I'll surely do, but I still think it's important to know if the OP had to hand out any certificate to solve his/her problem or the DWP just accepted his evidence at face value, because this might affect my own case.

Can I jump in this thread? I'm also interested in this topic. To the OP, Springblue, did you have to order and/or show the permanent residence card or certificate? I'm trying to fill the form myself and it's very difficult to fill. A solicitor has asked me £500 to fill the residence certificate form. Any information will be appreciated.

Can a EU citizen that has been away from the UK for some time claim Working Tax Credits, and if so can he claim from day one? On the Gov.uk site there's only mention of 3 months wait for Child Tax Credits, not Working Tax Credits.

Before you make all these speculations, bear in mind that moving abroad should be a choice of life, not an opportunistic decisions. The culture is different and you might not like it, though you might think that everybody speaks English you should feel at home, but it's not like that. Besides, bureaucracy here is horrific. I have been here 3 weeks and I am still halfway through in my red tape jungle. If it wasn't because I was very motivated I would have probably given up. Banking is not free and health insurance, as I said, starts from €90-100 a month. Renting can be very expensive, unless you share, which, if you're not a student, is virtually impossible. Good luck!

Only if your benefit is contribution-based and the disability has already been assessed in UK. Being Dutch or British citizen makes no difference. Remember that here you have to pay your own health insurance. It is compulsory and it starts from 80 euro a month (the cheapest). Probably if you have a disability it could be even higher. However don't quote me on that . The best site to check the cheapest insurance is: http://www.independer.nl/ Plus a wealth of bureaucracy that would want to make you throw up. Don't rely too much on expat forums. Most British expats in NL stay for a short period and usually paid for by their company in UK, so they tend, with some exception, not to know much about red tape and social welfare. A couple of links for you, one in English: http://southholland.angloinfo.com/information/healthcare/people-with-disabilities/ and the official one in Dutch: http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/algemene-wet-bijzondere-ziektekosten-awbz

I was just trying to help and not looking for a confrontation. I am sure the OP can think with his/her own mind and choose what's best. I was just saying that Linux Mint is quite user friendly and we've used it at one of my previous office jobs. Most users had never used Linux and couldn't even tell the difference. I am not a Linux fan, at home I use Windows 8 and Freebsd, I wouldn't recommend the latter to a newbie. With regards to self built, bear in mind that computer factories have tools that the average user hasn't. I worked in a computer assembly factory 15 years ago. The PCs needed to pass a double 'burning' test of 72 hours each. You can't even imagine how many PCs had to be sent back despite being built by professionals.

and This is exactly the kind of patronizing and condescending attitude that made me want to leave the UK for good. Thanks for reminding me I've done the right thing.

Here in Netherlands banking is not cheap. Forget having an account with free Visa Debit! Here I have to pay €25 a year just for the privilege of having an account, if I need a credit card that's another €20 a year plus commissions. I am thinking of opening a second bank account in a neighboring country (Germany or Luxembourg) that offers me a so called VISA Cyber Card, like this: http://www.ing.lu/web/ING/EN/Personal/Loan/Creditcards/PAYER_CYBERCARD_EN Has anybody got any experience of this card? Am I better off paying €20 and get a real credit card? I've never had a credit card in my life, only debit cards? Is it true that you don't pay interest if you repay within the end of the month? Sorry for the dumb question.

You're all making your life too difficult. You can buy a ready assembled decent desktop from Novatech at £229 (free shipping if you're ok with waiting 3-4 days) and no OS. OS= Linux Mint Word Processor=Openoffice that's it.

No, with Halifax you can't. If you call Customer Service you need to input your account number. They don't give pre sales information. EDIT: However I've found this: http://international.lloydsbank.com/guidance/?WT.ac=HFX_LP_MA I'll give them a call, but it looks like Lloyds would only accept international banking for deposits of over £25k a year.

I am afraid to call customer service and ask, in case they block my account.

Hello, I have now officially moved abroad and no longer resident for tax purposes. I have left a correspondence address in the UK at a friend's because the customer service officer at the branch told me they couldn't keep my account alive if I had a foreign address. My friend, for his own reasons, is not very happy with receiving mail for me and is a bit paranoid about possible consequences for him. You will be probably aware that Halifax gives often incorrect advise both in person and by telephone, so I wonder if anybody has a clue on how to move from here. I will probably receive a couple of letters a year and in 3 years I will receive new ATM and credit cards, so this could be a problem. I would like to keep this account alive as I still do online shopping from the UK. Any help will be appreciated.

I don't know where you live but if you can, buy from a computer fair. I have always had the best deals in computer fairs.

Try the online benefit calculator, I am not allowed to post link but put this into Google: "DWP benefit adviser" or maybe some good soul can do this for me.

Thanks. Good question! No, I haven't phoned yet for two reasons: 1) because I don't have a line yet (it will happen very soon) and 2) because I am still waiting to see what my friend can or wants to do. So this was a bit of speculative question to stay on the safe side.

Hello, my third post related to my other two threads (cannot post links yet). The HMRC has awarded me a recalculation of PAYE tax for the previous years and has sent a cheque to a "care of" address, despite me having requested many times for the money to be paid into my account and despite them knowing that I was going abroad ( I am abroad now and not planning to come back). My friend for some reasons that I can't explain is reluctant to go to the bank and pay into my account. I wonder if there is a way to ask the HMRC to somewhat void that cheque and pay into my account. If my friend cannot or won't deposit it for me, I can't see how I can get this money. Thank you for your time.

I try to answer my own question, in case anybody is my same situation. On the WTC award letter it says: "You must tell us about the following changes within a month". On their website (cannot post link but google 'tax credits changes') there's no mention of a time limit but and: So I think I should be ok. I am sorry, maybe I should have done a bit of homework.

Thanks

Thanks HB. I have used the "care of" only for the PAYE section of the HMRC. Apparently the Tax Credit department has a mind of its own and don't accept the care of address. If I had given my friend's address, to the purpose of WTC I would have lived with him, or so I was told by the person at the helpline.

Ok, thank you everybody. Fingers crossed! I will update if there are any bad news.

Hello, I apologize for the dumb question but I need a clarification about a cheque that I will receive. A few months ago I asked the HMRC for a tax refund (PAYE) for the last fiscal year. They usually pay into a cheque but I asked for the money to be paid into my account. In the meantime I made the decision of moving abroad, so I called the HMRC and left a "care of" address at a friend's of mine. Now he has received a letter from the HMRC confirming that they owe me money and the amount will sent by cheque. Good news, apart from the fact I am already abroad and not planning to come back any soon. Would my friend be able to visit a local branch of my bank and deposit the cheque onto my account or can it only be done by me in person? Thanks

Hello, first post here. I am a EU citizen and I lived in the UK for a few years. I have just relocated back to the continent (the Netherlands, not my country of origin). I spent about 10 days in the country (in hotels) before finding accommodation and I have just moved in last Friday, however according to the local laws I am technically not resident yet, because my accommodation has to be approved by the local council, which will probably happen in 2-3 weeks. When in the UK, I was working full time and receiving Working Tax Credits. I informed the Tax Credits helpline that I had finished my job and was going to move abroad, they told me I had to inform them of my new address when I would have one. So far so good. Now I start thinking that I should have informed the HMRC as soon as I was in the country. My questions are: 1) Have I done anything wrong in not contacting the HMRC before I had a permanent address? 2) Can I wait until I have confirmation of my registration or is it better to call as soon as possible? 3) Which date should I give for me leaving the country, the day that I have left or the day that I have moved in the new accommodation? 4) Is it advisable to write a letter to the Tax Credits on top of calling them by telephone? Thanks