What a P45 is
When you leave a job, your employer should give you a P45. It shows your leaving date, your total pay and tax from 6 April until the date you left, and your tax code. It also includes personal details such as your National Insurance number.
When you hand in your notice, GOV.UK suggests asking your employer when you will get your P45.
What to do with it
Your new employer may still ask you to fill in the starter checklist even if you give them a P45.
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Starting a new job | Give the P45 to your new employer. With a paper P45, give them Parts 2 and 3 and keep Part 1a. |
| Not working and claiming taxable benefits | Give the P45 to Jobcentre Plus. |
| You need the figures for something else | View and download pay and tax details for the last 5 tax years in your personal tax account or the HMRC app. |
No P45?
| What happened | What GOV.UK says to do |
|---|---|
| Your previous employer did not give you one | Ask them for it. Without a P45 you might pay the wrong amount of tax at your new job. |
| You lost it, or your employer says they sent it but it never arrived | You cannot get a replacement. Fill in the starter checklist instead. |
| This is your first job, or an additional job | Fill in the starter checklist. |
| You have stopped getting Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker's Allowance or Incapacity Benefit | You get a P45 from Jobcentre Plus. |
Filling in the starter checklist
Your new employer uses the checklist to add you to payroll and work out your tax code and deductions on your first pay. Ask them when they need it. You can email it, post it or hand it to them.
If you have already had your first pay, do not use the starter checklist. Use HMRC's "check your Income Tax" online service instead.
- Whether you have had another job or pension since 6 April.
- Your National Insurance number.
- The start date of your new job.
- Your student or postgraduate loan plan, if you have one.
- Whether you have had Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker's Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Universal Credit since 6 April.
- Your passport number, if you have been sent to work in the UK temporarily.
If the P45 looks wrong
If the pay or tax figures are wrong, ask your previous employer for an amended P45. If you cannot get one, tell HMRC using the "check your Income Tax" online service; HMRC will then ask the employer for the correct details.
If your personal details are wrong, fill in the starter checklist and give it to your new employer with your P45. This guide does not check whether your tax code or the tax taken is correct.
Common questions
Can I get a replacement P45?
No. GOV.UK says you cannot get a replacement if you have lost it or it never arrived. Fill in the starter checklist for your new employer instead.
Which parts do I give my new employer?
With a paper P45, give Parts 2 and 3 and keep Part 1a.
Is a P45 the same as a P60?
No. You get a P45 when you stop working for an employer. You get a P60 if you are working for an employer at the end of the tax year.
Official information
- GOV.UK: your P45
What a P45 shows, which parts to hand over, no replacements, starter checklist route, online records and corrections. Checked 8 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: why you get each form
P45 on leaving versus P60 at the end of the tax year; asking when you will get your P45. Checked 8 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: starter checklist if you're starting a new job
Who uses the checklist, the details needed, no saving part-way, not using it after first pay, and P45s from Jobcentre Plus. Checked 8 October 2026.