In my experience, you're being a bit pessimistic there. The only people who'll need to see your P45 are the employers you're joining, in the first few weeks of

In my experience, you're being a bit pessimistic there. The only people who'll need to see your P45 are the employers you're joining, in the first few weeks of your joining. And if they've already hired you, they've already agreed a salary with you, so they probably won't care too much about this. Even if they do hassle you, you can easily say that you just asked for the amount you wanted -- or that you were counting income you've made from independent projects that you won't be able to pursue in this demanding new job. Of course, this does all hinge on your giving a number that they find reasonable... but then, that's a given.