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What is P60?

A P60 is an annual summary of your earnings and tax paid from a job, given to you by your employer after the tax year ends.

Example

Your P60 shows total salary £48,000, tax paid £7,200, NI paid £3,800 for the year.

Key Dates

Employer must provide by 31 May after tax year ends

How P60 Works in Practice

A P60 is an end-of-year certificate that your employer must issue to every employee who is on the payroll on 5 April (the last day of the tax year). It summarises your total pay, the Income Tax deducted, and the National Insurance contributions made during the tax year. If you are employed by your own limited company, the company must issue a P60 to you as a director-employee.

The P60 contains several key pieces of information: your total pay for the year (before tax), the total Income Tax deducted through PAYE, your National Insurance contributions (both employee and, on some formats, employer), your NI category letter, your tax code at the end of the year, and your National Insurance number. If you are in a workplace pension, the employee pension contributions may also be shown.

Employers must provide P60s by 31 May following the end of the tax year. So for the 2025/26 tax year (ending 5 April 2026), your P60 must be issued by 31 May 2026. P60s can be provided electronically or on paper -- there is no requirement for a physical document. Many payroll systems now make them available through online portals.

You should keep your P60 safe as it serves as proof of income and tax paid. You will need it when completing a Self Assessment return, applying for a mortgage or loan, claiming tax credits, or dealing with any HMRC queries about your tax position. HMRC recommends keeping P60s for at least 22 months after the end of the tax year they relate to, though keeping them for six years is prudent.

Step by Step

Your employer's payroll system automatically generates P60 data as part of the year-end payroll process. Throughout the year, every time you are paid, your employer reports the payment to HMRC in real time through RTI (Real Time Information) submissions. The P60 is essentially a summary of all those RTI submissions for the full tax year.

If you had more than one job during the year but were only employed by one at 5 April, you only receive a P60 from that employer. The earnings and tax from your earlier job would have been reported via a P45 when you left. For Self Assessment purposes, you need both documents to complete your return accurately.

As a company director, you typically process your salary through payroll software (or your accountant does). The software handles the RTI submissions to HMRC and generates the P60 at year end. If you only pay yourself annually, the P60 will show a single payment, but it is still required.

Practical Tips

  • Keep your P60s for at least six years -- HMRC can open enquiries into previous years, and you may need proof of income for mortgages or loans
  • Cross-check your P60 against your final payslip of the tax year to ensure the cumulative figures match
  • If you run your own company, set a reminder for May to generate and file your P60 through your payroll software
  • Use HMRC's Personal Tax Account to access historical pay and tax records if you have lost previous P60s

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Throwing away P60s -- you may need them years later for Self Assessment, mortgage applications, or HMRC investigations
  • Confusing a P60 with a P45 -- a P60 is an annual summary while employed, a P45 is issued when you leave a job
  • Not checking the P60 figures match your payslips -- errors in cumulative pay or tax can go unnoticed
  • Forgetting that as a director-employer you must still issue yourself a P60 through your company's payroll

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a P60 to complete my Self Assessment?

Yes, you need the figures from your P60 to accurately report your employment income on your Self Assessment return. The total pay and tax deducted fields map directly to the employment pages of the return.

What if I lost my P60?

Ask your employer (or former employer) for a replacement or a written statement of earnings and tax. Employers cannot issue a duplicate official P60 but can provide equivalent information. Alternatively, you can view your tax summary online through your HMRC Personal Tax Account.

Do I get a P60 if I left the job before 5 April?

No. If you left before the end of the tax year, you receive a P45 instead. A P60 is only issued to employees who are on the payroll on 5 April.

Can I access my P60 online?

Many employers now provide P60s electronically through payroll portals or HR systems. You can also view your pay and tax details for current and previous years through your HMRC Personal Tax Account on GOV.UK.

Source: HMRC Employer guidance on P60: https://www.gov.uk/paye-forms-p45-p60-p11d and PAYE Manual (PAYE82000): https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/paye-manual

Related Terms

P45

A P45 is a form you get when you leave a job, showing your earnings and tax paid so far in the tax year.

PAYE (Pay As You Earn)

PAYE is the system employers use to deduct Income Tax and National Insurance from employee wages before paying them.

Self Assessment

Self Assessment is the system HMRC uses to collect Income Tax from people who don't have all their tax deducted at source (via PAYE).

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