Quick Answer
The UK abolished its non-dom regime on 6 April 2025, replacing 200 years of remittance-basis taxation with a 4-year exemption window followed by full worldwide taxation, including 40% inheritance tax on global assets for long-term residents. The Office for Budget Responsibility projects around 10,800 non-dom departures a year, and the departures visible so far cluster in the UAE, Italy, Switzerland and Singapore.
For founders and investors who want institutional stability rather than just a low rate, Singapore offers territorial personal taxation, no capital gains tax and no estate duty. Savvy Platform handles the corporate side of a Singapore relocation through SavvyStart, from incorporation to the Employment Pass.
What Actually Changed in April 2025
The reform is worth stating precisely, because the details drive the decisions.
|
Element |
Before 6 April 2025 |
After 6 April 2025 |
|
Foreign income and gains |
Non-doms could use the remittance basis: foreign income untaxed unless brought into the UK, for up to 15 years |
Taxed worldwide from year 1, except during the new FIG window |
|
The new FIG regime |
Not applicable |
4 years of exemption on foreign income and gains, only for arrivals with 10 prior years of non-UK residence, claimed at the cost of personal allowances |
|
Inheritance tax |
Based on domicile: foreign assets of non-doms largely outside the net |
Residence-based: anyone UK-resident for 10 of the last 20 years is a "long-term resident" taxed at 40% on worldwide assets, with a tail of up to 10 years after leaving |
|
Trusts |
Excluded property trusts sheltered foreign assets |
Protections largely removed for settlors within the new rules |
|
Transition |
Not applicable |
Temporary Repatriation Facility: past foreign income brought in at 12% (rising to 15% in 2027/28), available for 3 years |
Two features matter more than the headline abolition:
- First, the practical inheritance tax cliff: because the 10-of-20 test is backward-looking, a family that stays a full 10 years cannot immediately shed worldwide IHT exposure by leaving; in practice, avoiding it means departing by year 9.
- Second, the compression: the old regime offered 15 years of shelter, the new one offers 4.
For internationally mobile families, the UK moved from one of the longest welcome windows in the developed world to one of the shortest, attached to one of the few 40% worldwide estate taxes.
What the Departure Data Shows, and What It Does Not
This is a contested evidence space, and honest analysis separates the layers:
- The official projection. The OBR's central scenario assumes roughly 10,800 non-dom departures per year, with a downside case above 12,000 to 15,000 at which the reform starts losing money. A former Treasury economist estimates at least 10% of the non-dom population has already left, inside the OBR's projected range
- The industry estimates. Henley & Partners put the UK's net millionaire outflow at 9,500 for 2024 and projected 16,500 for 2025, the largest of any country. These figures are widely cited and methodologically criticised, since they rest on modelling and adviser data rather than migration statistics. Treat them as directional, not precise
- The visible evidence. The 2026 Sunday Times Rich List counts 157 billionaires, down sharply, with roughly 1 in 6 families from 2 years earlier no longer resident and 60 of the 350 wealthiest removed after leaving the country. Analysis of Companies House filings found around 4,000 UK company directors shifted residence abroad after the reform took effect, about 40% above prior-year levels
- The unknown. HMRC's definitive numbers arrive only when 2025/26 self-assessment returns are finalised in 2027. Until then, every total is an estimate
The fair summary: the scale is debated, the direction is not. Advisers, registries and rich-list compilers all point the same way.
Where They Are Going
Destination data from the same migration reports shows the flows concentrating in a handful of jurisdictions:
|
Destination |
2025 net millionaire inflow (estimate) |
The offer |
|
UAE |
+9,800 |
Zero personal income tax, zero CGT and IHT, golden visas |
|
USA |
+7,500 |
Market depth and specific business reasons, despite tax complexity |
|
Italy |
+3,600 |
€200,000 flat tax per year on all foreign income for new residents |
|
Switzerland |
+3,000 |
Cantonal lump-sum taxation, private banking, stability |
|
Singapore |
+1,600 |
Territorial tax, no CGT, no estate duty, Asia's wealth hub |
The Case for Singapore
For founders and investors choosing a base for decades rather than a tax cycle, Singapore competes on a different axis:
- The tax structure, without a special regime. Singapore's treatment of wealth is not a concession that a future government can withdraw from foreigners, because it applies to everyone: individuals are taxed on Singapore-source income at progressive rates up to 24%, foreign-source income kept offshore is generally not taxed, there is no capital gains tax, no dividend tax in shareholders' hands, no gift tax, and estate duty was abolished in 2008. Italy's flat tax and Switzerland's forfait are special deals for foreigners; the UK just demonstrated what happens to special deals.
- Institutional depth. AAA-rated, common law, top-3 globally for corruption perception, with a financial centre that manages Asian wealth rather than merely hosting it. By end-2024, Singapore housed more than 2,000 single-family offices, up 43% in a year, and roughly 59% of all family offices in Asia.
- A real economy to plug into. Departing founders are often still operating businesses. Singapore offers them what a pure tax haven cannot: the regional HQ ecosystem, banking, talent and the corporate structures covered across this series, from an effective 4.25% startup tax rate to the fund and family office regimes.
- Succession logic. For families leaving the UK specifically because of worldwide IHT exposure, a jurisdiction with no estate duty and no gift tax addresses the trigger of the move itself. Income tax is usually the smaller part of that calculation.
The Routes In
|
Route |
Requirement |
Fits |
|
Employment Pass via your own company |
Salary of S$5,600/month (rising to S$6,000 from January 2027) from a Singapore company, plus the COMPASS points test |
Founder-operators relocating with a business |
|
Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass |
Fixed monthly salary of at least S$30,000, or equivalent standing |
Senior executives and proven founders |
|
Global Investor Programme (PR) |
S$10 million into a business, S$25 million into a GIP fund, or a family office with S$200 million AUM including S$50 million deployed in Singapore |
Principals seeking permanent residency directly |
|
Family office structures (13O/13U) |
S$20 million to S$50 million minimum AUM plus tiered local spending |
Families institutionalising their wealth |
What Singapore Is Not
Credible analysis includes the costs:
- It is not zero-tax. Singapore-sourced income, including the salary you pay yourself, is taxed at up to 24%. Founders comparing purely on personal rate will find Dubai cheaper
- Property is deliberately expensive for foreigners. Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty of 60% applies to foreign purchases of residential property, and living costs rank among the world's highest
- The door is selective and has narrowed. GIP thresholds were raised substantially, family office incentives now carry higher spending and deployment conditions, and since the 2023 money laundering scandal, screening across banks and corporate service providers has visibly tightened
- Permanent residency is discretionary. The EP-to-PR path is real and used, but approval is never automatic
These are the trade-offs of a jurisdiction optimising for quality of inflow over volume, which is precisely why its regime is more likely to still exist in 20 years.
How Savvy Platform Fits Into a Relocation
Most relocating founders arrive through the company route: a Singapore entity that employs them, sponsors the Employment Pass and becomes the operating base. That corporate layer is what Savvy Platform builds.
Savvy Platform provides:
- Company incorporation through SavvyStart, with the structure in place before the move
- Local nominee director covering the resident director requirement until the founder's EP is approved
- Employment Pass application support for the founder, and Dependant Passes for family
- Company secretary, registered address and ongoing filings
- Bank account setup support with Singapore's major banks
- Accounting and tax compliance, including the startup exemptions
For pure investors on the GIP or family office routes, specialist wealth counsel leads; for founder-operators, the Savvy structure is typically the entire administrative path.
Conclusion
The April 2025 reform replaced the developed world's longest-standing wealth-friendly regime with one of its shortest arrival windows, backed by a 40% worldwide inheritance tax after a decade of residence. The official projection is around 10,800 departures a year; the visible record, from rich lists to director filings, confirms the direction if not the exact scale. The volume flows to Dubai and Milan. The founders and families choosing Singapore are choosing the jurisdiction whose advantages are structural rather than promotional: territorial tax for everyone, no estate duty, and institutions built to hold wealth for generations. Savvy Platform handles the corporate side of that move through SavvyStart.
FAQ
What replaced the UK non-dom regime?
A residence-based system from 6 April 2025. New arrivals with 10 prior years of non-residence get a 4-year exemption on foreign income and gains; after that, worldwide taxation applies, and after 10 years of residence in any 20, worldwide assets fall within 40% inheritance tax.
How many wealthy people have actually left the UK?
Definitive numbers arrive with 2027 tax data. The OBR projects roughly 10,800 non-dom departures a year, Henley & Partners estimated a 16,500 net millionaire outflow for 2025 (a contested figure), and the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List shows about 1 in 6 wealthy families from 2 years earlier are no longer UK-resident.
Where are departing UK founders going?
Mostly to the UAE, Italy, Switzerland and Singapore. The UAE leads on volume with zero personal tax; Italy offers a €200,000 flat tax on foreign income; Switzerland offers lump-sum taxation; Singapore offers territorial tax with institutional depth.
Is Singapore tax-free for wealthy residents?
No. Singapore-source income is taxed at up to 24%. The advantages are structural: foreign-source income kept offshore is generally untaxed, and there is no capital gains tax, no dividend tax, no gift tax and no estate duty.
Why choose Singapore over Dubai?
Founders choosing Singapore usually cite institutional factors: AAA rating, common law courts, the depth of Asia's wealth management ecosystem, more than 2,000 family offices, and a tax structure that applies to everyone rather than a special foreigner regime that policy could later remove.
What visa routes exist for relocating founders?
The Employment Pass through the founder's own Singapore company (S$5,600/month minimum salary in 2026, S$6,000 from January 2027), the Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass for top earners, and the Global Investor Programme for permanent residency from S$10 million of qualifying investment.
Does Singapore tax inheritance?
No. Estate duty was abolished in 2008, and there is no gift tax, which directly addresses the worldwide inheritance tax exposure that drives many post-2025 UK departures.
How does Savvy Platform help with relocation?
Savvy Platform builds the corporate route: Singapore incorporation through SavvyStart, a nominee director until the founder's Employment Pass is approved, EP and Dependant Pass support, banking setup and ongoing compliance under one provider.
Main sources
- Macfarlanes, the Finance Act 2025 and the reform of non-dom taxation (FIG regime, long-term resident test): https://www.macfarlanes.com/what-we-think/102eli5/the-finance-act-2025-implementation-of-the-reforms-to-the-taxation-of-non-uk-domiciliaries-102jvct/
- BDO, changing rules for non-doms (FIG claims, TRF mechanics): https://www.bdo.co.uk/en-gb/insights/tax/private-client/changing-rules-for-non-dom-status-what-to-do-now
- Henley & Partners, Private Wealth Migration Report 2025 (UK outflows and destinations): https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/henley-private-wealth-migration-report-2025/great-wealth-flight-millionaires-relocate-record-numbers
- Investbanq, the family office revolution (MAS data on Singapore's 2,000+ single-family offices): https://investbanq.com/news/Family-Office/
- Global Investments, Singapore Global Investor Programme 2026 (GIP tracks, territorial taxation, no estate duty): https://www.globalinvestments.net/citizenship/guides/singapore-global-investor-programme
