Blog Country Specific Expat Tax Situations

Working in the UK as an American: Right to Work, Jobs, and Taxes

To work in the UK as an American, you need a visa that grants the right to work, most often a sponsored Skilled Worker visa, though routes like the Global Talent and High Potential Individual visas need no job offer at all. The job market is strongest in finance, technology, life sciences, and the creative industries, and UK workplaces offer perks Americans notice right away, like a statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday. One thing does not change: as a U.S. citizen, you still file a U.S. tax return on your UK earnings, though tax credits usually eliminate any double taxation.

Here is what to sort out, in order:

Right to work first: you cannot work on a visitor permit or ETA; you need a work-eligible visa.
Then the job: most work visas require a UK employer who can sponsor you, so target employers with a sponsor license.
A National Insurance number: you need one to be paid and to pay into the UK system.
Your U.S. taxes: keep filing in the U.S.; the Foreign Tax Credit and treaty usually offset what you owe.

Our guide to UK visa options for U.S. citizens covers the routes in detail; this page covers the practical side of working there.

Working Across Two Tax Systems?

From PAYE to the Foreign Tax Credit, we keep your UK and U.S. filings aligned.

You Need a Visa With the Right to Work in the UK

A U.S. passport does not give you the right to work in the UK, so the visa comes before the job. The main work-eligible routes Americans use are:

Skilled Worker visa: the most common route, requiring a job offer from a UK employer who holds a Home Office sponsor license and meets the salary and skill thresholds.
Global Talent and High Potential Individual visas: for recognized or high-potential talent, with no job offer required.
Innovator Founder visa: for entrepreneurs launching an endorsed UK business.
Family, Ancestry, and Graduate visas: these also carry the right to work if you qualify through a partner, heritage, or recent UK study.

Important

You cannot work in the UK on a visitor permit or an ETA, even for a short stint or remotely for a U.S. employer. You need a visa that grants the right to work before you start, and once you become a UK tax resident your income is generally taxable in the UK too, even if your employer and paycheck are American. Settle both the immigration route and the tax position before you relocate.

Each route has its own requirements and U.S. tax implications, covered in the UK visa options guide.

Finance, Tech, and Life Sciences Lead the UK Job Market for Americans

The UK economy plays to several American strengths, and a handful of sectors hire international talent most readily. These are where the openings and sponsorship are most common:

Finance and professional services: concentrated in London, plus Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Leeds.
Technology: London and Manchester lead, with growing hubs in Bristol, Cambridge, and Edinburgh.
Life sciences and pharmaceuticals: Cambridge, Oxford, and the North East.
Creative, media, and academia: London and Manchester for media, and universities nationwide.
Healthcare: the NHS recruits internationally for many clinical roles.

London concentrates the most senior and highest-paying roles, but Manchester, Edinburgh, and Birmingham offer strong markets at a far lower cost of living. Our guide to the cheapest and best places to live in the UK compares them.

Sponsorship is the biggest practical hurdle, because a Skilled Worker visa needs an employer who holds a sponsor license. Target companies that already hire internationally, and a few approaches work best:

Aim at sponsor-licensed employers, especially larger firms and the sectors above, since not every company can sponsor.
Use your existing employer. If you work for a U.S. company with a UK office, an intra-company transfer or expansion route can be the simplest path in.
Search where UK roles live: LinkedIn, Indeed, and sector-specific boards, filtering for roles open to visa sponsorship.
Consider no-sponsor routes. If you qualify for the Global Talent or High Potential Individual visa, you can arrive with the right to work and job-hunt freely.

Major Employers and U.S. Companies Hire Americans Across the UK

The employers most likely to sponsor or relocate Americans are large multinationals and U.S. companies with major UK operations, because they already hold a sponsor license and recruit internationally. Illustrative names by sector:

Technology: Microsoft (Reading), plus Amazon, Google, Meta, and Salesforce (mostly London).
Finance: JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Citi, and Bank of America, clustered in London and Edinburgh.
Life sciences: AstraZeneca (Cambridge) and GSK (London), across the Oxford-Cambridge research corridor.
Professional services: Deloitte, PwC, EY, and KPMG, with large London offices and regional hubs.
Engineering and manufacturing: Rolls-Royce (Derby) and Jaguar Land Rover (the Midlands).

This is a starting point, not a directory. The practical test is whether a company holds a sponsor license and is open to sponsoring your specific role, so confirm that early in any application.

UK Work Culture Offers More Leave and Shorter Hours Than the U.S.

UK working life is a real adjustment for Americans, mostly in welcome ways. The UK law gives most employees a statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, which is 28 days for a five-day week and often includes the public holidays, far more than the U.S. norm of no guaranteed paid leave. The average full-time week is around 37 hours, and the Working Time Regulations cap it at 48 hours on average unless you opt out.

Healthcare is not tied to your employer thanks to the NHS, and new parents are well covered: statutory maternity leave runs up to 52 weeks, with shared parental leave available to split between partners. The main trade-off is pay, since salaries are typically lower than U.S. equivalents in the same field, though the holiday, healthcare, and lower living costs offset much of the gap.

A National Insurance Number Is Required to Work and Get Paid

A National Insurance number is the UK equivalent of a Social Security number for the payroll system, and you need one to be paid correctly and to build entitlement to UK benefits and the State Pension. You apply for it once you are in the UK with the right to work, and you can start a job before it arrives, as long as you can prove your right to work.

Your employer uses the number to deduct income tax and National Insurance through the PAYE system. If you already have a UK National Insurance record from past work, note that the rules for topping it up from abroad tightened in 2026, covered in our guide to the end of cheap Class 2 contributions for expats.

A UK Job Does Not End Your U.S. Tax Filing

Earning a UK salary does not take you off the IRS’s books. As a U.S. citizen, you file a U.S. return on your worldwide income every year, including your UK wages. The good news is that you rarely pay twice: the Foreign Tax Credit credits the UK income tax you pay against your U.S. bill, and the U.S.-UK tax treaty sorts out which country taxes what, so most employees owe little or nothing extra in the U.S.

Take Note

Moving for a UK job does not remove your U.S. filing obligation. You file every year on your worldwide income, and the costly mistake is missing the forms, not the tax itself, which credits usually erase.

Two situations need extra care. If you are self-employed, you also face U.S. self-employment tax unless the U.S.-UK totalization agreement exempts you, as you pay UK National Insurance; our guide to being self-employed in the UK covers this. You will also likely need to report your UK bank and pension accounts to the U.S. once they cross the reporting thresholds.

How Greenback Helps Americans Working in the UK

A new job in the UK adds a UK tax return to your U.S. one, and the two need to line up. Greenback handles both your UK and U.S. taxes on a single account, with a UK Chartered Accountant and a U.S. CPA on the same file, so your PAYE, treaty positions, and U.S. return all fit together. Learn more about how we help Americans living in the UK.

One Team for HMRC and the IRS

A UK salary adds a UK return to your U.S. one. Greenback files both on a single account so they line up.

Frequently Asked Questions about Working in the UK

Can a U.S. citizen work in the UK?

Yes, with the right visa. A U.S. passport alone does not grant the right to work, so you need a work-eligible route, such as the Skilled Worker visa, which requires employer sponsorship, or a no-job-offer route, such as the Global Talent visa.

Do I need a job offer to work in the UK?

Usually, yes. The Skilled Worker visa, the most common route, requires a job offer from a sponsor-licensed UK employer. The Global Talent and High Potential Individual visas are the main exceptions that let you arrive without one.

Can I work remotely for my U.S. employer from the UK?

Not without sorting out your status. You still need a visa that lets you live and work in the UK, since a visitor permit or ETA does not allow it, and once you are a UK tax resident, your income is generally taxable in the UK as well as the U.S.

How do I get a National Insurance number?

You apply once you are in the UK with the right to work. You can start a job before it arrives, provided you can prove your right to work, and your employer uses the number to run PAYE deductions.

Do I still pay U.S. taxes if I work in the UK?

You still file, and usually owe little or nothing. U.S. citizens report worldwide income, including UK wages, but the Foreign Tax Credit and the U.S.-UK tax treaty typically offset the U.S. tax. The return itself is still required every year.

How many paid holidays do UK workers get?

UK law sets a statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks a year, which is 28 days for a five-day week and often includes public holidays, far more than the U.S., which has no federal minimum.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or immigration advice. Visa, employment, and tax rules change, and your situation is unique. Always confirm current requirements with official UK government sources and consult a qualified professional.

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