What Happens If You Lose Your Payslip?
What Happens If You Lose Your Payslip?
Losing a payslip is more common than you might think, particularly if you’ve changed jobs, moved house or relied on paper copies.
The good news is that in most cases you can get another copy. Your first step should usually be to contact your employer or payroll department and ask whether they can provide the missing payslip.
Can You Get a Replacement Payslip?
Yes. If you’ve lost a payslip, your employer may be able to provide another copy or give you access to the original through an online payroll portal.
Many employers now keep payroll information digitally, so even if the original paper payslip has disappeared, the payroll record itself may still be available.
If your employer cannot provide the document you need, there are other options, including having a replacement payslip recreated from your genuine payroll information.
How to Get a Payslip From Your Employer
Start by contacting your employer's payroll or HR department. Tell them which pay period you need and ask whether they can provide a copy.
If your employer uses an online payslip system, check whether you still have access to your account. You may be able to download previous payslips immediately without contacting anyone.
It helps to provide your employee number, National Insurance number and the approximate pay date when making your request.
Can You Request Payslips From a Previous Employer?
Yes. Leaving a job doesn't prevent you from asking your previous employer for copies of your old payslips.
Contact the former employer's payroll or HR department and explain which payslips you need. If the business still has the relevant payroll records, they may be able to provide copies.
This is particularly useful if you need historic payslips for a mortgage, tenancy, tax query or another application requiring evidence of previous earnings.
How to Get Payslips After Leaving a Job
If you've recently left, try contacting the person or department that previously dealt with your payroll.
For an older job, you may need to contact the company's main office and ask to be directed to whoever now handles historic payroll enquiries.
If the company has changed ownership, its payroll records may have transferred to the new business or an external payroll provider.
What If Your Old Employer Can't Provide Your Payslips?
Sometimes obtaining an original copy simply isn't possible. A business may have closed, changed payroll systems or no longer have easy access to older records.
Other documents may help you establish the information that appeared on your payslip, including:
- Bank statements showing your salary payments
- Your employment contract
- P45 or P60 documents
- HMRC income and employment records
- Other payslips from the same employment
Which documents are acceptable as evidence will depend on why you've been asked to provide the missing payslip, so check with the organisation requesting it before relying on an alternative.
Why Are Old Payslips Important?
Payslips provide a useful record of your earnings, tax, National Insurance and other deductions.
You may be asked for them when applying for a mortgage or tenancy, dealing with a tax query, checking historic earnings or demonstrating your income for another financial or legal purpose.
Keeping digital copies of your payslips can save a lot of hunting around later, particularly after you've changed jobs.
Still Need a Replacement Payslip?
If you've tried your employer or previous employer and can't obtain the payslip you need, OS Payroll can recreate a replacement using your genuine payroll information.
You can preview your replacement payslip before paying, make any necessary amendments and receive the completed PDF by email.