Paying an employee after giving them a P45

You need to tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) when one of your employees leaves or retires, and deduct and pay the right tax and National Insurance.

You must give your employee a P45 when they leave.

Paying an employee after giving them a P45

If you have to pay an employee after they leave (including someone you’re giving a taxable redundancy payment over £30,000):

  • use tax code 0T on a ‘week 1’ or ‘month 1’ basis (use the code S0T if they’re taxed at the Scottish rate or C0T if they’re taxed at the Welsh rate)
  • deduct National Insurance (unless it’s a redundancy payment) and any student loan repayments as normal – but if it’s an ‘irregular’ payment like accrued holiday pay or an unexpected bonus, treat it as a weekly payment
  • report the payment and deductions in your next FPS, using the employee’s original ‘Date of leaving’ and payroll ID, and set the ‘Payment after leaving’ indicator
  • give the employee written confirmation of the payment showing the gross amount and deductions
  • add the additional payment in the ‘Year to date’ field if the payment is in the same tax year

The payment should be the only one in the ‘Year to date’ field if it’s being paid in the next tax year.

You must not give the employee another P45