What is a P60 and what does every line mean?

Every April, if you're employed, your employer must give you a P60. Most people glance at it and file it away. But a P60 is actually one of the most useful documents HMRC produces — it's a complete summary of your earnings and deductions for the full tax year, and you'll need it for everything from claiming a tax refund to applying for a mortgage.

Here's what every line means, why the numbers matter, and what to do if something looks wrong.

What is a P60?

A P60 (officially the "End of Year Certificate") is issued by your employer after 5 April each year. It summarises:

• Your total gross earnings for the full tax year
• The total income tax deducted under PAYE
• Your total National Insurance contributions
• Any student loan deductions
• Your tax code at 5 April
• Your National Insurance number and employer's PAYE reference

You only receive a P60 if you were still employed on 5 April. If you left a job during the year, you received a P45 instead — which covers the same information up to your leaving date.

Line-by-line: what each section means

Pay in this employment

This is your total taxable pay from this employer for the full tax year (6 April to 5 April). It includes your basic salary, any bonuses or overtime, sick pay, and benefits paid through payroll. It does not include tax-free items like pension contributions made via salary sacrifice.

Tax deducted

The total income tax collected through PAYE across all 12 months (or however many months you were employed). This is the cumulative figure — if your tax code was corrected during the year, overpayments from earlier months will have already been credited back. If the final figure still looks too high, you may be owed a refund.

Previous employment (pay and tax)

If you changed jobs during the tax year and gave your P45 to your new employer, the P60 should also show the pay and tax from your previous job(s). This gives you a single complete year-end document even if you worked for multiple employers.

In previous employment

The earnings and tax deducted from any previous employment in the same tax year (carried over from your P45). Added to "Pay in this employment" to give your total year figure.

Total for year

Pay and tax from all employments combined. This is the number that should match your Self Assessment return if you file one.

National Insurance contributions

Your P60 shows the NI "letter" (usually A for most employees) and the total employee NI deducted. This does not show employer NI — that's separate. Check that the letter is correct: the wrong NI category can mean you've paid the wrong rate.

NI contributions in this employment

The total employee NI deducted from this employer only. NI contributions are not cumulative across employers — unlike income tax, each employer calculates NI independently, so the P60 doesn't combine previous employment NI.

Student loan deductions

If you're repaying a student loan, the total amount deducted in the year is shown here. Useful for checking against the Student Loans Company's records, which sometimes diverge from HMRC's.

Tax code at 5 April

Your final tax code for the year. Ideally this should be 1257L (or a logical variation). If it ends in W1/M1, it means your tax was calculated on a non-cumulative basis all year — which often results in overpayment, especially if your income was higher in the first half of the year.

What your P60 is used for

• Tax refund claims: If your total tax deducted looks too high, you can use your P60 to claim a refund via your Personal Tax Account or form R40
• Mortgage applications: Lenders routinely ask for 2–3 years of P60s as proof of income. Keep them permanently.
• Self Assessment: The figures from your P60 are the primary source for completing your employment income section
• Benefits and tax credits: Many benefits are means-tested against your previous year's income — P60 figures are used as evidence
• Pension records: Your P60 may be needed to verify your pensionable pay if there's a dispute with your pension scheme

What to do if your P60 looks wrong

Common P60 errors include:

• Total pay doesn't match what you actually earned (check against your 12 payslips)
• Tax deducted is higher than expected (could indicate wrong code all year)
• Previous employment figures missing or wrong
• Student loan deductions shown when no loan exists (or vice versa)
• Wrong NI letter (e.g., Category B for a married woman who hasn't elected reduced rate)

First, cross-reference with your payslips. If there's a genuine discrepancy, raise it with your employer's payroll team — they can reissue a corrected P60. If the issue is tax-related, contact HMRC on 0300 200 3300 or via your Personal Tax Account.

When should you receive your P60?

Your employer must provide your P60 by 31 May following the end of the tax year. So for the 2025/26 tax year (ending 5 April 2026), you should have received your P60 by 31 May 2026. If you haven't, contact your payroll team — failure to issue a P60 is an HMRC compliance breach.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a replacement P60?

Yes — your employer can issue a duplicate marked "Duplicate P60." HMRC does not issue P60s directly. For previous years, ask your former employer; if they no longer exist, your year-end tax figures are available via your Personal Tax Account.

What if I had multiple jobs in the tax year?

You receive a separate P60 from each employer you were still working for on 5 April. Previous employment figures (from jobs you left during the year) should be included in the P60 from your main employer, but only if you provided your P45 when you switched jobs.

Does a P60 show pension contributions?

If your pension is via salary sacrifice, the deducted amount won't appear in "taxable pay" — it's reduced from gross before tax is calculated. If it's a relief-at-source arrangement, the full salary appears as taxable pay but tax relief is claimed separately. Your P60 will not show relief-at-source pension contributions directly.

Do self-employed people get a P60?

No. Self-employed individuals pay tax through Self Assessment, not PAYE, so no P60 is generated. Your annual accounts or SA302 form (available from HMRC) serves the equivalent purpose for income verification.

Use our overpaying tax checker to see if the figures on your P60 suggest you're owed a refund, or read our step-by-step guide to claiming a tax refund from HMRC.