Holiday pay from Agencies - Be aware !

briona

Perhaps that's because there are far more people temping now, especially in admin-related roles...? In the company where I'm currently working, the admin temps come from Blue Arrow and, from what I've gathered, are earning around the £7ph mark. And if one leaves, their position is filled the very next day with a new temp...

Or perhaps it just depends on the agencies you're with? In my industry, agencies are advertising jobs from £12ph to £40ph – a massive difference, but you soon get a feel for which agencies will pay better rates.

Angelbird_2

All very interesting for us temps out there - but here's my dilemma.
After accidentally paying me wages instead of holiday pay, I now find myself owing my agency about 21.5 hours of holiday that they wish to deduct from my wages in about 4 weeks time. Whilst they will continue to knock off any amounts of holiday I accrue over the next month to reduce what i have to pay back, I will still have to pay something. However I've already paid Tax and NI on the original amount, so my dilemma is this - How am I going to get back what I was overcharged in Tax and NI? and is it possible i'll somehow get charged twice for it?

briona

Angelbird wrote: »

After accidentally paying me wages instead of holiday pay, I now find myself owing my agency about 21.5 hours of holiday that they wish to deduct from my wages in about 4 weeks time.

I'm not sure that I understand this...

Isn't your holiday pay paid at the same hourly rate as your wages? If you had accrued enough holiday, you would be entitled to receive payment for it so I'm not sure what difference it would make being paid "wages" or "holiday pay"...?!

The only way that you could owe the agency anything would be if you were paid for holiday you had not yet accrued, in which case they would be within their rights to ask for it back. If this is the case, the fairest way for them to reclaim it would be to deduct your holiday from the day you accrue it, meaning that you never actually have to pay them any money back.

Have they said why they want it back in four weeks? After all if this is an administrative error their end, (then unless your contract with them is finishing within the next month), it doesn't seem fair to penalise you for it.

brightonman123

my last job was via hays, just as the new rules started- basic rate per hour,plus a holiday allowance (10% ish of basic) - total rate was taxed, with the allowance building up until you took holdays, or the job ended, and you then got this as a lump sum.

it worked out at 2 days holidays earnt per month worked- bank holidays were NOT paid, so had to be taken from this built up allowance!

on top of the total rate, the agency charged the firm about 50%, PLUS vat- i saw one of their invoices!:eek:

LittleVoice

Angelbird wrote: »

All very interesting for us temps out there - but here's my dilemma.
After accidentally paying me wages instead of holiday pay, I now find myself owing my agency about 21.5 hours of holiday that they wish to deduct from my wages in about 4 weeks time. Whilst they will continue to knock off any amounts of holiday I accrue over the next month to reduce what i have to pay back, I will still have to pay something. However I've already paid Tax and NI on the original amount, so my dilemma is this - How am I going to get back what I was overcharged in Tax and NI? and is it possible i'll somehow get charged twice for it?

If they overpaid 21.5 hours, then they simply need to not pay you for 21.5 worked hours in the future. That way there is no difference in the amount of tax nor probably of NI that you pay. That sort of off-setting should be easy to do and leave you in no worse a position than you would have been if you had been paid properly. (In fact you will be in a better position because you have had the use of the money ahead of the time it was due.)