YTD on a payslip: what year-to-date figures mean and how to check them

Year-to-date (YTD) figures are running totals from 6 April. They matter because a cumulative tax code works out tax from them, so checking them against your own records is the quickest way to spot a problem.

Updated 9 October 2026. Facts checked against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk on 9 October 2026.

What YTD figures are

The tax year starts on 6 April, so YTD totals run from that date to the date on the payslip. They show what you have been paid and taxed so far in the year.

GOV.UK lists what a payslip must show: your earnings before and after deductions, deductions that change each time you are paid, such as tax and National Insurance, and the hours you worked if your pay varies with time. Year-to-date totals are not on that list, so whether your payslip shows them is up to your employer.

A P45 shows the total pay and tax from 6 April to the date you left a job. That is the information a new employer needs to carry the year forward correctly.

After 5 April, if you were still working for that employer, your P60 shows the year’s totals: the tax you paid on your salary in the tax year. Your employer must give you one by 31 May.

Why YTD matters for tax

On a cumulative code, the payroll works out the tax due on total pay so far, then takes away the tax already deducted. Regulation 23 of the Income Tax (Pay As You Earn) Regulations 2003 provides for deductions and repayments on this cumulative basis, comparing the total tax to date with the total already deducted.

That is why an earlier error can be corrected later. The regulations say the employer must continue to deduct or repay tax on the cumulative basis. A refund can therefore come through a later payslip, as well as through a P800 at the end of the year.

On a week 1 or month 1 code, each payslip works on its own period. The YTD totals still record what you have been paid and taxed, but they do not drive the tax on that period in the same way.

What to check against your own records

You do not need a calculator to spot most problems. Take each payslip and check the figures one at a time.

Gross pay: multiply the hours you worked by your rate for each pay period, then allow for overtime, premiums and any unpaid breaks. For workers aged 21 and over, the National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour from 1 April 2026.
Hours: check the hours on the payslip against your rota or shift log. If the hours are wrong, the pay will be wrong too.
Tax: compare the tax with the code. On a cumulative 1257L code, tax should only start once your total pay since 6 April goes beyond the allowance built up to that point in the year.
National Insurance: for most employees, 8% of pay between £242 and £967 a week (£1,048 and £4,189 a month), and 2% above that. People over State Pension age pay none. These are the 2026/27 limits.
Student loan: if you have one, the deduction is 9% of pay above the threshold for Plans 1, 2, 4 and 5, and 6% above the postgraduate threshold. The 2026/27 annual thresholds are £26,900 for Plan 1, £29,385 for Plan 2, £33,795 for Plan 4, £25,000 for Plan 5 and £21,000 for postgraduate loans.

If the figures do not match

Start with the pay period dates. A payslip that is missing, or that covers a different period from the one you expect, will throw the totals out.

Next, ask your employer for a breakdown of the year-to-date figures, and ask which code and which basis they used. If the difference is in tax, check your code in the HMRC app or your personal tax account.

If the employer cannot explain the difference, contact HMRC. After 5 April, HMRC checks the tax you paid, and if the figures it holds are wrong, a P800 letter can be wrong too. That is why it is worth catching errors early.

Keep your own record

Save each payslip, and once a month write down your hours and gross pay in a simple table. Comparing that table with the YTD figures takes a few minutes, and it gives you a record if you later need to query a P800.

The preset in the calculator below is a single job at £12.71 an hour for 20 hours a week, on 1257L, with a Plan 2 student loan. Use it to see the shape of an estimate, then compare that with your own payslips.

Why every payslip matters

The year-end check in April looks at the whole year. An error in one month carries into the totals, so a missing or wrong payslip matters even if the next one looks right.

Related guides

Sources

This is an estimate, not financial or tax advice. Your payslip is the final figure.