Working for an employer Tax forms
You'll have to fill in a P46 if you're starting your first job
As well as forwarding tax to HMRC, employers issue important tax forms that employees need to keep safe. The information they contain is vital if you want to query your tax code, claim a tax refund or are required to complete a tax return.
P11D (P9D if you earn under £8,500 a year)
Form P11D and form P9D show the amount of taxable benefits and reimbursed expenses you have received from your employer over the tax year (April to April).
You should be issued with this by 6 July. If your employer has a dispensation for any expenses, such as reimbursed business travel, these will not be shown on your P11D.
Use the amounts given on this form to report the taxable value of fringe benefits and expenses on your tax return.
P60
Form P60 is a summary of your pay and tax deductions (including National Insurance, and statutory payments, such as maternity pay and student loan deductions), that your employer should give you by 31 May.
This normally shows taxable pay after pension contributions and any payroll giving. This is the definitive statement of your earnings for the tax year to put on the employment supplement of your tax return.
P60U
If you are unemployed you will be issued with a P60U form by Jobcentre Plus at the end of the tax year. This shows your taxable state benefits and tax deducted. This gives you the figures you may need to report on page TR3 of the main tax return.
P45
If you leave your job during the tax year you will be issued with a P45 rather than a P60.
It shows how much taxable pay you received from your employer in that year and how much tax you have paid.
You should give this to your new employer or Jobcentre Plus so they can start deducting the correct amount of income tax from your pay or benefits straight away.
P46
If you do not have a P45 to give a new employer when you start work (for example, because this is your first job or you have not been working or claiming benefits recently), your employer will instead ask you to complete a P46 so that the correct tax can be deducted from your pay.
- For any tax query, call our experts on the Which? Money Helpline
- Confused about tax credits? Take a look at our full guide
- Filling in a tax return? Read our full expert guide