Moving to the UK 2026: Tax, NI and Money Setup

Moving to the UK comes with a burst of money admin. Get the essentials in the right order and the rest is much easier. This guide walks through the setup - right to work, National Insurance, tax residence and your first pay - and links to the detail.

Step 1: Prove your right to work

Before any UK employer can take you on, they must check that you are allowed to work here.

• UK and Irish citizens use a passport.
• Everyone else proves it with a share code from the government's 'view and prove your right to work' service, or with eligible immigration documents. An employer cannot refuse a valid method.

Step 2: Get a National Insurance number

You need a National Insurance (NI) number so your tax and NI are recorded correctly and to build up entitlement to benefits and the State Pension. Apply once you are in the UK with the right to work. You can usually start a job before it arrives, as long as you can prove your right to work. See the National Insurance number guide.

Step 3: Understand your UK tax residence

Whether the UK taxes your worldwide income or only your UK income depends on your tax residence, decided by the Statutory Residence Test (SRT) - broadly, how many days you spend here and your ties to the UK. This matters most in your first year, when you may be part-year resident. See the UK tax residence (SRT) guide.

Step 4: Sort your first job and tax code

When you start your first UK job:

• you may be put on an emergency tax code until HMRC has your details, which can mean paying too much tax at first - this is refundable once your code is corrected;
• make sure your employer has your NI number and a completed starter checklist;
• workers aged 21 and over must be paid at least the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour in 2026/27.

Finding work? See the step-by-step guide to finding a job in the UK.

Step 5: Check your take-home pay

UK payslips deduct Income Tax, National Insurance and often a pension. To know what a salary actually leaves you with:

• run any offer through the take-home pay calculator;
• compare typical pay for your role on the professions salary pages.

What else to set up

• A UK bank account - most employers pay into one, and some accounts are designed for new arrivals.
• Register with a GP for healthcare, and sort any visa healthcare surcharge that applied to your entry.
• Check what you can claim - some support depends on your immigration status, so see the benefits guide once settled.

The bottom line

Right to work, NI number, tax residence, correct tax code, and a bank account - get those five in order and you are set up to work and be paid correctly in the UK.