What is a P60? A guide to the P60 form for employees and employers

Published Thursday 23 July 2026

Table of contents

• What is a P60?
• What information is on a P60?
• When do you get a P60?
• What is a P60 used for?
• P45 vs P60: what's the difference?
• What if you've lost your P60?
• What to do if your P60 looks wrong
• P60 responsibilities for employers
• Do you get a P60 if you're self-employed?
• Manage payroll and P60s with Xero
• FAQs on P60

Key takeaways

• A P60 is an end-of-year summary of your pay and the tax you've paid, and your employer must give you one by 31 May if you were still employed on 5 April.
• You'll use a P60 to prove your income and tax when you claim back overpaid tax, apply for benefits like Universal Credit, or apply for a mortgage or loan.
• A P45 covers your pay and tax up to the day you leave a job, while a P60 is an annual summary for anyone still employed at the end of the tax year.
• Employers must issue a P60 to every employee on the payroll on 5 April, and directors who draw a salary need to issue themselves one too.

What is a P60?

If you're employed, this is the form that sums up your year. A P60 is a form your employer gives you at the end of the tax year that shows your total pay and the tax you've paid on it.

It brings together the key figures from a full year of employment in one place. Your employer produces it through their payroll process, so you don't have to work anything out yourself.

The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April, and your P60 covers that period. Because it's an official record of your earnings and deductions, it's worth keeping somewhere safe.

What information is on a P60?

A P60 pulls together the details that matter for your income and tax in a single summary. Here's what you'll usually find on it:

• Your full name
• Your National Insurance number
• Your payroll number
• Your total pay for the year
• The income tax deducted
• Your National Insurance contributions
• Your final tax code
• Any statutory pay, such as Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Sick Pay
• Any student loan repayments

When do you get a P60?

The timing of your P60 is set by the tax year and a fixed deadline. You get it after the tax year ends on 5 April, and your employer must give it to you by 31 May.

Your employer can hand it over on paper or send it electronically. You only get a P60 if you were still employed on 5 April, so if you left before then, you won't receive one for that job.

Have more than one job at the same time? You'll get a separate P60 from each employer.

What is a P60 used for?

A P60 acts as official proof of your income and the tax you've paid over the year. That makes it useful whenever you need to confirm your earnings to someone else.

You'll often need it to:

• Claim back overpaid tax
• Apply for benefits like Universal Credit
• Apply for a mortgage or loan
• Complete a Self Assessment tax return if you have employment income alongside self-employment

Tax credits used to be a common reason to keep a P60 to hand, but they ended on 5 April 2025, so Universal Credit has taken their place.

P45 vs P60: what's the difference?

People often mix up these two forms because both deal with pay and tax. The difference comes down to timing: a P45 is about leaving a job, and a P60 is about the end of the tax year.

You get a P45 when you leave a job, and it covers your pay and the tax you paid up to your leaving date. You pass it to your next employer so they can set up your PAYE correctly.

A P60, by contrast, is an annual summary for anyone still employed on 5 April. So a P45 marks the end of one job, while a P60 wraps up a full tax year.

What if you've lost your P60?

Losing a P60 is common, and it's usually straightforward to sort out. You can ask your employer for a replacement, or view the same information in your HMRC personal tax account.

Your employer keeps records of the figures on your P60, so they can reissue it. You can also sign in to your HMRC personal tax account to see your pay and tax details for previous years.

It's worth keeping your P60 for at least 22 months after the end of the tax year it relates to, in case you need it later.

What to do if your P60 looks wrong

Mistakes on a P60 do happen, and it pays to spot them early. Start by checking the figures on your P60 against your payslips from across the year.

If something doesn't add up, contact your employer and ask for a corrected version. They can review the payroll records and reissue the form with the right figures.

Getting it right matters for your tax. Too little tax paid could mean penalties from HMRC, while too much could mean you're due a refund. For more on common problems and how to fix them, take a look at this guide to sorting out P60 issues.

P60 responsibilities for employers

If you employ people, issuing P60s is part of your year-end payroll duties. You must give a P60 to every employee on the payroll on 5 April, by 31 May, on paper or electronically.

You report the year's payroll figures to HMRC through your payroll software rather than sending the P60 itself. For a full breakdown of the year-end process, this P60 guide for employers walks through what's involved.

Miss the deadline and HMRC can charge a penalty of up to £300 for each late P60, plus up to £60 a day if the failure continues. In practice, HMRC is unlikely to pursue employers who fix the oversight quickly.

If you run a limited company and draw a salary, you count as an employee for this purpose, so you'll need to issue yourself a P60.

Do you get a P60 if you're self-employed?

Self-employment works differently from employment when it comes to tax paperwork. No, you don't get a P60 if you're self-employed, because your income isn't paid through PAYE.

Instead, you report your earnings and work out your tax through Self Assessment. If you also have an employed job alongside your self-employment, you'll get a P60 from that employer for the employed part of your income.

Manage payroll and P60s with Xero

Staying on top of payroll makes year-end far less stressful, whether you're checking your own P60 or issuing them to your team. When your pay records are accurate and up to date all year, producing P60s by 31 May becomes a simple final step rather than a scramble.

Xero keeps your payroll figures organised in one place, so the numbers on each P60 line up with what you've reported to HMRC. That means less manual admin and more confidence that everything's correct, so you can spend less time on payroll admin. Get one month free with Xero.

FAQs on P60

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about P60 forms to clear up the details not covered above.

Is a P60 the same as a payslip?

No, a payslip shows your pay and deductions for a single pay period, while a P60 summarises the whole tax year. You'll get regular payslips throughout the year but just one P60 at the end of it.

Can I get a copy of an old P60?

Yes, your employer can reissue a previous year's P60, and you can also find the figures in your HMRC personal tax account. Records are available for the current year and several previous years.

Do directors get a P60?

Yes, a director who draws a salary through PAYE gets a P60 like any other employee. If you're the only director, you'll need to issue it to yourself through your payroll software.

What should I do with my P60 once I've checked it?

File it somewhere safe alongside your other tax records, whether that's a folder or a secure digital copy. Keeping it to hand makes future mortgage applications and tax queries much quicker to deal with.