PAYE65030 - employment maintenance: employment agencies: receipt of form P46 - agency worker


When an agency worker ceases to work for one agency to take employment with another agency, a form P45 should be requested.

In the majority of cases this does not happen because

  • Registration does not guarantee paid employment

And

  • It is possible to register for work with more than one agency simultaneously

Many agency workers remain on several agency books at the same time, working for whichever agency offers a paid contract.

What happens in practice is

  • The agency worker starts a new job or registers with another agency, without a P45
  • Form P46 will usually be completed with Statement B ticked and signed
  • Processing Offices have difficulty deciding which office should have responsibility for the taxpayer main source record

In order to prevent the unnecessary movement of records and subsequent production of forms P43(T) a 'workaround' has been devised to counteract the problems caused by agency workers who are registered with more than one agency or have a live claim to Jobseekers Allowance

The ‘workaround’ applies to

  • Form P46 Statement B cases where a live main source record has been found at another Processing Office

And

  • Forms P45(3) where the previous PAYE reference shown on the form is different to the reference shown on the main source record

‘Work around’

Where you find a live taxpayer record relating to another agency employment you should

  • Not use Function MA to transfer the record

Instead

  • Create a sub source record

And

  • Code Personal Allowance on Week 1 basis

To deal with Forms P46 / P45(3) in these circumstances follow the guidance at PAYE65031.

Notes:

  1. Where you receive a P46 Statement A and there is no existing taxpayer record follow the guidance at PAYE60022. If there is an existing taxpayer record treat the form as a P46 Statement B and follow the guidance at PAYE60023
  2. Where you receive a P46 Statement C follow the guidance at PAYE60024