Marine Security

The taxation of earnings from marine security can be a complex area. – Get it right and, with seafarer’s earnings deduction, you need pay no UK tax or national insurance; get it wrong and the overall tax bill can be significant at 40% plus on your earnings.

Pirate activity in the Gulf of Aden and surrounding areas make this a growing field of engagement, particularly with the recent announcement by the UK Government that armed guards will be allowed on British registered shipping. As specialists in this field we act for a number of ex-military personnel and can guide you in matters of engagement classification, residency requirements, the nature of what is classified as a “ship” (and also when a ship is not a qualified as a ship for tax purposes), and qualifying transit periods.

Well known and popular marine security companies often provide you with contracts that protect their own interests but leave you, as a Security Operative, with a tax burden discovered far too late in the day. Our advice, if taken at the outset, will ensure that there are no nasty surprises and will enable you to keep what you earn rather than sharing it with the taxman.