No P45 and starting new job

[Smurfgirl]

I finished my last job in September 2005 and have finally got the contract etc for a new one today but I don't have a P45 from my last job (grrr).

I have rang them a few times to ask - I am owed £70 by IR which I cannot get without it as well.

I rang HR at my new job and they said it would be ok not to have it but is it really? Will it affect my tax in any way?

Oh and is there any way I can make my old workplace give me my P45

Smae here!! My last emploter issued my P45 with incorrect info so I had to send it back and now I've been waiting 4 months for the replacement. Are they legally obliged to produce one???
Anyone know?

If you do not have a P45 then you can ask your new employer for a P46. Once this is filled in your new employer will deduct tax at the base rate (BR) until the the IR have worked out how much tax is to be deducted.

P45 from 2005 is not relevant to this tax year. You need to sign a P46 to declare it is your only job.
You need to speak to the tax office about the old tax.

Oops dont know how that second 'the' creeped in!

Would that be why my ex employer hasn't sent me mine i.e. we are now in a different tax year??

A P45 from last tax year is not relevant to your new employer as the information on it (last year's tax code & how much tax you'd paid last tax year) is not relevant to them this tax year. They will contact HMRC to confirm your tax code for this tax year. (You might be on a temporary coding initially until they confirm this)

However your old employer should still have sent you a P45. I would ring your tax office & ask their advice, perhaps you would be able to fill in a tax return to get back the £70 you are owed. Your old employer will have filed their end of year returns by now (the deadline was something like 19th May) for each employee (or HRMC fine them!!) so HRMC will now know what your earnings & tax were for last year.

You will have to fill out a P46 if you don't have a P45. A P45 from 2005 would be of no use to your employer. There are three different outcomes of doing so, depending on how you complete it.

A. If you declare that you have not had any other employment since 6th April this year, you will be put on 522L which is the standard personal code for this year.

B. If you declare that this is your main job, but you have had other employment since 6th April you will be put on 522L but on a weekly/monthly basis which means you will get the free pay allowance for each particular pay period (£435.75 per month tax free), but it will not reassess any other tax you may have paid this year (because your new employer won't have this informaton).

C. If you declare that you have another job/pension/source of income, you will be put on BR which will deduct 22% from everything you earn.

In addition, you will have to declare if you have a student loan and, if you do and you earn over £15000 per annum, your employer wil be obliged to start recovering it.

In all scenarios, the P46 will then be sent to the HMRC who will then look at your personal situation and provide a permanent coding to your employer.