P45 vs P60 — What Each Document Actually Tells You in 2026
A plain-English explanation of the difference between a P45 and a P60, when you get each one, and why both matter for your 2026/27 tax record.
Two Documents, Two Different Triggers
The P45 and P60 are both official payroll documents, but they are triggered by completely different events and cover different periods, which is the source of most confusion:
| P45 | P60 | |
|---|---|---|
| Triggered by | Leaving a job | End of the tax year (5 April) |
| Covers | Pay/tax for that employment, from the start of the tax year up to leaving | Pay/tax for the full tax year with the employer you were with on 5 April |
| Issued by | Employer you are leaving | Employer you are working for on 5 April |
| Number of copies per year | One per job you leave | Just one, from your final/ongoing employer as of 5 April |
What a P45 Is Used For
A P45 exists primarily to hand your correct tax position to your next employer, avoiding the need for an emergency tax code. It shows your tax code, total taxable pay and total tax deducted from that specific employment, up to and including your final pay date. Giving your new employer this document (or completing an accurate starter checklist if you don't have one, for example if this is your first job) is the main way to ensure your tax is calculated correctly from your very first payslip in a new role.
What a P60 Is Used For
A P60 is a year-end summary rather than a leaving document, and it has broader uses beyond simply informing a future employer — it is commonly requested as proof of income for mortgage applications, tax credit or Universal Credit reviews, and various other financial checks. It is also the document many people use to double-check that the correct total tax was deducted across the full tax year, comparing the P60 figures against an independent calculation of what should have been due.
A Common Point of Confusion: Multiple Jobs
If you worked two jobs during the tax year but left one partway through, you will receive a P45 from the job you left (covering pay and tax up to your leaving date there) and a P60 from the job you were still in on 5 April (covering the full tax year with that employer). You will not receive a P60 from the job you already left — that employment is fully documented by its P45 instead.
Keeping These Documents Safe
Both documents matter for your personal tax record, and it's worth keeping digital or physical copies for at least a few years, since they can be needed for tasks well beyond the immediate tax year they relate to — mortgage applications and historical tax queries in particular often require several years of P60s.
Use the calculator below to check your total pay and tax for the year against the figures shown on your P60 or final payslip.
Frequently asked questions
When do I get a P45?
You receive a P45 when you leave a job — your employer is legally required to give you one shortly after your last day of employment. It shows your tax code, total pay and tax deducted for that employment up to your leaving date within the current tax year, and is used by your next employer to apply the correct tax code without needing to start you on an emergency code.
When do I get a P60?
You receive a P60 at the end of each tax year (by 31 May following the 5 April tax year end) from whichever employer you were working for on the last day of that tax year (5 April). It summarises your total pay and total tax deducted for the entire tax year with that employer, and is an important document for tasks like mortgage applications, tax credit renewals, or checking you haven't overpaid tax across the year.
What if I had two jobs during the tax year — do I get two P60s?
You only receive a P60 from the employer you were with on 5 April (the last day of the tax year) — not from every employer you worked for during the year. If you left a job partway through the tax year, that former employer should have given you a P45 instead, covering your pay and tax up to your leaving date with them; you do not get a P60 from a job you left before the tax year ended.
I've lost my P45 or P60 — can I get a replacement?
A P45 generally cannot be reissued in exactly the same form once lost, since it's tied to a specific leaving event, but your new employer can usually proceed using a starter checklist instead if you cannot provide it. A P60 replacement is more straightforward — many employers can reissue a duplicate P60 (sometimes marked 'duplicate'), or you can request an Employment History or tax year summary directly from HMRC if the original employer is no longer able to help.
Try the calculators
Related reading
P60, P45 and P11D Deadlines 2026/27: What Employers Owe You and When
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Leaving a Job Mid-Year — How Your Tax Position Gets Reconciled in 2026/27
Leaving a job partway through the tax year can leave your tax under- or over-paid relative to your final annual position. How reconciliation works in 2026/27.
How to Declare All Your Income on Self Assessment: Employment, Rental, Dividends and More (Part 3)
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