How do I keep company and personal money separate when I live abroad?

Living overseas makes it tempting to route company income through a personal or joint household account for convenience, especially where local currency needs are frequent, but this blurs exactly the line HMRC and Companies House expect a limited company to maintain between its assets and the owner's.

An overdrawn director's loan account triggers a section 455 corporation tax charge if not repaid within nine months of the year end, and can also create a benefit in kind if interest is not charged at HMRC's official rate, both of which are avoidable with simple discipline.

Set a regular dividend or salary schedule rather than ad hoc withdrawals, keep a simple running director's loan spreadsheet for anything outside that schedule, and reconcile the company account monthly rather than leaving it to the year end when memories of individual transfers have faded.

If you or a family member sometimes pay UK company costs personally because a local card or account is more convenient, log and reimburse these promptly through the company account so the paper trail matches what actually happened.

Our fixed monthly packages for a UK limited company start at £89 plus VAT and run to £169 and £289 plus VAT as bookkeeping, VAT, payroll and reporting are added. One-off filings are sold at fixed prices, and the Companies House fees we pay for you are charged at cost with no VAT added. Overseas owners are quoted on exactly the same published prices as UK-resident clients.

Rates, thresholds and deadlines here reflect the 2026/27 UK position and current Companies House and HMRC guidance. Check GOV.UK, or ask us, before relying on them for your own company.