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United Kingdom day-count rules

UK residency rules are unusually layered: the Statutory Residence Test decides tax residency on a sliding day-count that depends on your ties; ILR and settled status each have their own presence and absence arithmetic; visitors get 180 days per visit; and naturalisation looks back at your absences over five years.

Each page below takes one UK day-count rule and explains it in plain English — thresholds, windows, and what counts as a day — with links to GOV.UK and HMRC official guidance.

Step-by-step guide
United Kingdom — Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR): The Complete GuideIndefinite leave to remain explained step by step: qualifying routes, the 180-day absence rule, when to apply, fees, and what happens after ILR.
Tax
United Kingdom — Split Year Treatment (Arriving or Leaving Mid-Year)UK split year treatment explained: the eight RDR3 cases that let a tax year be divided into a UK part and an overseas part when you arrive in or leave the UK, the day limits that apply, the priority order, and how to claim it on your return.8 cases (RDR3) — UK part + overseas part
United Kingdom — Statutory Residence Test (April 6 Tax Year)UK Statutory Residence Test explained: your safe day limit is 15, 45, 90, 120 or 182 days per April–April tax year, set by how many UK ties you have.90 days / tax year (configurable: 15/45/90/120/182)
Residency
United Kingdom — 10-Year Long Residence ILR (Absence Rules)UK 10-year long residence ILR absence rules under Appendix Long Residence: the 180-day rolling limit for absences from 11 April 2024, and the transitional 184-day and 548-day caps for earlier travel. With GOV.UK sources.180 days / 12 months (10-year route)
United Kingdom — Hong Kong BN(O) Visa to SettlementHow the Hong Kong BN(O) visa leads to UK settlement: 5 years continuous residence, the 180-day rolling absence rule, the HC 584 change for children under 18, and citizenship 12 months later. With GOV.UK sources.5 years + 180 days / 12 months
United Kingdom — ILR 180-Day Absence RuleThe UK ILR 180-day rule explained: no more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period to keep continuous residence for settlement. With GOV.UK sources.180 days away / 12 months
United Kingdom — ILR: 2-Year Absence Lapse RuleHow long can you stay outside the UK with indefinite leave to remain? ILR lapses automatically after more than 2 continuous years outside the UK and Islands (5 years for EU Settlement Scheme settled status). Article 13 of the 2000 Order, the Returning Resident visa route, and official sources.<2 years abroad
United Kingdom — Keeping Settled Status (Absence Limits)How to keep UK settled status: it lapses after more than 5 consecutive years outside the UK and Islands (4 for Swiss nationals and their family members), and any visit back resets the clock. With official GOV.UK and legislation sources.<5 years consecutive absence
United Kingdom — Settled Status Criteria (How to Qualify)How pre-settled status holders qualify for UK settled status: 5 years' continuous residence, met either by the 6-months-in-12 absence test or, since 16 July 2025, by absences of no more than 30 months in the most recent 60 (about 913 days in the UK). With GOV.UK and Appendix EU sources.≥913 days in / 5 years
United Kingdom — Skilled Worker SettlementUK Skilled Worker settlement absence rule: no more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12 months, plus 5 years' continuous residence on the route. GOV.UK sources.≤180 days away / 12 months
Visas
United Kingdom — Standard Visitor Visa (180 Days per Visit)How the UK Standard Visitor rule works: up to 6 months (180 days) per visit, no annual cap, but you must not live in the UK through frequent or back-to-back visits.180 days / visit
United Kingdom — Visa-Free Travel with a UK BRP or eVisaWhich countries admit holders of a UK residence permit (BRP or eVisa) without a visa or with a visa on arrival — Georgia, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Mexico, Panama, the Dominican Republic and others — with the nationality and permit-type caveats, official sources, and how the trips count against the ILR 180-day rule.Varies by country
Citizenship
United Kingdom — From ILR to British Citizenship (Timeline and Absence Limits)The timeline from UK ILR to British citizenship: 12 months holding settlement, 5 years residence, 450 days maximum absence (90 in the final year), and the day-5-years-ago presence rule. With GOV.UK sources.12 months after ILR · 450 / 90 days
United Kingdom — Naturalisation Residence RequirementUK naturalisation absence limits explained: no more than 450 days outside the UK in 5 years and no more than 90 days in the final 12 months before applying. With GOV.UK sources.450 days / 5y + 90 / final year
Free tools
UK Statutory Residence Test CalculatorDays, ties, and the automatic tests — the three-stage RDR3 decision in one pass.
UK ILR Calculator: Eligibility Date & 180-Day AbsencesYour worst rolling 12 months against the 180-day limit — and the earliest date you can apply.
UK Naturalisation Absence Calculator450 days absent in 5 years, 90 in the final year — checked from your trips.
Common questions

Frequently asked questions

It depends on your ties. 183+ days in the UK tax year makes you resident automatically. Below that, the Statutory Residence Test scales the safe threshold by your UK ties (home, family, work, past residence) — for some people as few as 46 or even 16 days can tip the balance.

For pre-settled holders to qualify for settled status: at least 913 days (30 months) of UK presence within the most recent 60 months. Once you hold settled status, you keep it unless you stay outside the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man for more than 5 consecutive years (4 for Swiss nationals and their family members).

ILR's continuous-residence rule allows at most 180 days of absence in any rolling 12-month period of the qualifying years. Naturalisation then looks back 5 years: no more than 450 days absent in total, and no more than 90 in the final year.

Standard visitors can stay up to 6 months (180 days) per visit. There's no fixed annual quota like Schengen's 90/180, but frequent long visits invite questions at the border about whether you're genuinely visiting rather than living in the UK.