Everything you need to know about your P60

There are a wide range of UK tax forms and documents. They each have a specific purpose and code number, which enables HMRC, employers and taxpayers to distinguish them.

Obviously, you don’t need to know them all, but it can be helpful to know which ones are relevant to you. A common example is the P60.

What is a P60?

A P60 is an end-of-tax-year statement that details the tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) you’ve paid during the previous tax year. The UK tax year starts on 6 April and ends on the following 5 April. This is the same every year. If relevant, your P60 may also include details of Statutory Sick Pay or Maternity Pay received, as well as Student Loan repayments via PAYE. Your P60 should also include your name, National Insurance number, payroll number and tax code.

Need to know! It’s important to keep your P60 safe in a place, somewhere you’ll remember, in case you need to know how much tax and NICs you’ve paid in the tax year to which the P60 refers.

Do self-employed people get a P60?

If you only earn income from self-employment, you do not get a P60. A P60 is only for employed people or those who receive taxable pension payments.  

When should you get your P60?

If you’re an employee and you’re paid via PAYE (ie the system that HMRC uses to collect Income Tax and NICs from employment), your employer should give you your P60 at the end of each tax year. Your employer(s) should give you your P60 by 31 May, either a paper or digital copy. If you haven’t been given one come 31 May, you should ask your employer why.

Need to know! If you’re employed by others, you should get a separate P60 for each of your jobs shortly after the end of every tax year.

Why might you need your P60?

You might want to check how much tax and National Insurance you paid, if you suspect that you might have paid too much. You might need your P60 to claim back tax you’ve overpaid or to apply for tax credits or as proof of your income if you’re applying for a loan or a mortgage.

Need to know! You’ll also need the information from your your P60 you need to report other taxable income to HMRC via Self Assessment, for example, if you also earn money from self-employment or you rent out a property or capital gains tax is payable on an asset that you’ve sold,  

What if you’ve lost your P60?

If you’ve lost your P60, ask your employer for a replacement. If you cannot get a P60 from your employer, you use your personal tax account to view it online or print the information that would be on the P60. Alternatively, you should contact HMRC and ask for the information from your P60.

What if the information on your P60 looks wrong?

Check the details with your employer. Alternatively, you can contact HMRC. It’s your responsibility to make sure that errors within your P60 are corrected.

Do your get a P60 after you retire?

If you receive a private pension, you’ll receive a P60 from your provider documenting any tax paid. Your pension provider will have deducted any tax you owe before paying you your pension, as well as take off any tax owed on your State Pension.

Need to know! If you receive payments from more than one pension provider, HMRC will ask one of them to deduct any tax payable on your State Pension.

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Blog content is for information purposes and over time may become outdated, although we do strive to keep it current. It's written to help you understand your Tax's and is not to be relied upon as professional accounting, tax and legal advice due to differences in everyone's circumstances. For additional help please contact our support team or HMRC.