Asked by UK bank to prove UK tax residency

Hi, My UK bank has requested a certificate of tax residence to confirm my UK tax residency status. I am writing to ask how to deal with this request. Here are the details of my situation: 1. I am a Singapore citizen. I worked full time in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa between September 2022 and May 2024, spanning the entire 2023/2024 tax year. 2. After resigning from my job, I moved back to Singapore in June 2024. 3. I will return to the UK in September 2024 to start a Master’s degree. 4. My current stay in Singapore is temporary, as I am here to reunite with family and apply for a UK Tier 4 student visa (application approved). I do not receive income outside of the UK. 5. In the meantime, I have updated my address to Singapore with my UK bank, which asked me to complete a CRS-FATCA form. Following government guidelines and tests to the best of my ability, I self-assessed in the form that I am a UK tax resident. The reason is that I believe I satisfy the requirement "you worked full-time in the UK for any period of 365 days and at least one day of that period was in the tax year you’re checking". As my current country of residence does not match my tax residency, the bank has asked for supporting documentation, "e.g., a certificate of tax residence", to verify my UK tax residency status. Could you please advise on whether I can/should obtain this certificate, or any alternative ways of addressing the bank's request? Would it be fine, perhaps, to just let the form expire? Thank you for your assistance.

Hi,

You can see guidance here:

How to apply for a certificate of residence to claim tax relief abroad

If you qualify, once we receive the appliction, the appropriate certificate will be issued.

Thank you.

Thanks for the answer. A follow up question: One of the questions in the online form is “Which country's tax office needs the certificate?” The answer is unclear to me as it was requested by my bank, HSBC, which has offices in both UK and Singapore. How should I answer this?

Hi,

Based on the information you have provided, the answer would be Singapore. You can see guidance here:                                       

How to apply for a certificate of residence to claim tax relief abroad

Thank you.