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Check if the tax on your payslip is correct

How to check if you’ve paid the right amount of tax, if your pay is not what you expected.

Updates to this page

From:
HM Revenue & Customs
Published:
16 January 2025
Last updated:
18 December 2025
Show all updates

  1. Explained how to compare the tax code in HMRC's online service or app to the tax code on your payslip. Added information on using the estimate your tax for the current year tool to check how much tax you should be paying. Information about paperless tax code updates and using online services has been removed because it duplicates content from other guidance.

  2. Added translation

To work out how much Income Tax you need to pay, your employer uses your tax code.

Your tax code is a combination of numbers and letters that are specific to your income and circumstances. If your tax code changes, your tax may be different.

Your employer takes the tax from your pay and gives it to HMRC. This is a way of paying tax called PAYE (Pay As You Earn).

Review your payslip

Every time you’re paid, you should get a payslip from your employer showing: 

  • your tax code 
  • your ‘gross’ pay — the total before deductions are taken off
  • any ‘deductions’ — money that is taken off your pay, for example tax, National Insurance contributions, pension contributions or student loans 
  • your ‘net’ pay — the amount you get, after the deductions have been taken off

You’ll need your tax code, the amount of tax you’ve paid and your gross pay to check if the tax is correct.

Compare your tax code

To find out if the tax is correct, you need to check if the tax code on your payslip matches the one HMRC has for you.

  1. Find your tax code in the check your Income Tax service or the HMRC app.

  2. Compare the tax code in the online service or app to the tax code on your payslip.

If the tax codes are different, speak to your employer.

If the tax codes are the same, find out what your tax code means.

Find out what your tax code means

You’ll need to find out if the tax code you’ve been given is suitable for your income and circumstances. To find out what your tax code means you can either:

If the tax code does not match your circumstances, you might be on the wrong tax code. Find out what to do if you think your tax code is wrong.

If the tax code matches your circumstances, it’s likely to be correct — check how much tax you should be paying.

Check how much tax you should be paying

You need to check if your tax code has been used to calculate your tax correctly.

  1. Enter the gross pay and tax code from your payslip into the estimate your tax for the current year tool.

  2. Compare the result to the tax on your payslip.

If they’re the same, the tax on your payslip is likely to be correct. 

If the tax on your payslip is different, speak to your employer.

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Contents

This page is Part of Start a new job: step by step

  1. Step 1 Get your National Insurance number

    You'll usually need your National Insurance number when you start your new job.

    1. Find your National Insurance number
    1. Apply for a National Insurance number if you do not already have one

  2. Step 2 Accept the job offer

    The offer might be ‘conditional’ or ‘provisional’, which means you may need to give further details to your new employer or pass pre-employment checks.

    1. Find out about your rights when accepting a job offer

  3. Step 3 Share your details for any employer checks

    Give your new employer what they need to complete any pre-employment checks.

    1. Find out what checks your employer can make
    1. Find out how to prove your right to work
    1. Find out about criminal record checks

  4. Step 4 Review your employment contract

    Your new employer should give you an employment contract. Check the terms before you agree to it.

    1. Find out about employment contracts

  5. and If you're leaving a job, hand in your notice

    Tell your current employer that you’re going to leave and when your last day will be. This is known as handing in your notice.

    1. Find out how to hand in your notice

    When you hand in your notice, ask your employer when you’ll get your P45.

    1. Find out about the P45

  6. Step 5 Prepare your personal information for your first day

    To get paid, you’ll need to give your new employer:

  7. Step 6 Give your P45 to your new employer

    Your new employer will use your P45 to work out how much tax to take from your pay.

    1. Find out about the P45

  8. or If you do not have a P45, fill in the starter checklist

    Use the starter checklist to give your employer details they need to work out your pay and tax.

    1. Fill in the starter checklist

  9. Step 7 Check your first payslip

    Your employer must give you a payslip on or before payday.

    1. Find out what should be on your payslip

    It’s your responsibility to make sure you’re paying the right amount of tax.

    1. You are currently viewing: Check if the tax on your payslip is correct

    If you think the tax is wrong, your tax code may be incorrect.

    1. Find out what to do if you think your tax code is wrong