AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
A claim under the four-year foreign income and gains (FIG) regime must be made on your Self Assessment return for the year by 31 January in the second tax year after that year ends. For 2025 to 2026 that means 31 January 2028; for 2026 to 2027, 31 January 2029. The normal return deadline is a year earlier, so file on time and treat the later date as the last point for the claim.
New arrivals from Nigeria often learn about the FIG regime late: after a first tax return, after an accountant mentions it, or after selling something at home. The deadline is more generous than most tax deadlines, which helps. It is also easy to misread, because two different January dates are in play.
The rule in one line
LITRG, the low-incomes tax charity, states the claim must be made by "31 January in the second tax year following the end of the tax year of the claim", and gives the example that 2025 to 2026 claims are due by 31 January 2028. It also says the claim must be made in a Self Assessment return for the relevant year, identifying the income or gains to be relieved.
The dates for each year
| Tax year of the claim | Normal online return and payment deadline | Last date for the FIG claim |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 to 2026 (6 Apr 2025 to 5 Apr 2026) | 31 January 2027 | 31 January 2028 |
| 2026 to 2027 | 31 January 2028 | 31 January 2029 |
| 2027 to 2028 | 31 January 2029 | 31 January 2030 |
| 2028 to 2029 | 31 January 2030 | 31 January 2031 |
The middle column comes from GOV.UK's Self Assessment deadlines for 2025 to 2026 (online return and payment both by 31 January 2027), carried forward in the same pattern; the right-hand column applies LITRG's rule. The regime began on 6 April 2025, so 2025 to 2026 is the earliest year anyone can claim.
Why the earlier deadline still matters
- Registration. GOV.UK says you must tell HMRC by 5 October after the tax year if you need to file and have not before. Foreign income is a common reason to need a return.
- Paper returns. These must reach HMRC by 31 October after the tax year.
- Payment. Tax on the return is due by 31 January after the tax year. If you file without a claim and pay, then add a claim later, you are relying on getting tax back.
- Penalties. A late return attracts penalties whatever you later claim.
The FIG deadline is the last point for the claim, not a reason to file late. LITRG says the claim is made "in a self assessment tax return"; whether you can add it by amending a return already filed depends on HMRC's amendment rules, which we have not seen restated for FIG. If you are close to the end of a window, ask HMRC or an adviser how to make the claim before the date passes.
What you need to decide before you claim
- Confirm you are a qualifying new resident: UK resident for the year, and not UK resident in the ten tax years before your first year of residence. GOV.UK gives the example of someone resident since 2022 having only one eligible year left.
- Work out whether the claim is worth it. Any claim costs you the personal allowance and CGT annual exempt amount for that year; see losing the personal allowance under FIG.
- List each foreign source: Nigerian rent, interest, dividends, gains, overseas work days.
- Convert each amount to pounds at the rate when it arose; see which HMRC exchange rate to use.
- Make the claim on the SA109 residence pages (box 28 for income, box 29 for gains) and show each source on the relevant foreign or capital gains pages.
Keep the evidence behind every figure: Nigerian bank statements, tenancy agreements, sale documents and the dates you were in each country. A claim made close to the deadline is still a claim HMRC can ask questions about.
A worked timeline
Example only. Ifeoma arrives from Port Harcourt in August 2025, after twelve years in Nigeria, and is UK resident for 2025 to 2026. Her window covers 2025 to 2026 through 2028 to 2029. She registers for Self Assessment by 5 October 2026, files her 2025 to 2026 return online in December 2026 and pays by 31 January 2027. She had little Nigerian income that year and makes no claim. In 2026 to 2027 she sells a plot in Rumuokoro; she can claim for that year up to 31 January 2029, but she plans to claim on the return she files by 31 January 2028 so the tax she pays is right first time.
Where Pryme fits
Claims depend on records. A Pryme account holds NGN and GBP together, and statements can be generated as verifiable documents with VerifyDoc.ai, so an adviser can check a naira receipt has not been altered. If you are moving the proceeds of a Nigerian sale, Swap shows the rate and the fee before you approve.
Questions people ask
What is the deadline to claim the FIG regime for 2025-26?
31 January 2028, according to LITRG. The normal online return and payment deadline for 2025-26 is 31 January 2027.
Can I claim FIG on an amended return?
The claim must be made in a Self Assessment return for the year. Whether an amendment works depends on HMRC's amendment rules; check with HMRC or an adviser if you are near the deadline.
Does the FIG deadline let me file my tax return late?
No. Registration, filing and payment deadlines still apply, and late filing penalties are separate from the claim.
Where on the return do I make a FIG claim?
On the SA109 residence pages: box 28 for foreign income and box 29 for foreign gains, with each source on the relevant supplementary pages.
Sources
- LITRG: Foreign income and gains regime, tax years 2025/26 onwards (updated 6 Apr 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: Self Assessment tax return deadlines (updated 30 Sep 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: Check if you can claim the 4-year foreign income and gains regime · accessed Oct 2026
- HMRC: SA109 Residence, remittance basis etc. notes 2026 · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.