Tax · Employees · UK

P45 and P60: what each one is, when you get it, and how to get one

A P45 is the form your employer gives you when you leave a job: your leaving date, pay and tax since 6 April, and tax code. Give Parts 2 and 3 to your new employer. A P60, due by 31 May if you are still there on 5 April, shows the tax paid on your salary that tax year.

Last updated 16 Oct 2026 · Joel Lister, founder of Radar

Who this is for: employees in the UK who are leaving a job, starting one, waiting for a P60, or have been asked to show either.

Who it is not for: the self-employed: GOV.UK says you only get these forms if you are an employee. Employers taking someone on want the new starter checklist.

QuestionP45P60
When you get itWhen you leave a jobIf you are working for an employer on 5 April: by 31 May, on paper or electronically
What it showsYour leaving date, your total pay and tax from 6 April until you left, your tax code, and personal details such as your National Insurance numberThe tax you paid on your salary in the tax year, 6 April to 5 April
How manyOne from the job you leaveA separate P60 for each of your jobs, every tax year
What to do with itGive Parts 2 and 3 to your new employer and keep Part 1A; if you are not working and claim taxable benefits, give it to Jobcentre PlusKeep it: it proves the tax paid on your salary, to claim back overpaid tax or as proof of income for a loan or a mortgage
If you have lost itYou cannot get a replacement. Fill in the starter checklist for a new job; your pay and tax for the last 5 tax years are in your personal tax account or the HMRC appAsk your employer for a replacement, or find the same information in your personal tax account or the HMRC app, or ask HMRC
SourceGOV.UKGOV.UK

What a P45 is

When you leave a job, your employer should give you a P45. It tells you your leaving date, your total pay and tax from 6 April until the date you left, and your tax code, and it also includes personal details such as your National Insurance number (GOV.UK). An employer must give a P45 to an employee who leaves (GOV.UK). You only get a P45, P60 or P11D if you are an employee (GOV.UK).

The parts of a P45, and what each is for

  • Part 1 is the leaving details for HMRC. Employers are required by law to send them when someone leaves; an employer that reports payroll in real time puts the leaving information on its Full Payment Submission instead (HMRC). You are given Parts 1A, 2 and 3 (HMRC).
  • Part 1A is yours to keep (GOV.UK).
  • Parts 2 and 3 go to your new employer, who uses them to work out how much tax you will pay (GOV.UK). Part 3 is how an employer that does not report in real time tells HMRC you have started; one that does puts the starter details on its Full Payment Submission (HMRC). Part 3 also says whether student loan deductions should carry on (HMRC).

If you are not working and are claiming taxable benefits, give your P45 to Jobcentre Plus instead (GOV.UK).

How to get your P45

If you have left a job and your previous employer did not give you a P45, ask them for one. Without it you might pay the wrong amount of tax at your new job (GOV.UK).

If you have lost your P45, or your employer says they sent one and you did not get it, you cannot get a replacement. Instead of giving your new employer a P45, fill in the starter checklist. If you need the figures for another reason, you can view and download your pay and tax details for the last 5 tax years in your personal tax account or the HMRC app (GOV.UK).

If your P45 is wrong

  • The pay or tax is wrong: ask your previous employer to correct it and send you an amended P45. If you cannot get one, tell HMRC through the check your Income Tax online service, and HMRC will contact the employer for the correct details (GOV.UK).
  • The tax code is wrong: give the P45 to your new employer anyway. HMRC should correct your tax code automatically after your first pay (GOV.UK).
  • Your personal details are wrong: fill in the starter checklist and give it, with the P45, to your new employer. You can also tell HMRC about the change (GOV.UK).

No P45: the starter checklist

HMRC’s starter checklist, previously known as a P46, is for when you do not have a P45 or your new employer needs more information, and an employer may ask for it even if you give them a P45. You may be asked for one if it is your first job, you have more than one employer, you are coming back after a break or from self-employment, or your details differ from your P45. Do not use it if you have already had your first pay (HMRC).

It asks whether you have had another job or pension since 6 April, your National Insurance number, your start date, any student or postgraduate loan, and whether you have had certain benefits since 6 April. You cannot save it as you go along, so gather the answers first, then email, post or give it to your new employer. It is an online form or a PDF to print (HMRC).

If your new employer does not have your previous income and tax details, you will be paid on an emergency tax code, one ending in W1, M1 or X. For a new job HMRC updates it, which can take up to 35 days from when you start (GOV.UK).

Taking someone on yourself? What an employer collects, and by when, is in the new starter checklist.

The P60

If you are working for an employer on 5 April, they must give you a P60, by 31 May, on paper or electronically. You get a separate P60 for each of your jobs every tax year. It shows the tax you have paid on your salary in the tax year (6 April to 5 April), and it is what you use to prove it: to claim back overpaid tax, or as proof of your income if you apply for a loan or a mortgage (GOV.UK).

If you have lost your P60, ask your employer for a replacement. If they cannot give you one, use your personal tax account or the HMRC app to find the information that would be on it, or contact HMRC and ask for it (GOV.UK).

P45 vs P60

You get a P45 when you stop working for an employer, and a P60 when you are still working for one at the end of the tax year (GOV.UK). The P45 covers 6 April to the day you left; the P60 covers the whole tax year to 5 April. The third form, the P11D, is one your employer may send HMRC about benefits in kind such as a company car, and you can ask them for a record of what they reported (GOV.UK).

The P60’s 31 May is one of the tax year’s dates, beside 5 April and 31 January. If you file a return, the Self Assessment guide has its deadlines.

What Radar does with this

  • Life setup asks: “Do you file a Self Assessment tax return?” The online deadline is 31 January. Radar reminds you two months ahead. Radar reminds you 60 days ahead.
  • Put “Check my P60 has come” on your Radar for 31 May, repeating every year, or “Give my P45 to the new employer” on a start date, and each comes round in time, on the same radar as everything else due in the next ninety days.

Radar reads the calendars, task lists and CRM you connect, and the dates you give it. It writes back only when you press a button, and it never sends anything by itself.

Limitations and status

  • Radar keeps the dates you give it. It does not run payroll, issue or store a P45 or P60, or read your HMRC account.
  • This page is for employees. What an employer must do when someone starts is in the new starter checklist, and when someone leaves on GOV.UK.
See every date in the UK tax year — freeLook at a sample radar — no login

Also free: Radar Lite, the habit tracker on its own, for you and anyone 13 or over in the family.

Questions

What is a P45?

The form your employer gives you when you leave a job. It shows your leaving date, your total pay and tax from 6 April until you left, your tax code, and personal details such as your National Insurance number. (GOV.UK)

How do I get my P45?

Ask the employer you left: they must give you one when you leave. If you have lost it you cannot get a replacement, so fill in the starter checklist for your new job; your pay and tax for the last 5 tax years are in your personal tax account or the HMRC app. (GOV.UK, GOV.UK)

What is the difference between a P45 and a P60?

You get a P45 when you stop working for an employer, covering 6 April to the day you left. You get a P60 by 31 May when you are still working for the employer on 5 April, showing the tax paid on your salary over the tax year. (GOV.UK, GOV.UK)

When should I get my P60?

By 31 May, if you were working for the employer on 5 April, and a separate one for each of your jobs. (GOV.UK)

Can I start a new job without a P45?

Yes. Fill in HMRC’s starter checklist, previously known as a P46, and give it to your new employer. Without your previous pay and tax details you may be on an emergency tax code for a while: HMRC’s update can take up to 35 days from when you start. (HMRC, GOV.UK)

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Written by Joel Lister, founder of Radar · first published 16 Oct 2026. Radar is made by Neos Technologies Ltd.