Clarification on absence calculation (departure date)

[Baje]

As you dont get stamped when leaving the UK, should you put your departure date as the date you arrived at your destination as appears in your passport? I know that I must have done overnight flights but I dont have the flight records from that long ago.

I've emailed airlines to see if they keep that information but havent had any replies and not holding out much hope.

My PEO appointment is in 3 weeks so advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[mulderpf]

The safest is to use the day before the entry stamp as the last day in the UK, otherwise you will end up double counting days and it would look like there's more than 365 days in the year.

[Baje]

Thanks mulderpf! I'll use the day before the arrival stamp as my departure date then.

[The Station Agent]

Don't count travel dates as absences from the UK. If you were in the UK for 1 minute during the day then it's not an absence. This (slightly) helps some people who are close to the stupid 180-day maximum absences from the UK in a 5-year period.

[Baje]

Slightly confused now. Are you advising NOT to use the day before the arrival stamp as I may be counting days when I was actually in England as absences?

Thought it was better to be safe and overestimate rather than say I left on 14 Jan when I actually left on 13 Jan on a overnight flight for example.

I'm at 142 days with overestimation.

[mulderpf]

Is that 142 including all holidays? In that case you are more than fine and personally, I would leave it at that. That is very consistent with annual leave and holidays and unless you were out of the country for long periods of time at once (e.g. full 142 in one or to goes), I wouldn't even worry about it. It would be difficult to prove that you were not based here continuously...

[Baje]

Yes that's all absences out of the country. Thanks mulderpf!