New Starter Checklist – April 2026: What Employers Need to Know

HMRC has released an updated version of the Starter Checklist, which must be used for all new employees starting work on or after 6 April 2026. This latest version includes a new student loan plan type and clearer guidance to avoid common errors during onboarding.

Below is a summary of what’s changed — and how modern payroll systems like Givver automatically manage these updates for you.

Key Changes in the 2026–27 Starter Checklist

1. Student Loan Plan Type 5 Introduced

The form now includes Plan 5 — a new student loan repayment plan introduced for certain courses that started in England from 1 August 2023.

Employees are asked to indicate which of the following applies to them:

• Plan 1

• Plan 2

• Plan 4

• Plan 5

• Postgraduate Loan (if applicable — this may be selected in addition to one plan type)

2. Clearer Guidance for Employees

To prevent confusion, the checklist now clearly instructs employees that they must:

• Select only one plan type (Plan 1, 2, 4 or 5), even if they believe they’re repaying more than one

• Tick the Postgraduate Loan box separately, if applicable

• Refer to GOV.UK or the Student Loans Company if they’re unsure which plan applies

This update is designed to help ensure accurate deductions from the first payslip.

3. How Givver Handles Student Loan Selections Automatically

If an employee selects more than one student loan plan, Givver handles it automatically, based on HMRC rules.

What Givver does:

• Applies the plan with the lowest repayment threshold when multiple plans are selected

• Applies the Postgraduate Loan deduction alongside the main plan, if both are ticked

• Automatically updates the plan type if and when HMRC issues a Start Notice (SL1)

This removes the need for manual decision-making by HR or payroll teams and ensures full compliance with HMRC guidance.

Online Version of the Checklist

The online version of the Starter Checklist has been updated to prevent employees from selecting more than one plan type. It allows just one plan type, with the option to tick a Postgraduate Loan if applicable.

If you use a digital onboarding process with Givver, this logic is already built into the workflow — helping to minimise errors at the source.

What Employers Need to Do

From 6 April 2026, employers should:

• Use the updated Starter Checklist for all new employees

• Ensure internal forms and onboarding systems are aligned with the new version

• Reassure payroll teams that Givver will automatically manage student loan plan logic, reducing the risk of incorrect deductions

• Continue to act on any Start Notices (SL1) received from HMRC, as these override any previous information

Download the Latest Starter Checklist

Download: Starter Checklist 2026–27 (PDF)

Further Guidance

• Repaying your Student Loan – GOV.UK

• Tax codes for new employees – GOV.UK

• Postgraduate Loan Repayment – GOV.UK

If you're using Givver and have questions about how the system handles these changes, you can contact our support team. But in most cases, no action is needed — Givver is already set up to handle this automatically.