How do you set up your tax record when starting work in the United Kingdom?

If you left a previous UK job, give payroll the P45, the certificate showing pay, tax, leaving date, and tax code. Keep your own section.

If you have no P45, complete the official starter checklist. It asks about earlier jobs or pensions in the tax year, benefits, student loans, and whether this is your only job.

Give the checklist to the employer, not directly to the tax authority. A worker seconded by an overseas employer has a separate expatriate starter checklist.

Review gross pay, taxable pay, tax code, income tax, National Insurance contributions, pension, student-loan deductions, and net pay.

A temporary or emergency code can overtax or undertax the first payments when payroll lacks information. Do not assume the employer can rewrite a code sent by the tax authority.

Use the official online Income Tax service or personal tax account to check employers, estimated income, benefits, and code. Update missing or incorrect employment details through the specified service.

Income-tax treatment can differ for Scottish taxpayers and, in some respects, Welsh taxpayers. The address and residence information held by the tax authority helps determine the correct status and code prefix.

Update the record after moving between England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Work location alone does not always determine taxpayer status.

A National Insurance number helps match records but is separate from the tax code. You can begin lawful employment while its application is pending.

Keep every payslip and the year-end P60 certificate, which summarises employment pay and tax. These records help with refunds, visa evidence, mortgages, and later pension checks.