What your tax code means

Your tax code is made up of several numbers and a letter. 1257L is the tax code currently used for most people who have one job or pension. HMRC will usually contact you to explain how they worked out your individual tax code if your tax code changes. What the numbers mean The numbers in your tax code tell your employer or pension provider how much tax-free income you get in that tax year. HMRC works out your individual number based on your tax-free Personal Allowance and income you have not paid tax on (such as untaxed interest or part-time earnings). They also consider the value of any benefits from your job (such as a company car). What the letters mean Letters in your tax code refer to your situation and how it affects your Personal Allowance. Letters What they mean L You’re entitled to the standard tax-free Personal Allowance M Marriage Allowance : you’ve received a transfer of 10% of your partner’s Personal Allowance N Marriage Allowance : you’ve transferred 10% of your Personal Allowance to your partner T Your tax code includes other calculations to work out your Personal Allowance 0T Your Personal Allowance has been used up, or you’ve started a new job and your employer does not have the details they need to give you a tax code BR All your income from this job or pension is taxed at the basic rate (usually used if you’ve got more than one job or pension) D0 All your income from this job or pension is taxed at the higher rate (usually used if you’ve got more than one job or pension) D1 All your income from this job or pension is taxed at the additional rate (usually used if you’ve got more than one job or pension) NT You’re not paying any tax on this income S Your income or pension is taxed using the rates in Scotland S0T Your Personal Allowance (Scotland) has been used up, or you’ve started a new job and your employer does not have the details they need to give you a tax code SBR All your income from this job or pension is taxed at the basic rate in Scotland (usually used if you’ve got more than one job or pension) SD0 All your income from this job or pension is taxed at the intermediate rate in Scotland (usually used if you’ve got more than one job or pension) SD1 All your income from this job or pension is taxed at the higher rate in Scotland (usually used if you’ve got more than one job or pension) SD2 All your income from this job or pension is taxed at the top rate in Scotland (usually used if you’ve got more than one job or pension) C Your income or pension is taxed using the rates in Wales C0T Your Personal Allowance (Wales) has been used up, or you’ve started a new job and your employer does not have the details they need to give you a tax code CBR All your income from this job or pension is taxed at the basic rate in Wales (usually used if you’ve got more than one job or pension) CD0 All your income from this job or pension is taxed at the higher rate in Wales (usually used if you’ve got more than one job or pension) CD1 All your income from this job or pension is taxed at the additional rate in Wales (usually used if you’ve got more than one job or pension) If your tax code has ‘W1’ or ‘M1’ or ‘X’ at the end These are emergency tax codes . If your tax code has a ‘K’ at the beginning Tax codes with ‘K’ at the beginning mean you have income that is not being taxed another way and it’s worth more than your tax-free allowance. For most people, this happens when you’re: paying tax you owe from a previous year through your wages or pension getting benefits you need to pay tax on - these can be state benefits or company benefits Your employer or pension provider takes the tax due on the income that has not been taxed from your wages or pension - even if another organisation is paying the untaxed income to you. Employers and pension providers cannot take more than half your pre-tax wages or pension when using a K tax code.

If you’re on an emergency tax code your payslip will show: 1257 W1 1257 M1 1257 X These mean you’ll pay tax on all your income above the basic Personal Allowance . You may be put on an emergency tax code if HMRC does not get your income details in time after a change in circumstances such as: a new job working for an employer after being self-employed getting company benefits or the State Pension Emergency tax codes are temporary. HMRC will usually update your tax code when you or your employer give them your correct details. If your change in circumstances means you have not paid the right amount of tax, you’ll stay on the emergency tax code until you’ve paid the correct tax for the year. Updating your details Your employer can help you update your tax code by sending details about your previous income or pension to HMRC. If you’ve started a new job Give your employer your P45 from your previous job. If you do not have a P45, your employer should ask you for the information they need instead. If you’ve started working for an employer after being self-employed Your employer should give you a ‘starter checklist’ - this is a form you can use to give them details about your previous employment. If you’ve started getting company benefits or the State Pension Check your tax code online to make sure it includes the State Pension or company benefit. If they’re not included, update your details in the tax code online service or by contacting HMRC . The emergency tax code will stay in place until the end of the tax year. This means you’ll pay the right amount of tax for the current tax year. In the new tax year HMRC will put you on a regular tax code.

Tax codes

Overview

Your tax code is used by your employer or pension provider to work out how much Income Tax to take from your pay or pension. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will tell them which code to use.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

Find your tax code

Use the check your Income Tax online service within your Personal Tax Account to find your tax code for the current year. You can also view your tax code for:

a previous tax year
the next tax year

You’ll be asked to sign in with Government Gateway or create an account if you do not already have one.

Once signed in, you can also see:

if your tax code has changed
how much tax you’re likely to pay

You can also find your tax code on your payslip or tax code letter from HMRC.

If you think your tax code is wrong

If you think your tax code is wrong, you can update your employment details using the check your Income Tax online service.

You can also tell HMRC about a change in income that may have affected your tax code.

Why your tax code might change

HMRC may update your tax code if:

you start to get income from an additional job or pension
your employer tells HMRC you have started or stopped getting benefits from your job
you get taxable state benefits
you claim Marriage Allowance
you claim expenses that you get tax relief on

You may also be put on an emergency tax code if you change jobs.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Tax codes

Overview

Find your tax code

If you think your tax code is wrong

Why your tax code might change

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Tax codes

Overview

Find your tax code

If you think your tax code is wrong

Why your tax code might change

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Is this page useful?

Help us improve GOV.UK

Help us improve GOV.UK