UK TAX CONSULT · SINCE 2006
UK Tax Consult with Sebastian
Your UK plan, talked through in one conversation by phone, Zoom or Signal. Afterwards you have a written summary and know what is coming your way in the UK and what to check at home.
AT A GLANCE · NOVEMBER 2026
| For whom | Private clients and business owners from across Europe with a tax question that touches the UK |
| How | Phone, Zoom or Signal, in English or German |
| Afterwards | A written summary with sources and next steps |
| With whom | Sebastian Sauerborn, working on UK tax since 2006 |
Why the UK deserves its own conversation
UK tax looks familiar at first glance and then works differently. The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April, residence is decided by a test of days and ties, and since April 2025 new rules apply to newcomers and to estates. Read it through the lens of your home country's system and you miss exactly the places where it gets expensive.
Sebastian founded St Matthew in London in 2006 and has advised clients from abroad on UK tax ever since. Today we run things from Austin as part of Perspektive Ausland. The conversation is the heart of what we do: one person who knows both sides sorts out your case before you lose money, deadlines or sleep.
For the system itself, see our overview of the UK tax system. This page is about your case.
The questions most people bring us
Recognise yourself in one of these? Then you are in the right place. Each one is a starting point, not a package.
You are moving to the UKWhen do you become UK resident, does split year treatment apply, and can you use the new four-year regime for foreign income and gains? It is open only to people in their first 4 years of UK residence after at least 10 years abroad. Plus: what happens to the pension, portfolio and property you bring with you.
You are leaving the UKHow to become non-resident cleanly, what stays taxable in the UK anyway (rents, UK pensions, certain gains), and how to time the move so there is no gap and no double charge.
Inheritance, gifts, trustsSince 6 April 2025 UK inheritance tax on foreign assets turns on long-term residence, not domicile. Anyone UK resident in 10 of the last 20 tax years counts as long-term resident. We work out what that means for your estate, your gifts and any offshore trust.
UK property, home elsewhereBuying with stamp duty and the non-resident surcharge, letting under the Non-Resident Landlord Scheme, selling with non-resident capital gains tax, holding through a company.
You own a company, or want oneUK company or branch, holding, profit extraction, salary or dividend. For the doing, there is our UK company formation with limited company, VAT, payroll and holding.
You are sending staff to the UKPAYE, social security, postings and shadow payroll: who pays and reports what, and where, when your team works across two countries.
Double tax with your home countryThe treaty between the UK and your country: which state may tax, how the credit works and which forms you need. The principles are in our piece on the UK's tax treaties.
The UK and the USUS citizens and green card holders in the UK, UK business owners with plans in America. We cover the UK side; for the US side, see our sister firm Mount Bonnell.
The UK and Malta or IrelandYou are leaving the UK for Malta or Ireland, or weighing a Maltese or Irish structure for a UK business. We cover the UK side: non-resident status, what stays taxable here, and the timing.
Separation with UK assetsIf a house, a portfolio or company shares in the UK are part of a divorce, the tax side needs settling before anyone signs.
The British islandsJersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and the Overseas Territories: residence, tax, companies and bank accounts. Moving to an island is a decision of its own, and we walk through it with you.
How the consult runs
No travel, no hold music. You talk to Sebastian in the way that suits you.
- 1
1. Enquiry
Send us two or three sentences about your situation through the form below. We tell you whether a consult is the right route or whether you need a product straight away, such as a company formation.
- 2
2. Questionnaire
You receive our questionnaire on residence history, income, assets and timing. Add what you already have: tax assessments, contracts, statements.
- 3
3. Conversation
By phone, Zoom or Signal. We go through your case, options included, and note what is still open.
- 4
4. Summary
You get the results in writing: position, rules, risks, next steps, sources.
What you have in hand afterwards
Advice that lives only in your memory is good for about three weeks. So after the conversation you get a written summary. It sets out your starting point, names the rules that apply to you with their official sources, and ranks the next steps by urgency. You can pass it to your adviser at home or your bank.
An everyday example: if you live abroad and let your UK flat, you fall under the Non-Resident Landlord Scheme. A tenant paying more than £100 a week to a landlord abroad must deduct tax unless HMRC has approved otherwise. The summary tells you how to apply to receive rent gross and which return you still file. More in our piece on the Non-Resident Landlord Scheme.
A second one: a non-resident buying a home in England pays stamp duty with a 2 percentage point surcharge over residents. Whether you can reclaim it if you later become UK resident is in the summary too, with the deadline.
Sebastian Sauerborn
Founder of St Matthew, working on UK tax since 2006
Sebastian founded St Matthew in London in 2006, moved to the United States in 2008 and has lived in Texas since 2011, with a spell back in Britain in between. For twenty years he has taken business owners, families and newcomers through UK tax, from the first payroll run to succession.
He is the right call when your question has an international side: two countries, two tax systems, one life.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can we meet in person?
No. We advise by phone, Zoom or Signal. That saves you the journey, and the quality of the conversation does not depend on the room.
I live in another European country. Does that work?
Yes. We cover the UK side and point out where your home country's law and its treaty with the UK come in. For the return at home you will also need an adviser there.
What if it turns out I need a product?
Then we say so. Company formation, VAT, payroll and holding each have their own product, and we name the right one after the conversation.
How quickly can I get a slot?
That depends on the diary. Tell us briefly what it is about and whether a deadline is looming, and we will come back with times.