Payroll: annual reporting and tasks

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1. Overview

As an employer running payroll, you need to:

  • report to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on the previous tax year (which ends on 5 April) and give your employees a P60
  • prepare for the new tax year, which starts on 6 April
What you need to do When
Send your final payroll report of the year On or before your employees’ payday
Update employee payroll records From 6 April
Update payroll software From 6 April, or earlier if the software provider asks you to
Give your employees a P60 By 31 May
Report employee expenses and benefits By 6 July

2. Send your final payroll report

Send your final Full Payment Submission (FPS) on or before your employees’ last payday of the tax year (which ends on 5 April).

Put ‘Yes’ in the ‘Final submission for year’ field (if available) in your payroll software.

If you run more than one payroll under the same PAYE scheme reference (for example for employees you pay weekly and monthly), include the end-of-year information in your last report.

When to send an Employer Payment Summary (EPS)

You should send your final report in an EPS instead of an FPS if any of the following apply:

  • you forgot to put ‘Yes’ in the ‘Final submission for year’ field in your last FPS
  • your software does not have a ‘Final Submission for year’ field on the FPS
  • you did not pay anyone in the final pay period of the tax year
  • you sent your final FPS early and you did not pay anyone for one or more full tax months in the last tax year

If you’re late sending your final report

From 20 April you can send an FPS to correct your 2023 to 2024 tax year payroll data by giving the year-to-date figures.

‘Week 53’ payments

If you pay your employees weekly, fortnightly or every 4 weeks, you might need to make a ‘week 53’ payment in your final FPS of the year.

Your payroll software will work out ‘week 53’ payments for you.

In the ‘Tax week number’ field of your FPS, put:

  • ‘53’ if you pay your employees weekly
  • ‘54’ if you pay them fortnightly
  • ‘56’ if you pay them every 4 weeks

HMRC will send a P800 form to any employees who owe tax following a ‘week 53’ payment.

If you make a mistake

If you find a mistake in your final FPS of the year, what you need to do depends on the type of mistake and when you find it.

When What to do
Wrong payments or deductions By 19 April Send an additional FPS with corrected year-to-date figures, and enter ‘0’ in ‘Pay in this period’
Wrong payments or deductions After 19 April Send an FPS showing the correct year-to-date amounts.
Wrong payment date By 5 April Send an additional FPS with the correct payment date - put ‘0’ in ‘Pay in this period’ and give the year-to-date figures

3. Update employee payroll records

For each employee working for you on 6 April, you’ll need to:

  • prepare a payroll record
  • identify the correct tax code to use in the new tax year
  • enter their tax code in your payroll software

You should include in your payroll:

  • all employees you pay in the tax year, no matter how much you pay them
  • any employee who has worked for you in the current tax year (since 6 April) even if they’ve already left

Using the right tax code

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will send you a:

If you get a lot of tax code notices, it may be faster to use HMRC’s PAYE Desktop Viewer.

New employees

Use the information new employees give you (usually their P45) to work out their tax code.

4. Update payroll software

Follow your provider’s instructions to update your payroll software so it uses the latest rates and thresholds for:

  • Income Tax
  • National Insurance
  • student loan repayments

Basic PAYE Tools

You must download and install Basic PAYE Tools again if you’re using a version before 14.2.14330.88. The version number displays in the bottom-left corner of the tool.

Versions 14.2.14330.88 and later of Basic PAYE Tools check for updates automatically, for example when the tax year changes or new rules come in.

5. Give employees a P60

Give a P60 to all employees on your payroll who are working for you on the last day of the tax year (5 April). The P60 summarises their total pay and deductions for the year.

You must give your employees a P60 by 31 May.

If you’re exempt from filing your payroll online, you can order copies of P60s from HMRC.

If you need to change a P60

Give your employee either a:

  • new P60 marked ‘replacement’ - this can be paper or electronic
  • letter confirming the change

6. Report expenses and benefits

You can report expenses and benefits using your payroll software, if it has this feature.

You must report expenses and benefits to HMRC by 6 July.

Paying HMRC

Pay any Class 1A National Insurance due on the taxable expenses and benefits you’ve provided. Your payment must be received by 22 July (or 19 July if you’re paying by post).