UK Tax Tools

P60 Tax deducted — Total income tax deducted in the year

Total income tax withheld from you via PAYE across this employer (and any previous employer in the same tax year).

At a glance

Entry
Total income tax deducted in the year
Feeds to
Self Assessment SA102 Box 3 (UK tax taken off pay) — offsets your computed tax liability.
Check against
Sum of the PAYE income tax line on every payslip in the tax year.

What this means

This shows your total PAYE income tax deduction for the tax year ended 5 April. It is calculated by your employer(s) using your tax code, the HMRC PAYE tables, and any mid-year code changes HMRC issued.

If you had multiple employers in the same tax year and gave your P45 to each, this figure is the cumulative total. If you didn't hand over your P45, the first portion will have been calculated on an emergency or BR code — check whether you overpaid.

Implications for your tax

  • Offsets your final tax liability on Self Assessment (SA102 Box 3) or in the P800 reconciliation HMRC issues to non-SA filers.
  • If too high (because of an emergency or BR code), expect a refund via P800 or SA.
  • If too low (e.g., you were on a wrong K or 0T code), HMRC will issue an underpayment notice.

Common pitfalls

  • The PAYE system is cumulative by default — look out for a tax code marked "W1" or "M1" which indicates non-cumulative treatment. That usually signals a mid-year issue HMRC hasn't yet sorted.
  • If your P60 tax figure seems wrong vs. what your payslips added up to, ask payroll for the PAYE reconciliation they used.

Worked example

A full-year employee on £40,000 taxable pay, standard code, no other adjustments (2025-26, England/Wales/NI rates):

Taxable pay for the year
£40,000
Personal allowance
− £12,570
Income taxed at 20% (all within the basic-rate band)
£27,430
P60 “Tax deducted”
£5,486.00

A materially higher figure usually traces back to an emergency, BR or K code — check the final tax code box.

FAQ

What does the P60 Tax deducted mean?
Total income tax withheld from you via PAYE across this employer (and any previous employer in the same tax year). This shows your total PAYE income tax deduction for the tax year ended 5 April. It is calculated by your employer(s) using your tax code, the HMRC PAYE tables, and any mid-year code changes HMRC issued.
Where does P60 Tax deducted go on my tax return?
Self Assessment SA102 Box 3 (UK tax taken off pay) — offsets your computed tax liability.

Related P60 entries

Leaving a job instead? The equivalent leaver's figures are on your P45 — see the P45 Box Guide.

Reconciling your pay? Use the take-home pay calculator to verify PAYE and NI on any salary for 2025/26 or 2026/27, and the tax code checker to decode your final tax code.

Sources

P60 structure per HMRC PAYE forms guidance. Thresholds and rates current for 2025/26 (tax year 6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026); 2026/27 figures included where published.

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