Start New Job Monday, don't have a p45, lied on CV

I thought this would be the best forum to ask this question. I would appreciate any advice you can give. I start a job in a call centre on Monday. It is my first job. Ever. It had been hard finding a job with my lack of experience. Enough was enough. I decided to put on my CV I had worked at my cousins business for a year. The role was my brothers role. The company is now closed down. But my cousing says he has no problem in giving me a reference. So I learned the role for interview reasons and I had a guaranteed reference.

I got an interview for this job and I passed the intetview. I got the the welcome letter a few days back and it says one of the things I must bring with me on the first day is my p45. I do not have one of course. I found out online that I can fill out a p46 instead. I was relieved. But now I have just found out on the gov uk website - "HMRC stopped using form P46 in April 2013."

It also says here that if I do not have a p45: "They may use a Starter Checklist to collect the information, or may collect it another way. The Starter Checklist has questions about any other jobs, benefits or student loans you have."

I have been on JSA for over two years. But according to my CV I have been on JSA just over a year. Now I am worried that they might ask me certain questions I may not be able to answer them and may get caught out. I am worried if:
1) I tell the truth about how long I have been on JSA then they cross-reference this with my CV and find out I lied on my CV.
2) If I say I have been n JSA for just over a year (according to my CV) then they might cross-reference this with HMRC and find out I am lying and then wonder why I am lying.

I don't know what to do. What info do they get about me from HMRC? Which should I go for, option 1 or option 2 above? I can still print out that P46 form which is available online. Can I just take this with me even though HMRC do not use it anymore? Also, please don't judge me about lying on my CV. It was either that or be stuck on the dole scrounging of taxpayers money. By the way, the company I am working for is a large outsourcing company, and not really a small company, in case this makes a difference to your answer.

Reply 1

martin7

20

Original post by binnyboom

I thought this would be the best forum to ask this question. I would appreciate any advice you can give. I start a job in a call centre on Monday. It is my first job. Ever. It had been hard finding a job with my lack of experience. Enough was enough. I decided to put on my CV I had worked at my cousins business for a year. The role was my brothers role. The company is now closed down. But my cousing says he has no problem in giving me a reference. So I learned the role for interview reasons and I had a guaranteed reference.

I got an interview for this job and I passed the intetview. I got the the welcome letter a few days back and it says one of the things I must bring with me on the first day is my p45. I do not have one of course. I found out online that I can fill out a p46 instead. I was relieved. But now I have just found out on the gov uk website - "HMRC stopped using form P46 in April 2013."

It also says here that if I do not have a p45: "They may use a Starter Checklist to collect the information, or may collect it another way. The Starter Checklist has questions about any other jobs, benefits or student loans you have."

I have been on JSA for over two years. But according to my CV I have been on JSA just over a year. Now I am worried that they might ask me certain questions I may not be able to answer them and may get caught out. I am worried if:
1) I tell the truth about how long I have been on JSA then they cross-reference this with my CV and find out I lied on my CV.
2) If I say I have been n JSA for just over a year (according to my CV) then they might cross-reference this with HMRC and find out I am lying and then wonder why I am lying.

I don't know what to do. What info do they get about me from HMRC? Which should I go for, option 1 or option 2 above? I can still print out that P46 form which is available online. Can I just take this with me even though HMRC do not use it anymore? Also, please don't judge me about lying on my CV. It was either that or be stuck on the dole scrounging of taxpayers money. By the way, the company I am working for is a large outsourcing company, and not really a small company, in case this makes a difference to your answer.

As I understand it, the main reason for the P45 and the new starter process is to reduce the risk that you'll be overpaying or underpaying tax, and likewise overpaying/underpaying student loan repayments.

So the question about other jobs and benefits is to make sure that those get taken into account, and the question about student loan repayments is to make sure that those are taken if required.

Given that the question is about "any other jobs ... you have" -- notice that the "have" is in the present tense. It's asking about jobs you have currently, and not jobs that you have had in the past.

I don't believe your employer will be able to cross-check information with HMRC.

I suspect (I haven't looked) that a question about benefits will simply be "are you getting benefits and if so what" rather than any details as to how long you've been getting them. If HMRC are concerned about that, then I'm sure they (HMRC) can make enquiries -- but your employer shouldn't need to know.

There's no point in messing around filling in a P46 form. Your employer will want a P45, or get you to fill in a new starter checklist.

Here's a paper version of the new starter checklist from September 2022: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6331a05f8fa8f51d29278ebc/Starter_checklist.pdf

As far as I can see the only question about benefits is whether you've received any in the current tax year (i.e. the 12-month period starting on 6th April).