HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs), United Kingdom · United Kingdom

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HMRC Starter Checklist: New Employee Without a P45 (PAYE)

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JustFill is an independent document-filling tool and is not affiliated with HMRC or GOV.UK. We help you complete the official PDF; we do not send anything to HMRC or your employer, and we do not provide tax advice. If you are unsure which statement or student loan plan applies to you, check GOV.UK or contact HMRC.JustFill is not affiliated with HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs), United Kingdom. This is an independent third-party tool to help you complete Starter Checklist. Always download the current blank form from the official source and verify your completed copy before signing or submitting. Official Starter Checklist from HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs), United Kingdom

Quick answer

The HMRC Starter Checklist is the form a new employee in the UK completes when they do not have a P45, so their employer can work out the right PAYE tax code from their first payday. You pick employee statement A, B or C, declare any student loan plan, and give the form to your employer — never to HMRC. JustFill fills the official Starter Checklist PDF online free.

Form
Starter Checklist
Issued by
HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs), United Kingdom
Country
United Kingdom
Cost to fill
Free

What is Starter Checklist?

Starting a new job without a P45? The HMRC Starter Checklist (formerly known as the P46) is the form your new employer uses to work out your tax code before your first payday. JustFill turns the official GOV.UK PDF into a fillable form you complete in your browser — no printing, scanning, or Adobe needed. The checklist is short: your personal details and National Insurance number, one of three employee statements (A, B or C) about jobs, pensions and taxable benefits since 6 April, and your student loan plan type if you have one. Get it to your employer before their first payroll run, or they must put you on tax code 0T — no tax-free personal allowance — and you'll usually pay more tax than necessary until HMRC corrects your code.

Download the Starter Checklist form PDF — free

The official Starter Checklist PDF is a free download from GOV.UK at gov.uk/guidance/starter-checklist-for-paye — HMRC publishes the standard version plus a separate version for employees seconded to work in the UK by an overseas employer, and updates the form as tax rules change: the version in force for employees starting on or after 6 April 2026 adds Student Loan Plan 5. There is no fee and no registration. Instead of printing the checklist and filling it in by hand, upload the same free PDF to JustFill, answer questions 1 to 13 on screen with every entry legible, and download the completed copy to email or hand to your employer. HMRC also offers an online version of the service on GOV.UK if you prefer to answer the questions there and send your employer the result.

Get the official Starter Checklist PDF from HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs), United Kingdom

Who fills out Starter Checklist?

  • New employees in the UK starting a job without a P45 from a previous employer
  • People starting their first job ever, or their first job in the UK
  • Anyone returning to work after self-employment, a career break, or claiming benefits such as Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance
  • New starters who keep a second job or receive a State, workplace or private pension (Statement C)
  • Employees with a student or postgraduate loan — HMRC asks you to fill in the checklist even if you do have a P45, because the P45 does not show your plan type

Field-by-field breakdown

What each section of Starter Checklist asks for. JustFill’s AI will detect these fields automatically when you upload the PDF — review the breakdown below so you know what to enter.

Questions 1–2 — Name

Last name and first names in full — the form asks you not to use initials or shortened names like Jim for James or Liz for Elizabeth.

Questions 3–5 — Personal details

Sex (as shown on your birth certificate or gender recognition certificate), date of birth, and home address with postcode and country.

Question 6 — National Insurance number

Your NI number if known — it lets HMRC match the payroll record to you.

Question 7 — Employment start date

The date your new job starts, in DD MM YYYY format.

Questions 8–10 — Employee statement questions

Three routing questions: do you have another job, do you receive a State, workplace or private pension, and have you received payments since 6 April from a job that ended or from JSA, ESA or Incapacity Benefit.

Statement A, B or C

A = first job since 6 April with none of those payments (full personal allowance); B = another job ended or taxable benefits since 6 April but no P45 (personal allowance on a week 1/month 1 basis); C = you currently have another job or a pension (tax code BR).

Questions 11–13 — Student loans

Whether you have a student or postgraduate loan, whether payroll deductions should be made at all (for example you're still studying, have already repaid in full, or repay the Student Loans Company by direct debit), and which plan you repay: Plan 1, 2, 4 or 5, plus the postgraduate loan box if it applies alongside.

Declaration

Full name in capital letters, signature, and date confirming the information you've given is correct.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • 1Sending the form to HMRC — it goes to your employer only. The form itself is printed with 'Do not send this form to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)'.
  • 2Choosing Statement A when you've had another job or claimed JSA, ESA or Incapacity Benefit since 6 April — the wrong statement means the wrong tax code and over- or underpaid tax until HMRC corrects it.
  • 3Ticking more than one student loan plan in question 13 — select the single plan you are due to repay (Plan 1, 2, 4 or 5); only the postgraduate loan box can be ticked alongside a plan.
  • 4Skipping the student loan questions because you gave your employer a P45 — the P45 does not show your plan type, so deductions may start on the wrong plan or not at all.
  • 5Handing it in after your first payday — if payroll runs with neither a P45 nor the checklist, your employer must use tax code 0T on a week 1/month 1 basis and keeps that code until HMRC sends a new one, so complete the checklist before you are first paid.

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Frequently asked questions

Yes — the Starter Checklist replaced the old form P46. Some employers and payroll software still call it a P46, but the current form to use is the Starter Checklist published on GOV.UK.
No. You give the completed form to your employer — by hand, post or email — and they use it to fill in their first Full Payment Submission for you. The form itself says 'Do not send this form to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)'.
Statement A gets the current personal allowance, Statement B gets the personal allowance on a week 1/month 1 (non-cumulative) basis, and Statement C gets code BR — basic-rate tax on all pay from this job. HMRC reviews the code after your employer's first submission and sends a correction if needed.
Your employer must put you on tax code 0T on a week 1/month 1 basis, which gives no tax-free personal allowance — so your first payday is usually taxed more heavily than necessary. Completing the checklist before payroll runs avoids this.
Question 6 asks for your NI number 'if known', so you can still hand in the checklist without it. You can find the number in the HMRC app, your personal tax account, or on payslips and official letters — pass it to your employer as soon as you have it.
Usually no: give your employer parts 2 and 3 of your P45 instead. But HMRC asks you to complete the checklist as well if you have a student or postgraduate loan, whether or not you have a P45, because the P45 does not show which plan type your employer should deduct.

Official source: Starter Checklist on HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs), United Kingdom’s website

JustFill is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs), United Kingdom or any government agency. Always verify your completed form on the official version before signing or submitting.