on your ties to the UK, such as family, accommodation and work. This gets complicated, so check with the GOV.UK tool.
Since April 2025: no more non-dom status or remittance basis
From 6 April 2025, the non-dom rules and the remittance basis were abolished. Older advice online, including many Xiaohongshu posts, that "it's not taxed in the UK if you don't bring the money here" no longer applies.
New arrivals: the 4-year foreign income and gains (FIG) regime
Who can use it: you're in one of your first 4 tax years of UK residence, after at least 10 consecutive tax years of not being UK resident.
What it covers: foreign income and gains arising on or after 6 April 2025 can be relieved from UK tax.
How: you must claim it on your Self Assessment return every year you want it, and still report the foreign income.
The cost: in a year you claim, you lose your Personal Allowance and your Capital Gains Tax annual exempt amount.
Readers ask: are US share gains taxed when I sell, or when I bring the money to the UK?
With the remittance basis gone, a UK resident's gains on shares usually arise when you sell, whether or not the money comes to the UK, unless you qualify for and claim the 4-year regime above.
Taxed in both countries?
You can usually claim Foreign Tax Credit Relief on your tax return.
How much you get depends on the UK's double taxation agreement with that country.
For some income you can apply for relief in the other country first, usually with that tax authority's form or a UK certificate of residence.
Common situations
Renting out property in China or another country: UK residents usually report this in the UK, separately from UK property. See the rental income guide.
Interest from a bank abroad: this is income too. See the savings interest guide for how UK allowances work.
HMRC can look back further for foreign income: if Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax was underpaid on offshore income or assets, and it wasn't deliberate, HMRC can go back up to 12 years (for 2015 to 2016 onwards). If it was deliberate, it's 20 years. See the guide to HMRC check letters.
Next steps
Record how many days you spend in the UK each tax year.
Work out whether you're resident. If you've just arrived, see whether the 4-year regime applies.
Keep records of your foreign income and any foreign tax paid.
Sources checked: 1 October 2026 · Tax year: 2026 to 2027 · Sources are official GOV.UK pages.
This is general information, not tax advice for your situation. How it applies depends on your full circumstances.