Replacement P45: What to Do If Yours Is Lost or Missing (UK Guide)

Searching for a replacement P45 usually starts the same way: you've lost the paper copy, your old employer says they sent one that never arrived, or you simply never got one in the first place — and now a new job or a mortgage application is waiting on it. The frustrating truth is that a formal replacement P45 doesn't exist, which trips up a lot of people who assume it works like reordering a bank card. This guide explains exactly why that is, what you can realistically expect instead, and the practical routes that get your tax position sorted anyway — usually within days.

What Is a P45 and Why You Might Need One

A P45 is the form your employer must give you when you leave a job, whether you resigned, were made redundant, or your contract ended. It's split into four parts: Part 1 goes to HMRC directly from your employer, Part 1A is for you to keep, and Parts 2 and 3 go to your next employer, or to Jobcentre Plus if you're claiming benefits. Without it, your new employer often can't apply your correct, cumulative tax code straight away, which is exactly why a replacement P45 feels so urgent the moment you realise it's missing.

What Information Appears on a P45

According to GOV.UK, a P45 tells your new employer:

• Your leaving date from the previous job
• Your total pay and tax paid from 6 April up to the date you left
• Your tax code at the point you left
• Your National Insurance number and other personal details

Because this information only ever existed as the specific document your former employer produced, there's nothing centrally stored that HMRC can simply hand back to you — which is the root of nearly every question people have about getting one back. This is also why the exact wording you use matters less than who you ask: an HMRC contact centre will point you straight to your employer or to your Personal Tax Account, since neither department nor system was ever set up to reissue the original form.

Why Employers and Employees Both Need It

Your new employer relies on these figures to carry your tax position forward correctly rather than starting from scratch. Employers also have an interest in a smooth handover: without a P45 or its replacement, they may need to apply a temporary tax code until your details are confirmed, which can mean extra admin on their side too. Understanding this shared need is what makes the alternatives further down this guide so useful — for employees and payroll teams alike.

This is how the paper copy of a UK P45 looks:

Can You Get a Replacement P45?

This is the question almost everyone asks first, and the honest answer, confirmed directly on GOV.UK, is no: if you've lost your P45, or your employer says they sent one but it never arrived, you cannot get a replacement P45. That single fact changes the whole approach — instead of chasing a duplicate, the practical move is to fill in a Starter Checklist for your new employer while you work on retrieving the underlying figures elsewhere.

Why HMRC Won't Issue a Replacement P45

HMRC doesn't create or store the physical P45 form — it's generated by your former employer's payroll software from data they hold. Because of this, there's no HMRC department that can produce a replacement P45 on request, and no online form, helpline, or Government Gateway service exists to recreate one from scratch. That gap is precisely why the Starter Checklist was introduced as the standard substitute.

What Your Former Employer Can Provide Instead

Even though a true replacement P45 isn't possible, many payroll teams can still resend a copy of the original document they already issued — re-emailing the same PDF, for example, or reprinting it from their system. This isn't a new P45, just a copy of the one you already have a right to, and it's always worth asking your old employer's HR or payroll department before assuming nothing can be done. If the company has since closed or stopped trading, your Personal Tax Account, covered below, becomes the more reliable route to the same figures.

How to Request a Replacement P45: Step-by-Step

Because a formal replacement isn't possible, sorting this out in practice means getting the correct tax code and figures to your new employer through the routes below.

Step 1: Ask Your Previous Employer First

Start here. If they simply haven't sent it yet, ask them to issue it — you're entitled to a P45 when you leave a job. If it was sent and lost in transit, ask whether they can resend the same copy by email or through a payroll portal; many systems can regenerate a copy in minutes. If the company has since closed, moved, or been acquired, try their former HR contact or the payroll provider they used, as records are sometimes still held by a third-party bureau even after the business itself has stopped trading.

Step 2: Complete a Starter Checklist

If your old employer can't help, or your new job starts sooner than a copy can arrive, fill in HMRC's Starter Checklist and give it to your new employer. It asks about your employment history since 6 April so payroll can apply the closest correct tax code from your very first payday, rather than defaulting to the most cautious emergency setting. This is the fastest fix available whenever the paperwork genuinely isn't going to arrive in time, and it takes only a few minutes to complete online.

• Use it if you're changing jobs and have no P45
• Use it if this is your first job, or an additional job
• Answer the employment-status questions carefully — this is what determines your starting tax code
• Submit it to your new employer, not to HMRC directly — they use it to set up your payroll record

Alternatives to a Replacement P45

If you need the figures a P45 would show for a reason other than starting a new job — for example, a mortgage application, a Self Assessment return, or checking you haven't overpaid tax — you don't need a replacement P45 at all. HMRC lets you view and download your pay and tax details for the last five tax years directly.

Your Personal Tax Account

Your Personal Tax Account, accessible via Government Gateway sign-in, shows employment history, pay, and tax deducted for each of the last five tax years — effectively the same information a P45 would show, without needing anyone else to send it to you. Once signed in, look for the "Pay As You Earn" section and select "view income tax and employment history" for a full breakdown by employer and tax year. It's free to set up and remains the quickest self-service option for a job you left years ago.

Check Your Income Tax Online Service

If the pay or tax figures on a P45 you already have look wrong, HMRC's "Check your Income Tax" online service lets you flag the discrepancy rather than chasing your employer directly. HMRC will then contact the employer to confirm the correct details. This service is separate from the Personal Tax Account, though both are accessed through the same Government Gateway login.

Starting a New Job Without a Replacement P45

If payday arrives before you've secured any of the options above, don't panic — a Starter Checklist is a normal, accepted substitute, and most people go through this at least once in their working life. Payroll teams process new starters without a P45 all the time, so there's no need to delay your start date.

Emergency Tax Codes Explained

Without a P45 or completed Starter Checklist, some employers may apply an emergency, non-cumulative tax code — sometimes shown with "W1" or "M1" after it — as a precaution. This usually means slightly more tax is deducted temporarily than you'll owe over the full year, and it's almost always corrected automatically once your full details reach HMRC.

Fixing an Incorrect Tax Code

Once your new employer has your P45 or Starter Checklist information, HMRC should automatically correct your tax code after your first payday. If it's still wrong after that, you can update it through your Personal Tax Account or by contacting HMRC directly — the correction happens through your tax code, not through the form itself. Keep an eye on your first two or three payslips, as this is when most tax code errors become obvious and easiest to fix.

Frequently Asked Questions

Needing a replacement P45 feels urgent, but it rarely causes lasting problems. Contact your previous employer first, use the Starter Checklist so your new employer can apply a sensible tax code from day one, and lean on your Personal Tax Account for the historical figures. For the official position straight from the source, see HMRC's own guidance: P45 Guidance.