Lost your P60? How to get a copy (2026)

If you have lost your P60, ask your employer's payroll team for a copy, which most can produce within a few days, and check your payroll portal first because many employers keep every year's P60 there. If you have left the job, contact the former employer's payroll department. HMRC does not issue P60s, so the employer is the source, though HMRC can show you the pay and tax it holds for you.

How do I get a copy of a lost P60?

Start with your employer's payroll or HR portal, which often holds P60s for several years. If it is not there, email payroll with your name, your employee number or National Insurance number, and the tax year you need. For a job you have left, write to the payroll department at the old employer.

gov.uk explains the form on its PAYE forms page, and you can see what HMRC holds about your pay and tax for the current year on its Income Tax checking page.

What if I need a lost P60 for a tax return?

For Self Assessment you need the pay and tax figures, not necessarily the paper form. Your final payslip of the tax year usually carries the same year-to-date totals, and your employer can confirm them. The online deadline for the 2025 to 2026 return is 31 January 2027, which leaves time to ask for a copy.

gov.uk lists the rules on its Self Assessment page.

What if I lost my P60 and need it for a mortgage application?

A lender wants proof of your income, and a missing P60 rarely stops an application. Most lenders accept your most recent payslips, often the last three, together with bank statements showing your salary arriving, and some accept a letter or reference from your employer.

If a lender specifically asks for the P60, ask payroll for a duplicate, tell the broker or lender you have asked, and send the payslips in the meantime. If you are self-employed, lenders look for your tax calculations and tax year overviews instead.

How can I prove my pay in the meantime?

Payslips, bank statements and an employer's letter all show it. If you have already uploaded payslips or statements to Era's document library, ask an assistant: "what was my total pay and tax for the 2025 to 2026 tax year, based on my payslips?" It answers from the documents and points to the page it used.

That will not replace an official P60 where one is required, and it gives you the figures straight away.

How do I make sure this never happens again?

Upload each P60 to the document library the day it arrives. Era reads and files it, with your payslips and tax forms, so Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini can find it when you ask. You can also ask the assistant for the number you need, such as total pay or tax paid, without searching for the file.

See what a P60 is for what each figure means, and the pricing page for what each Era plan includes.