P60 vs P45: What Is a P60 and How Is It Different from a P45?

The P60 and P45 are two PAYE forms that most employees mix up at least once. Both show pay and tax, and both turn up at awkward moments: a mortgage application, the first day of a new job, or a tax return. Using the wrong one can delay a refund or leave you on the wrong tax code.

Last reviewed: [Octobar 2026]

P60 vs P45: the quick answer

A P60 is a yearly summary of your pay and tax, given by each employer you work for on 5 April. A P45 is a leaving document, given when you stop working for an employer, showing your pay and tax for the year up to your last day. A P60 closes the year; a P45 closes a job.

What is a P60?

A P60 is an end-of-year certificate from your employer or pension provider. It shows your pay, the Income Tax deducted and your National Insurance for the tax year, which runs from 6 April to 5 April. Put simply, the P60 meaning is official proof of what you earned and paid through PAYE.

So what’s a P60 used for? Mainly as proof. Lenders ask for it with mortgage and loan applications, you can use it to check whether you have overpaid tax, and it gives you the figures for a Self Assessment return. For anyone asking what is a P60 in the UK, it covers PAYE income only. Self-employed income never appears on it.

What’s on a P60 form

Every P60 form uses the same HMRC layout. It shows:

your name, National Insurance number and payroll number
your employer’s name and address
your taxable pay and the tax deducted, including any previous job in the same year
your final tax code
your National Insurance contributions
statutory payments, such as Statutory Maternity Pay
student loan and postgraduate loan deductions

The pay figure is taxable pay, not your salary. Pension contributions through a net pay arrangement or salary sacrifice reduce it. It does not show your take-home pay either. If a lender queries the gap between your P60 and your contract, this is usually why.

Who gets a P60 and when

If you are working for an employer on 5 April, they must give you a P60 by 31 May, on paper or electronically.

Low earners still get one, showing nil tax.
Pensioners get one from any pension paid through PAYE.
Leavers do not get one from the employer they left. Their P45 holds the figures instead.

You get a separate P60 for each job or pension you hold on 5 April. Two jobs and a small pension means three P60s for the same year. Keep them together, because each one shows only its own slice.

What is a P45?

A P45 is the form your employer gives you when you stop working for them, including when you retire. It shows your pay and tax from 6 April to your leaving date, and your tax code at that point. Your next employer, or Jobcentre Plus, uses it to keep taxing you correctly.

Think of it as a handover note between payrolls. By law your employer must give you one, so ask if it does not arrive.

What to do with your P45

Part 1A: keep it. It is your own record of pay and tax to date.
Parts 2 and 3: give them to your new employer, or to Jobcentre Plus if you claim taxable benefits.

A P45 shows your National Insurance number, leaving date, tax code, pay and tax so far, and whether student loan deductions should continue. If anything is wrong, ask your former employer for an amended P45 before you pass it on.

If you do not have a P45

A lost P45 cannot be replaced. Instead, your new employer will ask you to complete a starter checklist, the form that replaced the old P46. Your answers set a temporary tax code until HMRC confirms the right one. Any over or underpayment is normally corrected through payroll.

Tip: Photograph your P45 the day you get it. You cannot replace it, but a photo of Part 1A keeps your year-to-date figures safe.

P45 vs P60: side-by-side comparison

The P45 vs P60 difference comes down to the trigger. Leaving a job produces a P45. Reaching 5 April while still in a job produces a P60. They cover different periods and follow different rules if lost.

	P60	P45
What it is	End-of-year certificate	Leaving certificate
When you get it	By 31 May, if employed on 5 April	When you leave a job
Period covered	The full tax year with that employer	6 April to your leaving date
Who you give it to	Nobody routinely. Keep it as proof	Parts 2 and 3 to your new employer or Jobcentre Plus
Main uses	Mortgages, loans, refunds, tax returns	New job tax code, benefits, tax returns
If you lose it	Ask your employer for a replacement	Cannot be replaced. Use a starter checklist

The two are not interchangeable. A new employer needs your P45, not last year’s P60. A lender asking for a P60 wants a full-year figure a P45 cannot give.

Which form do you need?

Situation	Form
Starting a new job	P45, or a starter checklist if you have none
Mortgage or loan application	P60, usually with recent payslips
Claiming back overpaid tax	P60, or P45 for a job you left
Self Assessment tax return	P60 for each job held on 5 April, P45 for any job you left
Claiming taxable benefits after leaving work	P45, given to Jobcentre Plus
Universal Credit or other income checks	P60

If someone asks for a P60 for a job you left, explain that leavers get a P45 instead, and offer that or your payslips.

What is a P 60: example layout of a UK end-of-year P60 form

How do I get my P60?

You do not apply for a P60. If you are working for an employer, or receiving a PAYE pension, on 5 April, they must give you one by 31 May. Check the post, your email and your payroll or pension portal.

Many employers now issue P60s electronically, so how to get my P60 often just means knowing where to look. Check your spam folder too. If nothing has arrived by 31 May, ask your payroll or HR team when and how it was sent.

If you have lost your P60

Ask your employer or pension provider for a replacement. It should be marked as a replacement. Some offer a statement of earnings instead.
Check your HMRC personal tax account or the HMRC app. They show the pay and tax that would appear on the P60, which helps if your old employer cannot.
Contact HMRC if you cannot get online.

Former employers are not always obliged to keep old copies, so save a digital copy of every P60. If you need one urgently for a mortgage, ask your lender whether payslips or a statement of earnings will do in the meantime.

Practitioner tip: Each June, compare your P60 with the figures in your personal tax account. A mismatch is far easier to fix then than at the January tax return deadline.

Illustrative example: changing jobs mid-year

Illustrative example. Assumptions: fictional person, PAYE income only. No tax calculations shown.

Daniel leaves his job on 30 November 2026 and starts a new one on 2 January 2027, staying past 5 April 2027.

30 November 2026: his old employer gives him a P45 showing pay and tax to date.
2 January 2027: he gives Parts 2 and 3 to his new employer and keeps Part 1A. His new payroll can tax him correctly from day one.
By 31 May 2027: his new employer gives him a P60 for 2026/27, including the earlier job’s figures from the P45.
Result: one P45 and one P60 for the year. No P60 from his first employer.

Two variations: if Daniel had left in late March and started after 6 April, his P45 would belong to the old tax year, and his first new P60 would cover only the new year. If he had lost the P45 and used a starter checklist, his new P60 might show only the new job’s pay. HMRC still receives both employers’ figures and reconciles the year.

Common mistakes with P45s and P60s

Giving a new employer your P60 instead of your P45. They need your year-to-date figures and leaving tax code.
Throwing away a P45 between jobs. Keep Part 1A for benefits, refunds or a tax return.
Counting pay twice on a tax return. If your new P60 already includes your previous job, do not add the P45 figures again. Report each employer separately.
Treating the P60 pay figure as your salary. It is taxable pay, which can be lower.
Missing an electronic P60. Check your payroll portal before chasing.
Ignoring errors. Check your name, National Insurance number and tax code. A wrong NI number can leave pay missing from your HMRC record.

Where does the P11D fit in?

A P11D lists taxable benefits in kind, such as a company car or private medical insurance, rather than pay. If you get one, your employer should give it to you by 6 July after the tax year ends.

If your employer taxes your benefits through payroll instead, it does not need to submit a P11D, but it must still tell you what each benefit is worth. If it cannot give you the details, contact HMRC.

In one line each: a P60 covers your full year with a current employer, a P45 covers the year up to leaving a job, and a P11D covers taxable benefits.

Frequently asked questions

What’s a P60 in simple terms?

A once-a-year summary from your employer or pension provider showing your pay and the Income Tax and National Insurance taken from it. Put simply, a P 60 is your official PAYE record for the year with that employer.

Can I use a P45 instead of a P60?

Usually not, because a P45 covers only part of the year. The exception is a job you left before 5 April: you will not get a P60 for it, so the P45 is the right record.

Is a P60 proof of income?

Yes. It is one of the main documents lenders accept as proof of employed income, often alongside recent payslips.

Is an electronic P60 valid?

Yes. Employers can issue P60s on paper or electronically, and a downloaded P60 is just as valid.

How long should I keep my P60 and P45?

If you file Self Assessment on time, keep them for at least 22 months after the end of the tax year. If you file late, keep them for at least 15 months after filing. Self-employed people must keep records for at least five years after the 31 January deadline. Many people simply keep every P60, as they are useful for mortgages and refund checks.

Do pensioners get a P60?

Yes, for any pension paid through PAYE. If you also work, you get a separate P60 from your employer.

I have two jobs. Will I get two P60s?

Yes. Each employer you work for on 5 April gives you its own P60.

Need help with your P60 or P45 figures?

A wrong tax code, pay counted twice on a tax return, or a refund that never arrived after a job change are all common problems, and usually simple to fix once someone checks the paperwork.

Speak to Major Accountancy about [Tax SERVICE, e.g. tax refund checks and Self Assessment support]. We can review your forms, explain what they mean, and deal with HMRC for you once you have authorised us.

Sources

Author: [Written by Marina Jahan ]
Reviewed by: Shamayun Chowdhury, Senior Accountant, Major Accountancy

P60 vs P45: What’s a P60 & How It Differs (UK Guide)