UK day tracker
You've left. Now keep it that way. Log every UK midnight as it happens and watch your day budget — so a few too many trips home never quietly tips you back into UK tax.
This free tracker counts the UK days you log this tax year against your personal SRT limit — set from your UK ties — and shows days used, days left, and whether you're safe, close or over. It runs in your browser, stores nothing on our servers, and cites HMRC RFIG20520. General guidance, not advice (HMRC RDR3; 2026/27).
Your day budget, tracked live.
A UK day counts if you're here at midnight. Set your ties once and your limit appears; mark each UK midnight as it happens and watch the running total. Entries stay in your own browser, never on our servers.
What's your UK day limit this tax year?
Two quick questions set your limit from the Statutory Residence Test (HMRC RFIG20520).
The SRT day bands are the same for both years — they're set in law and haven't changed (Finance Act 2013, Schedule 45). The year sets which calendar the tracker draws and how we label your summary.
This decides whether you're a "leaver" (resident in 1+ of the last 3 years) or an "arriver" (resident in none). Most people using a day tracker are leavers.
What is a UK day tracker, and who needs one?
Direct answer: A UK day tracker is a running log of the days you spend in the UK at midnight across a tax year, measured against your personal limit under HMRC's Statutory Residence Test. If you've left the UK and still visit, it's how you stop a few too many trips home from quietly tipping you back into UK tax residence. Count nights, not days (HMRC RFIG20710; RFIG20520; 2026/27).
The residence calculator answers "am I UK tax resident?" once. The day tracker answers "how am I doing against my limit, right now?" — every time you log a trip. It's the recurring-use companion: set your limit once from your ties, then mark each UK midnight as it happens and watch the budget. The people who need it most are the ones who left but keep coming back — the digital nomad who summers in the UK, the contractor or director who pops over for work, the Dubai mover who flies home for family. For all of them, the year can creep up one weekend at a time.
How does the tracker work out my UK day limit?
Direct answer: From your UK ties. The Statutory Residence Test sets the number of ties that makes a "leaver" UK resident at each day band, and your limit is the highest day count that keeps you under it: 4+ ties → 15 days; 3 ties → 45; 2 ties → 90; 1 tie → 120; 0 ties → 182 (then 183 is always resident). Fewer ties, more room (HMRC RFIG20520; 2026/27).
You answer a short questionnaire — were you UK resident in any of the last 3 tax years (a "leaver" if yes), and which of the five UK ties you have — and the tracker sets your limit from the leaver table. These are the same bands the residence calculator uses, fixed in primary legislation (Finance Act 2013, Schedule 45) and unchanged for 2026/27. The five ties are family, accommodation, work, the 90-day tie and the country tie (leavers only); each has an exact threshold, set out in the Sufficient Ties Test guide. Your tie count can change mid-year — pick up a UK work tie, or give up a UK flat — so the tracker lets you edit your ties and recompute the limit while keeping the days you've already logged.
| Your UK ties (leaver) | Day limit (stay non-resident up to) | UK resident at |
|---|---|---|
| 4 or 5 ties | 15 UK days | 16+ days |
| 3 ties | 45 UK days | 46+ days |
| 2 ties | 90 UK days | 91+ days |
| 1 tie | 120 UK days | 121+ days |
| 0 ties | 182 UK days | 183+ days |
| Your UK ties (arriver) | Day limit (stay non-resident up to) | UK resident at |
|---|---|---|
| 4 ties | 45 UK days | 46+ days |
| 3 ties | 90 UK days | 91+ days |
| 2 ties | 120 UK days | 121+ days |
| 0–1 ties | 182 UK days | 183+ days |
Source for both: HMRC RFIG20520; RDR3. Thresholds fixed in Finance Act 2013, Schedule 45; unchanged for 2026/27.
What counts as a UK day — and why "count nights, not days"?
Direct answer: A day counts towards your limit if you're in the UK at the end of the day (midnight) — so count nights, not days. A genuine day-trip (in during the day, out before midnight) doesn't count on its own, and a true transit day usually doesn't count either. But the deeming rule can pull day-trips back in for frequent visitors (HMRC RFIG20710, RFIG20730, RFIG20720; 2026/27).
This is the single most load-bearing habit the SRT rewards, and it's why the tracker is built around midnights. Mark the day you sleep in the UK, not the day you set foot here. The tracker lets you tag a day as a UK midnight, a day-trip, a transit day or an exceptional-circumstances day, and only counts what the rules count — so your total stays honest, and you learn the mechanics as you log. The deep-dive on counting days lives in Visiting the UK without becoming tax resident.
What is the deeming rule, and how does the tracker handle it?
Direct answer: The deeming rule stops frequent day-trippers gaming the midnight rule. It applies only if you (a) were UK resident in 1+ of the last 3 tax years, (b) have 3+ UK ties, and (c) had more than 30 "qualifying days" (in the UK in the daytime but not at midnight). Then every qualifying day after the 30th counts as a UK day (HMRC RFIG20720; 2026/27).
If you log day-trips and you're a leaver with 3 or more ties, the tracker watches your qualifying-day total. The first 30 are free; once you pass 30, it adds every extra one back to your counted total and flags it, so a budget that looked safe on midnights alone can flip. The tracker deliberately does not apply deeming to the 90-day tie or to the third automatic overseas test's "fewer than 91 days" limit, because the rules exclude those (HMRC RFIG20720). Day-trips feel free; the deeming rule is where they stop being free.
What about days I'm forced to spend in the UK?
Direct answer: Days you're present in the UK at midnight because of exceptional circumstances beyond your control — a serious illness, a national or local emergency — may be ignored for some day counts, up to a maximum of 60 days in a tax year. It's a strict limit, not an allowance, and it doesn't apply to every part of the test (HMRC RFIG22220; 2026/27).
Tag a day as exceptional and the tracker subtracts it from your counted total, up to the 60-day cap — anything beyond 60 counts as an ordinary UK day. Whether your circumstances really qualify is a judgement HMRC makes on the facts, so the tracker flags any exceptional days for a careful check and tells you to keep your evidence. Don't use it to wave away ordinary trips home; it exists for genuinely unforeseen, uncontrollable events.
Does the tracker store my data or send it to HMRC?
Direct answer: No. Your logged days, ties and tax year are saved only in your own browser (localStorage) on your device — not on our servers, and not sent to HMRC. The tracker doesn't file anything; you still report your residence on a P85 or your Self Assessment return, and you must keep your own travel evidence. The only time anything is sent is if you choose "email me my day summary" (HMRC RDR3; 2026/27).
It runs entirely client-side as a React island. You can export a CSV or a printable summary for your records or for a qualified adviser at any time — but an export is for you, not a submission. The tracker is a planning aid: it keeps your day count visible so you can make decisions, then you use the official HMRC route to report your position. Becoming non-resident is a status you qualify for in statute, openly, and report — read the whole legitimate journey in How to stop being a UK tax resident and the mechanics in the Statutory Residence Test guide.
Common questions
How many days can I visit the UK as a non-resident before becoming resident again?
It depends on your ties. As a leaver you're automatically non-resident under 16 UK days; 16–45 days is safe only with 3 or fewer ties; 46–90 days with 2 or fewer; and so on up to 183 days, which is always resident. Count nights, and watch the deeming rule if you visit often without staying over (HMRC RFIG20520; RFIG20720; 2026/27).
Do day trips to the UK count towards my residence day count?
Generally no — a day counts only if you're in the UK at midnight, so a genuine day trip out before midnight isn't a counted day. But the deeming rule can catch frequent day-trippers: if you were recently resident, have 3+ ties and more than 30 such qualifying days, every one after the 30th counts (HMRC RFIG20710; RFIG20720; 2026/27).
How many days can I spend in the UK without being tax resident?
It depends on your ties and history. A leaver (UK-resident in 1+ of the last 3 years) is automatically non-resident on fewer than 16 UK days; up to 45 days needs 4+ ties to be resident; 46–90 days, 3+ ties; 91–120 days, 2+ ties; 121–182 days, 1+ tie; 183+ days is always resident. Count nights (HMRC RDR3; RFIG20520; 2026/27).
What is the deeming rule in the statutory residence test?
The deeming rule stops frequent day-trippers gaming the midnight rule. It applies only if you (a) were UK-resident in 1+ of the last 3 tax years, (b) have 3+ UK ties, and (c) had more than 30 qualifying days (present in the UK but not at midnight). Then every qualifying day after the 30th counts as a UK day (HMRC RFIG20720; 2026/27).
Is this day tracker free, and does it store my data?
Yes, free — no gate, no paywall, no upsell. The tracker runs entirely in your browser and saves your logged days only on your own device (localStorage); no personal data is stored on our servers. The only network call is the optional 'email me my day summary' form, which posts to our shared forms service. (Last reviewed: May 2026.)