In March 2020, HMRC announced that they were intending to withdraw the facility of ordering blank P45s and P60s online.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, HMRC has postponed this action until 1 August 2020 to give employers more time to prepare for the change. After this date, employers will be expected to print or issue their own digital P45s and P60s, but if this isn’t an option, the extra time given until the online service is removed should be used to implement this.

Those employers who are exempt from operating their payroll online will not be affected, and should continue to contact the HMRC Order Line to order their stationery by telephone.

Last year, just 3% of employers ordered blank forms from HMRC, and are being contacted by HMRC with details of how to produce their own. HMRC records show that the peak order period for P60s occurs during the months of February and March, so by postponing the stoppage of this facility until August, it will give employers ample time to prepare.

If you are one of the 3% of employers who do use this form, HMRC urges you to:

Prepare to start using payroll software to print or issue digital P45s and P60s

Make sure that you have enough stationery for the end of the tax year, and for any employees leaving your employment, while you are preparing to switch

If you use a payroll provider or bookkeeper, speak to them now to make sure they are ready.

Information provided in this news article may be subject to change.