The P24 is one of the most important forms in Jamaica's payroll tax system, yet many employers either do not know what it is, confuse it with other forms, or fill it out incorrectly. As the March 31 year-end deadline approaches, understanding the P24 — and its relationship to your other filings — is essential.
This guide covers what the P24 is, when you need it, how to complete it accurately, and the common mistakes that cause problems with TAJ.
What Is the P24 Form?
The P24 is the Employer's Annual Return of Income Tax Deductions. It is part of the package of forms that Jamaican employers must file with the Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) at the end of each tax year.
Think of it this way:
- S02 is what you file monthly — it reports the statutory deductions for that month and accompanies your payment
- SO1 is the annual summary per employee — it reports each employee's total earnings and deductions for the year
- P24 is the annual employer summary — it consolidates the totals across all employees and reconciles what you deducted with what you remitted
The P24 ties everything together. It is the form TAJ uses to verify that your monthly payments (S02s) add up to your annual employee-level reports (SO1s).
Who Must File the P24?
Every employer in Jamaica who deducted PAYE, NIS, NHT, or Education Tax from employees during the tax year must file the P24. This includes:
- Private companies of any size
- Government agencies
- Statutory bodies
- NGOs and non-profits with paid employees
- Sole traders and partnerships with employees
If you had even one employee at any point during the 2025/26 tax year (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026), you are required to file.
P24 Filing Deadline
The P24 must be filed by March 31, 2026 for the 2025/26 tax year. This is the same deadline as the SO1, NHT annual return, and NIS reconciliation.
There is no extension. Late filing attracts penalties.
What Information Goes on the P24
The P24 requires the following information:
Section 1: Employer Information
- Employer's name and address
- Taxpayer Registration Number (TRN)
- Business type
- Number of employees during the year
Section 2: Summary of Emoluments Paid
This is the aggregate of all employee earnings for the year:
- Total gross emoluments paid to all employees
- Total taxable emoluments (after allowable deductions)
- Total tax-free emoluments (earnings below the PAYE threshold)
Section 3: Summary of Deductions
The total amounts deducted from all employees during the year:
| Deduction | What to Report | |---|---| | PAYE | Total income tax deducted from all employees | | NIS (employee share) | Total NIS at 3% (subject to J$5,000,000 ceiling per employee) | | NHT (employee share) | Total NHT at 2% (no ceiling) | | Education Tax (employee share) | Total Education Tax at 2.25% (no ceiling) |
Section 4: Employer Contributions
The employer's own statutory contributions:
| Contribution | Rate | |---|---| | NIS (employer share) | 3% (subject to J$5,000,000 ceiling per employee) | | NHT (employer share) | 3% (no ceiling) | | Education Tax (employer share) | 3.5% (no ceiling) | | HEART/NSTA | 3% (employer only, no ceiling) |
Section 5: Reconciliation
This is the critical section. It compares:
- Total deductions reported on the P24 (what you should have remitted)
- Total payments made via S02 during the year (what you actually remitted)
- Any difference (overpayment or underpayment)
How to Fill Out the P24 Correctly: Step by Step
Step 1: Compile Employee Totals from SO1s
Before you touch the P24, your SO1s (individual employee annual returns) must be complete. The P24 is derived from them.
Add up across all SO1s:
- Total gross emoluments
- Total PAYE
- Total NIS (employee portion)
- Total NHT (employee portion)
- Total Education Tax (employee portion)
These sums become your P24 figures.
Step 2: Calculate Employer Contributions
Using the same gross emoluments base, calculate:
- Employer NIS: 3% of each employee's insurable earnings (capped at J$5,000,000 per employee per year), then sum across all employees
- Employer NHT: 3% of total gross emoluments
- Employer Education Tax: 3.5% of total gross emoluments
- HEART/NSTA: 3% of total gross emoluments
Step 3: Compile S02 Payment Records
Pull your records of every S02 monthly payment made to TAJ during the year. Sum them by category:
- Total PAYE remitted
- Total NIS remitted (employee + employer)
- Total NHT remitted (employee + employer)
- Total Education Tax remitted (employee + employer)
- Total HEART/NSTA remitted
Step 4: Reconcile
For each category, compare:
P24 calculated amount vs. S02 total remitted
| Category | P24 Amount (Should Have Paid) | S02 Total (Actually Paid) | Difference | |---|---|---|---| | PAYE | | | | | NIS | | | | | NHT | | | | | Education Tax | | | | | HEART/NSTA | | | |
If the difference is zero across all categories, your P24 is clean. If there are differences, you must investigate and resolve them before filing.
Step 5: Address Discrepancies
Common reasons for discrepancies:
- Rounding differences: Small amounts across many employees and months. Generally acceptable if immaterial.
- Timing differences: March salary deducted but not yet remitted. Ensure the March S02 is filed and paid by March 31.
- Calculation errors: If PAYE was calculated incorrectly for some months, the S02 payments will not match the corrected SO1/P24 figures. You may need to make an additional payment to TAJ.
- Missed payments: An S02 that was not filed or not paid for a particular month.
Common P24 Mistakes
Mistake 1: P24 Totals Do Not Match SO1 Totals
The sum of all your SO1s must equal the figures on your P24. If you have 50 employees and 50 SO1s, the total PAYE across those 50 SO1s must match the PAYE figure on the P24 exactly.
Fix: Use a spreadsheet or payroll software to sum the SO1s and auto-populate the P24. Do not calculate them independently.
Mistake 2: Forgetting Terminated Employees
Employees who left during the year must still be included on both the SO1 (for the period they worked) and the P24 totals.
Fix: Include everyone who received any emolument during the tax year, regardless of current employment status.
Mistake 3: NIS Ceiling Errors Cascading to P24
If you made NIS ceiling errors at the employee level (see our guide to common NIS mistakes), those errors will carry through to the P24.
Fix: Correct NIS at the employee level first, update the SO1s, then recalculate the P24 totals.
Mistake 4: Not Including Employer Contributions
The P24 covers both employee deductions and employer contributions. Some employers report only what they deducted from employees and omit the employer share of NIS, NHT, Education Tax, and HEART/NSTA.
Fix: Report both sides. The employer contributions are not optional line items.
Mistake 5: Filing Without Reconciling to S02s
Filing a P24 that does not reconcile to your actual S02 payments is filing a return that does not add up. TAJ will notice.
Fix: Always complete Step 4 above before filing.
P24 and Digital Filing
TAJ continues to expand its online filing capabilities. The P24 can be filed through the TAJ online portal. Benefits of filing online include:
- Immediate confirmation of receipt
- Reduced risk of data entry errors (compared to handwritten forms)
- Faster processing
- Digital record you can access later
If you have not registered for TAJ's online services, do so now at www.jamaicatax.gov.jm.
How PayrollJamaica Simplifies P24 Filing
The P24 is ultimately a summary document. If your underlying payroll data is accurate, the P24 almost writes itself.
PayrollJamaica calculates every statutory deduction — PAYE (with the correct J$1,902,360 threshold), NIS (with the J$5,000,000 ceiling), NHT (2% + 3%), Education Tax (2.25% + 3.5%), and HEART/NSTA (3%) — automatically for every pay period.
At year-end, the system generates:
- Individual SO1 data for each employee
- Aggregated P24 summary figures
- Reconciliation reports comparing calculated vs. remitted amounts
No manual addition. No spreadsheet formulas to audit. No discrepancies between the SO1s and the P24 because they are derived from the same source data.
Use our payroll calculator to verify any individual employee's deductions, or explore our plans to see how the full platform handles year-end reporting.
12 days to March 31. Get your P24 right the first time.