hi,
I don't know if i'm posting in the right forum...

I'm living in scotland but i'm not british, i arrived 8 month ago, and i would like to know if some reg pro declare their incomes to the HMRC ?

I know it is tax free, but i also know i have to do this to get NHS for example, so how i proceed to do it ? In Edinburgh, there is apparently no office to meet people to do this step by step...

There is no such thing as professional sports gambling in the UK unless you are registered bookie or betting company. Betting tax is paid either when you make a bet (upfront), or it is taken off your winnings, if you don't pay when you make the bet (which obviously everybody does).

As far as casinos and online poker is concerned it is part of the rake and/or licensing regime and paid for by the hosting company (if they are registered in the UK).

So it's great to gamble here from a tax point of view. Don't matter how much you win, you pay no tax as long as it is defined as sports gambling.

stocks and share and the like...different matter...classed as investment and tax has to be paid.

Edited ...just checked as it is a serious question to make sure my view is till valid and find that all betting tax was removed in 2001. There are still some tax regimes for onshore and offshore gambling, but as far as punters (including BM and online poker players) are concerned there is no income tax liability whatever you win

Of course, if you still have a tax liability in your home country, different rules might apply to you.

PS I live in dundee

Further, your English is not great, but if you are inferring that you need to declare poker as your source of income to get NHS treatment, you've got no chance. It cuts both ways...there is no such thing as a gambling professional in the UK.

If you need to, get part time minimum wage job to give yourself a credible source of income.

er, they changed this years ago?

er, read the whole post

I don't believe that's the case. (I'm in England.)

As long as you can demonstrate (if asked) that you're settled here legally (either as a UK national, or someone holding proper paperwork) your payment or non payment of Income Tax would not be an issue should you need NHS treatment.

Basically, you either get it free, because you're settled here, or you pay for it because you're not settled here. Your income tax record is a non-issue.

YMMV, I'm not a lawyer, other advice services are available, blah, blah, $0.02 etc

And again, unless things have changed radically and I wasn't paying attention, there's no income tax on poker winnings. Professional gamblers and prostitutes - two trades the taxman resolutely refuses to recognise in the UK.

Definitely no income tax on poker winnings - and nowhere on the income tax form.

The rest depends on where you came from before that.

Im from France, but i think i will meet an accountant

Yea because if you allowed gambling winnings to be taxed you'd have to allow gambling losses and thats just so messy

I always thought that, in the UK, if anything was defined as being your primary source of income (whatever that may be) it is taxable and you must declare it to pay income tax. This is what I have always thought, I am not a lawyer or a professional UK-based poker player so I would look this up.

Nope, gambling is tax free. Doesn't matter if you earn £500k or 50p theres no tax to pay on it at all

done it for you

Have it from the horses mouth (no pun intended)

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/bimmanual/bim22017.htm

Incidentally, as this is established by UK Case Law (Green versus Green 1925) it will take an Act of Parliament to change it. Which means it is not left to the whimsy of HMRC to change the interpretation. Some times the good ol UK ain't so bad. Of course if Scotland ***** off in September, they will be able to make up any laws they want (including banning online poker...I'll have to move

I think OP may have slightly confused the way National Insurance works.
In order to qualify for the NHS and other benefits, OP needs to buy National Insurance. here's the govt advice on how to do it: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ni/volcontr/whentop-up.htm

Just to confirm, poker income is not taxable in the UK.

Except that NHS treatment is not a 'contributory benefit'.
It simply isn't true that someone needs to 'buy National Insurance' to get it.

In other words, what you receive has no bearing on what you've 'paid in' (unlike pensions and many other benefits which depend very much on your contribution record - which is what the page you linked to is talking about - and why those with 'gaps' in their record are given every opportunity to close that gap by making voluntary payments.)

Entitlement to NHS treatment is a case of residency. If you're living here legally - either as a UK resident or a visitor with appropriate visa status - you gets your treatment. If not, you might still get your treatment but expect to be chased for payment afterwards. (Depends on how much of an emergency it is.)

I know that Scotland has a different legal system to those of us south of the border, and their NHS has a separate management structure but I don't believe this basic principle of entitlement if you live here is any different.

Of course, if the Scots go indie or the Tories win another general election who knows what the freak will happen but right now, them's the rules as I understand them.

not expert. I have studied relocation fairly deep as it was a possible road for me.

As a general rule (my understanding that is -- I checked things regarding my own case only) a person has to officially give notice to tax man in his home country that he is re-locating to another country.

I recommend on checking this out to avoid a nasty surprise later..

Just to clarify, I'm talking specifically about entitlement to NHS treatment (because that was mentioned in OP's first post). I wouldn't dream of trying to advise anyone on general tax matters or what they need to inform their local authorities about before moving to UK (or anywhere else).

Talk of 'buying National Insurance' is just plain wrong and suggests someone doesn't understand how that part of our system operates.

You don't 'buy' National Insurance, you 'pay' it. For an employee, it's a deduction from salary, or in the case of the self employed, a further tax on profits. Employers are also required to pay it (in effect, a tax on jobs). For all practical purposes it's part of general taxation. Those paying it are contributing to general government revenues. They are most definitely NOT 'buying' an insurance policy, with a named beneficiary (in contrast to the way you might, for example, buy travel insurance, or property insurance). That said, someone's payment record DOES have an impact on certain benefits they might be entitled to. NHS treatment isn't one of them.

Just saying.

No nothing in Uk or Scotland(that's where I am)

Everyone who resides in the UK is entitled to a Nat Ins No are they not?

If they have the right to work in the UK

sorry for the OT, but do you play in the Dundee Casino too?

Congratulations for lasting more than 8months in scottish while being non scottish

This ahould be in the brags beats and variance section of the forum

Unsure if thats a brag or beat tho bro

Actually Edinburgh is a very nice city, i like this place, less the scottish people... lol

I don't understand something :
You explain self employed, employees, employers, actually, every one pay a contribution to the NHS, but the poker players pay nothing ? That's strange, juste because poker is tax free so NHS is free too ? That's free because i'm living in Scotland, the only tax i pay is the council tax, that's quite expensive compare to France but if that's include NHS, that's a good deal !

I think to get NHS you need a national insurance number, and they don't just give you one because you come to live here.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number

Here is info on using NHS as a foreigner

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNH...-services.aspx

Tax free winnings in the uk not because u could deduct loses, there being no such thing but they look ahead for years where other countries look ahead for one day or a year. Everyone will disagree w that though.

As an eu members one gets urgent medical help w that eu healt card. Getting on ni one needs to register as residence, fill a ni card application, followed by a possible interview. Ni cost some 100 per month maybe, and can be paid voluntarily, as if one doesnt, then the social systems need to pay it with separate application, after ur pretty close of getting kicked out of the country, though being from the eu one can be there infinitely, indefinitely, but not if one cant support oneself, so voluntary ni payments are in order, though u still get kicked out on pension if u cant support yourself.

There is no permanent residence in the uk, poland and romania, for the eu, and even if there would be, to no eu, they might still kick out the non nationals if they cant support themselves. As a tourist one can be infinitely in these places -- in other places year by year or whatever one has as savings and or incomes, or in few cases as reentry visas, so its up to same in practice --if from the eu in the infinite time case, but still one needs to support oneself infinitely, counting out the ni, being the only difference, thats a health insurance only, as the name says.

The nationality needs one to pay taxes (and learn the language) and ur nic and garbage taxes, sales taxes, poker rake taxes probably wont cover it, but u could pay for ur own pension, and maybe there are some complicated deals for such but probably not but if even the inflation would not eat ur pension money, that u pay with ur poker winnings taxes u dont pay, then it would be fine, and if u dont get enough pension then to support yourself, u play more or less during pension also, or they probably kick u out, then u can pick a cheaper country for pension, something where no poker allowed is also possible, but if going in bulgaria, albania or so, eu, though albania non eu and regulation possible coming but thats that times problem so many eastern europe countries to move in, would be way cheaper to start there in the first place. On pension there are a lot more countries to pick from.

haven't read the entire thread so you might of already gotten the response you are looking for, but no you dont declare your income as a poker pro, its not taxed and your pretty much invisible (or atleast this was my experience), I personally didnt pay my national insurance which i think you need to do so id look into that.