How to Report Employment Income, Bonuses and Benefits in Kind
If you complete a Self Assessment return, you must report your total employment income accurately. This includes your baseline salary, any bonuses, and taxable benefits provided by your employer.Where Can You Find the Figures?
Most taxpayers rely on end-of-year forms provided by their employers to complete the employment section of their tax return:
- P60: This form outlines your total taxable salary and the total tax deducted via PAYE during the tax year.
- P11D: This form details the value of any non-cash fringe benefits you received.
Important Trend Note: More employers are shifting toward voluntary payrolling of benefits ahead of HMRC making real-time benefit reporting mandatory in April 2027. If your employer payrolls your benefits, the taxable value is already included in your P60 figure, and you will not receive a separate P11D for those items.
What Should Be Reported?
You must declare all forms of compensation earned from your job, including:
- Gross salary, wages, and accumulated tips.
- Performance bonuses, commission, and cash incentives (reported in the year they are received).
- Taxable Benefits in Kind (BIK) that were not payrolled, such as private medical insurance, gym memberships, or company cars.
What If You Have More Than One Job?
If you hold multiple jobs or changed employers during the tax year, you cannot bundle the numbers together. You must complete a separate employment section for every individual employment you held. Each section will require its own employer tax reference number, which can be found on your respective P60 or P45 forms.
Word of Warning
A common mistake is using the year-to-date figures from your final March or April payslip instead of waiting for your official P60. Monthly payslips often capture temporary deductions or adjustments that do not reflect your final statutory taxable income, which can trigger automatic HMRC reconciliation queries and processing delays.