Employers need to remember that the old A5 version of the P45 form will no longer be valid as from 6 April.
It is being superseded by the new A4 version which was first introduced in October last year.
The new P45 includes details of the employee’s date of birth and their gender.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has said that any back stock of the A5 P45s should be destroyed by 6 April and that employers must use the larger format instead.
Mel McDonald of HMRC commented: “The new P45 has real benefits for employers. It will help HMRC match employees’ information to their records and will reduce the number of queries we send employers.
“It is also important to remember that employees may not recognise the new forms. All they need is reassurance that the form P45 has changed in appearance and now includes their date of birth and gender.”
Employers who use HMRC’s free ‘Online Return and Forms – PAYE’ service can print parts 1A, 2 and 3 of form P45 onto A4 plain paper when they have submitted the P45 part 1 (employee leaving details) to HMRC online.
The form should be printed onto white A4 paper using black ink.
