Emergency Tax Help

I'm absolutely terrible with tax matters and I haven't found any solution elsewhere on the internet.

Basically, I've just started a part time job to help me with my studies - the amount I earn pretty comfortably covers my accommodation, any University things I may have to pay for and my living allowance. Have to pay a bit of NI, but that's no problem.

However, I'm struggling to get my P45 off my previous employer, they're claiming they can't give me it until October - despite me ending my employment with them in June. Without my P45 I'm going to get emergency taxed at the end of September - something which I can't afford at all as I'd literally have no money to eat.

I do have my P60 if that helps... Does anyone know how to deal with this? I apologise if it's an extremely simple answer!

what do you think emergency tax means?

Usually an 'emergency code' isn't all that drastic at all - it tells the new employer to just give you the standard personal allowance. if you finished work in June you've presumably not earned £10,000 of taxable income since the start of the tax year in April.

I've been under the emergency tax bracket before in a previous job, I ended up getting taxed about 20% on a part-time job where I was only earning about £300 per month because I had issues getting my P45 at the time.

I assumed the same thing would happen again as I'm having the same issues?

I've been under the emergency tax bracket before in a previous job, I ended up getting taxed about 20% on a part-time job where I was only earning about £300 per month because I had issues getting my P45 at the time.

I assumed the same thing would happen again as I'm having the same issues?

This isn't likely to be emergency tax - the term is quite widely misused. As per Joinedup's post, if you were on the emergency tax code you'd just receive the standard £10,000 personal allowance: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/incometax/emergency-code.htm

However, I understand the issue that you're describing. A form P60 isn't going to help here - it relates to a tax year that's finished, not the current tax year. Your former employer has an obligation to co-operate and provide you with a form P45 promptly so I'd suggest that you chase them for this. However, assuming that this isn't fruitful, what you need to do is complete a 'starter checklist' and pass this to your new employer. This should enable them to use an appropriate tax code for you - which I'd expect will be a true 'emergency tax' code, such that you're treated as eligible for the standard £10,000 personal allowance (though this may be on what's referred to as a non-cumulative basis until full details of your tax position under your former employer are available).

Here's a link to the starter checklist: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/forms/starterchecklist.pdf

Thanks very much, that's really helpful!

That's what confused me, I read everywhere that emergency tax was after £10,000 so I wasn't sure what kind of issue I was dealing with - I thought it was just another type of emergency tax which didn't take into account the £10,000 allowance.

My previous employer has sent me a couple of emails which are rather uncooperative, I was in a job where at least 100 other people finished the same time as I did so I assume they're just trying to make things simpler for themselves by waiting to send out the P45s all out at the same time. However, I'll call them tomorrow and try and be more forceful in getting my P45 back. Otherwise, I'll just use the starter checklist which hopefully will mean I won't incur any problems with my income.

No problem - best of luck with getting it sorted.

As some possible reassurance, if you do end up overpaying income tax with your new employer, once your new employer has updated information about your tax position you should then receive any relevant refund via the payroll system the next time that you're paid.