Moving to UK. General Advice/Help

Frankieboy

Moving to Wales in the next month or so, not as exciting as some of the other moves mentioned on this board but anyways.

I will be moving to Swansea sometime in September, for work. I tried looking for some websites that might offer advice to people moving there but mostly just companies selling VISA services etc. I just have few things I'm unsure about such as:

Accommodation ( Charges such as council tax, how much and stuff, other charges etc, I could be expected to pay)
Bank Account (Heard it can be difficult getting one, what if I had statements from BOI, current account/credit card, would it help)
National Insurance Number (Think I have to go for interview to get full one, but will be issued with temp one.)

That's all I can think of at the moment but if anyone could help or suggest things I have forgot that they experienced when they moved or know of someone else, that would be great. Thanks guys and gals

kittex

See here re NI:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055175508&highlight=national+insurance

To get a bank account, you need at least 2 utility bills, plus a NI number and proof of address. They act like it's some sort of luxury here rather than something you need!
It is easier to get the HSBC Passport account to be honest, a small charge, but you can get it quickly.
https://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/personal/current-accounts/passport;jsessionid=0000YPTNisUNqY6fLneT-Fz82LI:12c58nn8e?WT.ac=HBEU_TouchClarityHPc_passpstamp5


Council tax varies greatly depending on where you are going. There are Bands, (A, B, C mainly) and this can vary from between 60 a month to 180 a month, with Scotland being especially expensive for Council Tax.
Google the local council for the area you are going to and find the council tax rates on their site.

Income tax is quite high, as there is both PAYE and National Insurance (like PRSI but less useful to be honest) to pay. The employer contribution for NI is virtually nothing, so you pay the bulk.
On a £25K salary, £2,100 ish a month, you'll lose almost £500 in deductions.

Frankieboy

Thanks for that.

Ya I have found a online tax calculator so thats gives me a rough idea as to how much I will get. Just had a quick look at the council tax bands there a quite an amount, you wouldn't want to forget to include them in your decision making.

Don't suppose there is anything else you would like to point out? Something I may need to know and plan for?

robinph

kittex wrote: »

Income tax is quite high, as there is both PAYE and National Insurance (like PRSI but less useful to be honest) to pay. The employer contribution for NI is virtually nothing, so you pay the bulk.
On a £25K salary, £2,100 ish a month, you'll lose almost £500 in deductions.

Unless things have changed drastically since I left the PAYE tax is quite a bit less in the UK than Ireland for the same salary. I've not decoded all the allowances etc for each set of tax but the 20% band in the UK is for up to £36,000 whereas the Irish equivalent is only for €34,000 and that is about €12,000 difference before the 40% band kick in. The Irish rates have come down quite a bit in the last ten years though so a lot of the numbers are more in line with each other, although there are additional taxes to be paid after you've got the cash in your pocket but as said they can vary wildly between regions.

Also in my experience you get far more value from the NI payments than you do for the PRSI. You never pay for GP visits, fixed fee for prescriptions (would actually be completely free in my case in the UK), don't pay for hospital visits, I think NHS dentists may be tricky to find or no longer exist though. I think all that I've got from the PRSI payments in Ireland was €60 (?) towards a pair of glasses.

However, your previous PRSI payments and NI payments do carry over between the two countries as credits towards dole/ pension payments or whatever else where there may be some limits on how long you've been working before they will pay out to you.

kittex

robinph wrote: »

Also in my experience you get far more value from the NI payments than you do for the PRSI. You never pay for GP visits, fixed fee for prescriptions (would actually be completely free in my case in the UK), don't pay for hospital visits, I think NHS dentists may be tricky to find or no longer exist though. I think all that I've got from the PRSI payments in Ireland was €60 (?) towards a pair of glasses.

However, your previous PRSI payments and NI payments do carry over between the two countries as credits towards dole/ pension payments or whatever else where there may be some limits on how long you've been working before they will pay out to you.

You get the NHS benefit regardless of whether you've ever contributed to NI or not. So it's rather pintless in many people's views, as workers who contribute, get the same as those who do not. You cannot trade in contributions for anything, you have no control.

There is no build up towards dole/incapacity payments in the UK. It's a flat rate now, although some people, if they ahve never, ever worked, are denied some benefits now. But only for 6 months I think, they can't deny them forever.
The only time it make a difference whether you've worked or not is when it comes to your state pension. The more you work the more you get, but even then they cap it and you can only get so much.

And there are plenty of NHS dentists in many areas. The BBC reporting is fairly slanted on that topic.

ibh

If you're moving to Swansea you'll have to get down to see the Swans playing. They are a quality football team that i've been following for a few years now. Or if you're into Rugby, they're crazy about it in South Wales.

How come you're moving to Swansea?? My mate's from there and he said that job prospects are limited??

I work in Northern Ireland and the tax on income can be a bit crippling, so make sure you are aware of what your net pay will actually be..

Frankieboy

ibh wrote: »

If you're moving to Swansea you'll have to get down to see the Swans playing. They are a quality football team that i've been following for a few years now. Or if you're into Rugby, they're crazy about it in South Wales.

How come you're moving to Swansea?? My mate's from there and he said that job prospects are limited??

I work in Northern Ireland and the tax on income can be a bit crippling, so make sure you are aware of what your net pay will actually be..

Well actually a job is probably the only thing I don't have to worry about. It's confirmed that I'm starting on the 1st, so will be heading over around 26/27th and hopefully find something within a few days. I suppose it's advisable to set up an NI number as soon as possible? Also they are looking for proof that I can work in UK, I presume my Irish passport will be enough, what else could I need? By the way thanks for the help so far.

Vokes

Yeh, your Irish passport is all the proof you need of being able to work there.

Perhaps your new employer can give you a letter which states your position of employment? This can help you open a bank account and also when applying for accomodation.

Was esp useful for me when getting my first place to live in the UK, as i had no previous UK residence.

davsmi

Hi, I'm moving to Swansea in April, but I'll still be paid by my current employer as I'll be back to my job in Ireland after a year. Would I still be paying PAYE, PRSI, Income levy, PRD?
WOuld I be better off getting paid by the company in Swansea or my current one in Ireland?

If I'm still paid by my employer in Ireland, are GP and hospital fees in UK covered or would I have to get health insurance in UK (does that even exist)?


Can someone give me some advice please?
Thank you,
Dav