Understanding Year-to-Date (YTD) Figures on Your Payslip

When you look at your payslip, you’ll often see Year-to-Date (YTD) totals alongside your monthly pay. These numbers can look confusing, but they’re incredibly useful — especially for checking your tax, tracking your earnings, and making sure your P60 matches your payslips at the end of the year.

Here’s a simple guide to what YTD means and how to read it.

📅 What Does “Year-to-Date” Mean?

Year-to-Date (YTD) shows the total amount you’ve earned or paid since the start of the tax year (6 April), up to the date of your payslip.

It’s cumulative — meaning it increases each month as you earn more and pay more tax.

🧾 Common YTD Figures on UK Payslips

Most payslips will show YTD totals for:

• Gross pay YTD – everything you’ve earned before deductions
• Tax paid YTD – your total Income Tax through PAYE
• National Insurance YTD – your NI contributions so far
• Pension YTD – how much you’ve paid into your workplace pension
• Student loan YTD – repayments since the start of the tax year

Some employers also include YTD figures for:

• Overtime
• Bonus pay
• Commission
• Sick pay
• Maternity pay

📊 Why Your YTD Totals Matter

✔️ They help you catch payroll mistakes

If one month’s totals jump unexpectedly, it may signal a miscalculation.

✔️ They’re essential for checking your P60

Your P60 shows your full year totals — so your final payslip of the year should match it.

✔️ They’re useful for budgeting

YTD totals give a clear picture of your earnings and deductions as the year progresses.

✔️ They help with tax refunds

If you’ve overpaid tax, your YTD figures can help you work this out before HMRC does.

🔍 Example: How YTD Works

Imagine your payslip shows:

• Gross Pay This Period: £2,000
• Gross Pay YTD: £16,000

This means you’ve earned £16,000 in total since 6 April — and this month’s pay is included in that figure.

Same idea for tax and NI:

• If your Tax YTD jumps suddenly, something has changed (tax code, overtime, correction, etc.).

🧠 How YTD Links to Your P60

Your final payslip of the tax year will show the same totals as your P60.
This is why YTD is so important — it’s the running total that builds up to your official annual tax summary.

If your P60 doesn’t match your last payslip, speak to payroll as soon as possible.

🔗 Internal Links

• ➡️ Check what belongs on a payslip: What Should Be on a Payslip.
• ➡️ Understand your deductions with Payslip Deductions Explained.
• ➡️ Learn how to read your end-of-year summary in How to Read Your P60.

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