Tax Code BR Explained

What does BR mean?

BR stands for "Basic Rate" and is one of the simplest UK PAYE tax codes to read: every penny of income from the employment carrying this code is taxed at the basic rate of 20%, with zero personal allowance applied. There is no tax-free amount, no smoothing across bands, and no W1/M1 quirk to worry about - it is a flat 20% on every pound. BR almost always appears on a second job, a pension that runs alongside earnings, or a freelance retainer paid via PAYE, because HMRC has already allocated your £12,570 personal allowance to your main source of income. In those cases BR is correct and produces the right total tax across your combined earnings. The code becomes a problem when it is applied to your only job, which can happen if you started a new role without a P45, ticked Statement C on the starter checklist, or HMRC has lost track of your other PAYE income. In that situation you will be overpaying tax every payday and can claim a refund either through a corrected code (most refunds are paid back automatically through payroll once HMRC issues a P9) or through a P800 reconciliation at the end of the tax year.

Breakdown of the code

• BR

  Letter pair

  Basic Rate - flat 20% on every pound, with no tax-free allowance applied at this source.

Worked example

Second job - Saturday retail role at £8,000/year on £8,000 (paid monthly).

£8,000 × 20% = £1,600/year. Correct because the £12,570 allowance is allocated to the main job.

Who should be on BR?

• Second jobs where the personal allowance is consumed by the primary employment
• Private pensions paid alongside a salary
• Freelance retainers paid via PAYE
• Short-term holding code while HMRC awaits final figures from a previous employer

Common problems

• Applied to your only job - a clear overpayment that needs immediate correction.
• Left in place after the main job ends, so the personal allowance is no longer being used anywhere.
• Accidentally combined with a starter-checklist Statement C tick when Statement A or B was correct.

What to do if BR looks wrong

1. Sign in to your HMRC personal tax account at gov.uk/personal-tax-account and open the latest P2 (Notice of Coding) - it itemises every adjustment.
2. Compare the code on your most recent payslip with the code HMRC has on file; employers occasionally apply an old code if a P9 was missed.
3. Confirm your employer received your P45, or that you completed a starter checklist if you joined mid-year.
4. Check whether benefits-in-kind such as a company car, fuel, or medical insurance have changed and ask payroll to file an updated P11D.
5. Call HMRC on 0300 200 3300 (Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm) with your National Insurance number if the online tools cannot resolve it.
6. If you have overpaid, HMRC normally refunds via your next payslip once the code is corrected. For closed years request a P800 review.

If you should be on a different code…

Quick decision tree - when BR is the wrong fit, here is the most likely correct code.

• If you have a single PAYE job and no benefits-in-kind - you should be on 1257L.

  Standard personal allowance of £12,570 for England, Wales and NI.

• If you also need higher- and additional-rate bands applied at this source - you should be on 0T.

  No personal allowance. All income taxed via the normal 20% / 40% / 45% bands.

• If this is your only PAYE job - you should be on 1257L.

  Standard personal allowance of £12,570 for England, Wales and NI.