Self Assessment - Personal Pension Payments Amount

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in Cutting tax
Hi,
Could someone confirm the amount listed on my tax code under "Personal Pension Payments" should equal the amount that I personally pay into my pension as a gross figure and not include any contribution from my employer? The reason I ask is my current figure is 17.5k and HMRC say its based on my previous years contributions or a figure I gave them (I don't recall every giving them a figure) and I contributed in last year and the year before around 35K with my employer around 5k to make the 40K max.
I don't want to change it to what I believe should be 35K so it increases my tax-free amount and then get a tax bill at the end of the year.
Apologies if its a daft question.
Could someone confirm the amount listed on my tax code under "Personal Pension Payments" should equal the amount that I personally pay into my pension as a gross figure and not include any contribution from my employer? The reason I ask is my current figure is 17.5k and HMRC say its based on my previous years contributions or a figure I gave them (I don't recall every giving them a figure) and I contributed in last year and the year before around 35K with my employer around 5k to make the 40K max.
I don't want to change it to what I believe should be 35K so it increases my tax-free amount and then get a tax bill at the end of the year.
Apologies if its a daft question.
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The actual amount added is to ensure you get any higher rate relief due. Albeit on a provisional basis. For example if you contribute £5,000 and are due higher rate relief on it all the tax code allowance will usually be £2,500.
This is assuming you are using the relief at source method of contributing.
You should never include employer contributions in any form, conversation or letter to HMRC relating to your tax code or pension tax relief.
Thank you
And then HMRC usually use that to estimate the tax code for the next tax year. For example if you file a 2021:22 return now then your 2022:23 tax code would be updated to reflect what was on your 2021:22 return. But that tax code change isn't giving you the tax relief due for 2021:22, it's provisionally allowing relief for 2022:23 based on the 2021:22 information.
You have misunderstood salary sacrifice though. That means you haven't contributed anything to your pension. You have agreed to a lower salary in return for increased employer contributions. And that is why no pension tax relief gets added by the pension company as none is due on employer contributions.
You don't need to tell HMRC about salary sacrifice contributions.