Guide

How to count days in each country for tax residency, using your Google Timeline

If you split your time between countries, the number of days you spend in each can decide where you're a tax resident. Your Google Maps Timeline is a detailed record of exactly where you were. Here's how to turn it into a day count, and the rules that trip people up.

Not tax advice. Residency rules are complex and depend on more than day counts (your home, work, family and other ties). Use your Timeline as evidence and a starting point, and confirm your position with the tax authority or a qualified adviser.

Why days matter

Many countries use a physical-presence test, often built around 183 days, as one of the ways to decide whether you're resident for tax. But "183 days" means different things in different places, and three details change the answer:

• What counts as a day. In many countries, being there for any part of a day counts as a full day. The UK is a notable exception: under its Statutory Residence Test, a day generally counts only if you are in the UK at midnight.
• Which 12 months. Many countries count the calendar year. The UK tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April, and Australia's from 1 July to 30 June.
• Whether earlier years count. The US Substantial Presence Test for non-citizens looks back three years: all days in the current year, plus one third of the days in the previous year, plus one sixth of the days in the year before, with at least 31 days in the current year. A total of 183 or more generally means you meet the test.

Step by step with There I Went

1. Export your Timeline from your phone (how to export) and open it at thereiwent.com. It's read in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
2. Choose the right period. Tap the date buttons above the timeline bar and pick the start and end of the tax year you need, for example 6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026 for the UK.
3. Read the "Days per country" table. It shows two counts for each country:
   • Days: every date on which you were in that country at any point. Travel days count for both countries, which matches "any part of a day" rules.
   • Nights: where you were at 3 am each night. This is a close stand-in for midnight-based rules such as the UK's, but check any days when you arrived or left late at night by hand.
4. Look for gaps. Days with no location data aren't counted anywhere. If the notice above your results says part of the period is missing, fill those days from other records (boarding passes, bookings, border records) before relying on a total.
5. Download the spreadsheet. The "Download spreadsheet (Excel)" button gives one Excel file with a summary per country and a day-by-day list of which countries you were in, useful for your own records or an accountant. It also lists every place visit and journey, including where you live, so you may want to delete those sheets before sending it on. What's in the spreadsheet.

Common pitfalls

• Assuming under 183 days means non-resident. In the UK, for example, you can be resident on far fewer days through the "sufficient ties" test, and the "deeming rule" can count some days when you weren't there at midnight.
• Mixing up tax years. A calendar-year count won't match a UK or Australian tax year. Set the exact dates.
• Double counting across countries. Under "any part of a day" rules, a travel day can count in two countries at once. That's expected, not an error.
• Places near borders. Like any map, There I Went's borders are simplified, and places within about 500 m of a border may be counted in the neighbouring country. Check days spent right on a border.
• Missing days. An export only contains what your phone recorded. See why Timeline days go missing.

Official sources

For the rules themselves, start with the tax authority: HMRC's guidance on the Statutory Residence Test (RDR3) in the UK, the IRS page on the Substantial Presence Test in the US, and the Australian Taxation Office's residency tests in Australia.