Lost P60? Here's Exactly How to Get a Replacement in the UK

Misplaced your P60 right when you need it for a mortgage application, a rental reference, or a tax query? A lost P60 is one of the most common payroll headaches in the UK, and it usually strikes at the worst possible moment — when a lender, letting agent, or HMRC is waiting on proof of your income. The good news is that a missing document like this is almost always recoverable, and in most cases you can get the same figures back within a few minutes online. This guide walks through exactly who to contact, what HMRC can and cannot do, and how to avoid losing your P60 again next year.

This is how the paper copy of a UK P60 looks:

What Is a P60 and Why It Matters

A P60 is the end-of-year certificate your employer issues showing your total pay and the tax and National Insurance deducted during that tax year, which runs from 6 April to 5 April. Employers must give every employee still on their payroll on 5 April a P60 by 31 May, either on paper or electronically. It's easy to see why misplacing it causes stress: the document is often the fastest piece of paperwork that proves both your income and how much tax you've already paid, which is exactly why so many people search for help the moment theirs goes missing.

Note for Self-Employed / Sole Traders: P60 certificates are strictly for PAYE employees. If you are self-employed or operate as a sole trader, you will not receive a P60. Instead, you should use your official SA302 Tax Calculation summary or Tax Year Overview downloaded directly from your HMRC Self Assessment online account to prove your annual income.

What Information Is on a P60

• Your total pay for the tax year, from this employer
• Total Income Tax deducted under PAYE
• National Insurance contributions
• Your tax code and National Insurance number
• Any student loan repayments deducted

Why You Might Need It

People typically need to track this information down for a handful of recurring reasons: applying for a mortgage, renewing a tenancy, completing a Self Assessment return ahead of the strict 31 January filing deadline, checking they haven't overpaid tax, or applying for Universal Credit, Maternity Allowance, and other DWP benefits that require verified proof of historical earnings. (Note: For Universal Credit, the DWP can often view your Real-Time Information (RTI) records automatically, but an official HMRC Statement of Earnings or duplicate P60 may still be requested as supporting evidence.) Whatever the reason, the underlying figures are almost always retrievable, even if the original paperwork genuinely can't be found.

When It Should Arrive, and What to Check First

Every employer running PAYE has to issue this certificate to each employee who was on their payroll on 5 April, and it must reach you no later than 31 May following the end of that tax year. It can arrive as a printed slip, a PDF attachment, or a document sitting inside a payroll portal — so before you treat it as genuinely missing, it's worth double-checking your junk email folder and any staff app you may have stopped using. A surprising number of "missing" documents turn out to be sitting unread in an inbox, rather than actually lost at all.

How to Recover a Lost P60

If you're dealing with this right now, work through the steps below in order — most people resolve it at step one or two without ever needing to contact HMRC directly.

Step 1: Contact Your Employer First

Your employer is the only body that actually issues a P60, so they're always the first port of call when yours has gone astray. Employers are required to keep PAYE records for at least three years, and most payroll systems can reprint or re-email a copy in minutes. If the document is reissued, it may be clearly marked "duplicate" — that's completely normal and still valid for official use.

Step 2: Check Your Digital Payroll Portal

Many employers now use cloud payroll software, meaning your P60 may already be sitting in a portal you haven't checked. Before assuming it's genuinely gone, look for:

• An employee self-service HR portal or app
• A dedicated payslip and payroll document platform
• Old emails from your payroll department around late May or early June

Step 3: Ask a Previous Employer If You've Since Changed Jobs

If the tax year in question was spent at a job you've since left, don't rule out contacting that former employer directly — payroll teams are used to handling this kind of request and, as noted above, they're required to retain the underlying records for a minimum of three years. Have your start and end dates, National Insurance number, and payroll or employee number ready, as this speeds up the search considerably.

What to Do If Your Employer Can't Help

Sometimes the employer that issued the original document has closed, changed payroll provider, or simply can't locate historic records. This situation still isn't a dead end, because HMRC separately holds the same underlying pay and tax data that was reported to them under Real Time Information (RTI).

Using Your HMRC Personal Tax Account

The quickest self-service route back to these figures is the free HMRC Personal Tax Account. You can sign in using your standard Government Gateway credentials (or set them up using your National Insurance number and standard identity documents like a UK passport or photocard driving licence). Once logged in, navigate to the 'PAYE' section to view your exact income and tax records for the current year and the previous four tax years.

Alternatively, sign in via the official HMRC Mobile App on iOS or Android. The app provides a dedicated button to export and download a official PDF summary of your earnings directly to your smartphone, which is often accepted immediately by banks and letting agents without waiting for posted documents.

Contacting HMRC Directly for a Statement of Earnings

For older tax years, or if you'd rather not use the online service, call HMRC and ask for a statement of earnings. This letter isn't a P60 itself, but it sets out the same gross pay and tax figures and is widely accepted by lenders, letting agents, and other official bodies as a substitute. For the official government guidance on this process, see HMRC's P60 Guidance page.

Who to Contact	What They Can Provide	Best For
Current or former employer	A reissued/duplicate P60	Records from the last 3 years, employer still trading
HMRC Personal Tax Account / app	Same PAYE pay and tax figures, viewable instantly	Current tax year plus previous 4 years
HMRC by phone (0300 200 3300)	A written statement of earnings	Older years, or employer has ceased trading

Lost P60 vs Lost P45: Key Differences

It's worth knowing that not every missing PAYE form is treated the same way. This one can be reissued by an employer, but the same isn't true of every payslip document you might be missing.

Document	Can It Be Reissued?	What Happens If It's Lost
P60	Yes	Employer can reissue, or HMRC can confirm the figures
P45	No	New employer uses a starter checklist instead
P11D	Yes, on request	Employer or HMRC can confirm reported benefits

Why a Lost P45 Works Differently

A P45 is a one-off record of your leaving position at a specific employer, and unlike the P60 process above, a missing P45 genuinely cannot be duplicated once it's gone. Instead, your new employer will ask you to complete a starter checklist, which lets them apply the correct tax code without needing the original form.

Related Sub-Point: P11D Benefits Records

If you've also mislaid a P11D, showing benefits such as a company car or private medical cover, your employer's payroll or HR team can usually confirm what was reported, and HMRC can do the same if the employer no longer exists.

How Long You Should Keep a P60

The best way to avoid ever dealing with this problem again is to store each year's copy the moment it arrives. HMRC recommends keeping tax records, including P60s, for at least 22 months after the end of the tax year they relate to — longer if you're self-employed or submit Self Assessment returns, where records should be kept for at least five years after the 31 January filing deadline.

• Save a digital copy (PDF or photo) as soon as you receive it
• Store it in the same cloud folder as your other tax documents each year
• Keep paper copies in a dated folder if your employer only issues printed forms
• Set a yearly reminder around late May to check it has actually arrived

It's also worth telling your payroll or HR contact if you change your personal email address, since a bounced end-of-year email is one of the most common reasons employees end up needing a replacement in the first place. A five-minute habit each spring can save a much longer phone call to HMRC later on, and it's a habit worth building into your calendar alongside other annual admin like renewing insurance or checking your tax code.

Frequently Asked Questions

It can feel stressful to lose a P60, but it's rarely a serious issue. Your first port of call should be your employer, with your HMRC Personal Tax Account or the HMRC app as a backup, and a statement of earnings as a last resort if no other copy can be tracked down. Once you receive a replacement p60, take two minutes to save a digital copy of your P60 so a missing P60 never causes problems again.