We’ll sort your Seafarers Tax return for just £210

Since this is your first Self-Assessment Tax Return, there are a few essential extra steps you’ll need to take straight away:

Step 1. Set up your Personal Tax Account (PTA)

This is your secure HMRC account where you’ll access your tax records. It will take around 10 minute to set up.

Step 2. Apply for or provide your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR)

We’ll apply for your UTR once you complete your registration form. Once it’s issued, it will appear in your Personal Tax Account and arrive by post.

But don’t worry about any of this yet, we’ll send reminders via email and WhatsApp to help you stay on track with these steps. You can always contact us if you’re unsure about anything

These tasks are one-time jobs so once you’ve completed them future tax years will be much simpler.

For first-time customers, the full process can take 6–7 weeks. Most of that is waiting for HMRC to send letters to your registered address. For returning customers, it’s much quicker.

First time customers

If this is your first time claiming, here’s how it works:

Set up a Personal Tax Account
You’ll need to register with HMRC online to manage your tax account – 10 minutes.

Apply for a UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) Number
This typically takes 2–3 weeks to arrive by post.

Authorise us to become your tax agent
Once we have your UTR, we’ll apply to become your authorised tax agent. HMRC will send a code to your registered address, which can take up to 4 weeks.

Get everything ready while you wait
While we wait for the authorisation code, you can send us your earnings and travel dates via our online forms, so we’re ready to go.

Submit your tax return
As soon as we’re authorised, everything’s in order and you’ve approved our calculations, we’ll submit your return.

Returning customers

If you’ve used Flying Fish before, things are much faster. Just send us your latest earnings and travel history, and we can get started right away and there is no need to repeat the setup steps.

Put simply, a Seafarer is somebody who is employed to work on a seagoing ship.

Seafarers Earnings Deduction (SED) is a tax relief available to individuals who work on board a ship outside the UK, as long as they meet certain conditions.

The three basic rules to be eligible for SED are:

1. Worked on a ship
2. Worked outside the UK for the qualifying period, usually 365 days.
3. Are a UK resident

In addition to the three rules, there are some other coniderations to qualifying for SED

• You have at least one voyage that begins and ends at a foreign port, in each qualifying period
• You  cannot spend 183 or more continuous day in the UK.

Do I qualify for SED?

When you are signed up to our Seafarers Tax Service, we can assess if you meet the requirements for the Seafarers Earnings Deduction Scheme (SED). We will submit your SED claim (if eligible) along with your annual return, giving you peace of mind that it is done correctly.

If you are working on a Superyacht, Cruise ship or any commercial vessel and you comply with the Seafarers Earning Deduction scheme mentioned above, then you probably won’t need to start paying off your Student loan.

If you have a Student Loan then please click her for more information.

Yes.

Whatever role you undertake on board a Superyacht – whether that’s a Deckhand, Stewardess, or Captain you will need to complete a Self Assessment Tax Return each year. 

But why?

Seafarers are paid a  Gross Salary. Gross means no deductions are taken from your salary (Tax or National Insurance).

If deductions are not taken at source, you are legally required to declare your earnings to HMRC each tax year via a Self-Assessment Tax Return.

But I thought my Salary was tax-free.

Maybe. 

As long as you comply with what’s called the Seafarers’ Earnings Deduction Scheme, or SED for short. This is a part of Tax law that applies to Seafarers.

You still need to submit a Self Assessment Tax Return each year but will not need to pay tax on these earnings.

If you are working on a Superyacht, Ship, or Cruise Ship then get in touch or simply sign up and Flying Fish will take care of the rest.

The time limit for submitting a tax return 31st January following the previous 5th April, which gives you nine months to complete and submit the return.

For example, the tax year running 6th April 2022 – 5th April 2023, is due to be submitted by 31st January 2024. It is best to complete your tax return sooner rather than later, as it allows us time to register as your agent, gather the information and prepare your return.

If you work on board a cruise ship, are employed by the vessel, and are a resident of the UK, you may not need to pay tax on your earnings.

The three basic rules to qualify for SED are that you must have spent more than 186 days outside of the UK during a 365-day period, your qualifying period has at least one voyage that begins and ends at a foreign port, and that you are employed to work on a ship.

You won’t qualify for the deduction if you are a Crown employee (for example, a Royal Navy sailor), not a UK resident, or if you are self-employed.

It’s okay, we are here to help. HMRC are always more favourable to people who come forward and admit this instead of burying their head in the sand.

Our tax service is £210 per tax year. When you sign up we will ascertain which tax year(s) are due and if there is more than one, we will work with you to get overdue returns created and submitted.