Overpaid by work, need some advice!

gw172000

As I stated in the original post, I know I should've notified them sooner and will need to pay the money back. I wasn't looking for people who don't even know me to pass judgement nor was I looking for sympathy. I was looking for some advice to tell me whether or not what was being offered was reasonable. It's very easy for everyone else to say that I shouldn't have spent the money but without you actually being in that situation, you can't say for sure that you wouldn't have done the same! Thanks for all your useful comments though

McKneff

I am a pensioner and I know exactly for sure what I would have done in the same circumstances, it's happened a few times during my working life.

chrisbur

Regarding tax and NI assuming that your employer makes the adjustment to the gross pay (Have they advised exactly how they will correct) and the new salary after the adjustment does not move you out of the tax/NI band that you were in for the over-payment, then tax/NI will be adjusted to within a few pence automatically.
Without seeing the actual figures cannot say if this will happen or not; if you can give the monthly figures for the over-payment and the proposed figures for the correction payment would have a better idea.
This also assumes no significant changes to tax/NI next year.

leespot

18 months to repay it seems more than reasonable to be honest - although that would mostly depend on you still working there until it was repaid. If you left beforehand then it would still need to be paid but how they would enforce that I've no idea.

You posted on an open forum - you lost the right not to be judged the second you hit the button

daytona0

gw172000 wrote: »

I knew it wasn't right but decided to keep quiet and hoped it would work itself out, when I got the third pay and it was wrong, I notified my employer who have only just resolved this now, after paying me a further incorrect wage. The result now is that I owe them a considerable amount of money and they have offered to let me pay this over 18 months - which is reasonable but would now leave me short.

So you kept quiet because you "hoped it would work itself out"?

Surely "working itself out" would have been them making a small adjustment to your future wage packets to cover the deficit, assuming you had not put the money to one side? That's all they've done, except that they seem to be asking you to make voluntary payments.

Really don't understand why you've made this post... you foresaw this outcome 3-4 months ago and should have been prepared for it!

It's very easy for everyone else to say that I shouldn't have spent the money but without you actually being in that situation, you can't say for sure that you wouldn't have done the same!

What would you have done had they not overpaid you?!

You'd have lived within your means on the money available to you.

A lot of people act the same as you do in situations like this, but it is fundamentally the wrong thing to do.

Little tip for the future though..... Either just rob them blind and do a runner, or sort it out as soon as the problem comes up! Don't do the half hearted approach; I suspect you spent a bit of time deliberating whether you could get away with it hence why it rumbled on for 3-4 months (and hence why you spent the money!)

I was looking for some advice to tell me whether or not what was being offered was reasonable

I think it would be reasonable for you to pay the WHOLE BALANCE within 30 days, but alas they seem to be much more generous than I am

pinkshoes

I would say they are being VERY generous!

Agree immediately and make sure it is in writing!!

Undervalued

pinkshoes wrote: »

I would say they are being VERY generous!

Agree immediately and make sure it is in writing!!

Exactly! Bite their hand off with that offer and be very very grateful!

And no, it is not "at the end of the day their problem". It is as much your duty as your employer's to ensure that you are getting paid the correct amount. But your situation is worse than that as you knew that you were being overpaid yet did nothing about it.

They could quite lawfully stop it out of your wages all the way down to zero. Unlike some other deductions they are not even obliged to leave you with the national minimum wage so they are being very generous indeed in allowing 18 months.

polgara

If you left beforehand then it would still need to be paid but how they would enforce that I've no idea.

We have a debt recovery company that we would leave it with - their fees get added on so its in everyone's interest to agree a payment plan up front if they leave and haven't repaid the sum involved.

FBaby

It's very easy for everyone else to say that I shouldn't have spent the money but without you actually being in that situation, you can't say for sure that you wouldn't have done the same!

But many have been in this situation, it is very common, and most people indeed inform their employer immediately, or at worse don't say anything hoping it won't be noticed (it almost always is at some point) but keep the money aside just in case.

You acknowledge that you did wrong, both saying nothing and then spending some of it. Ok, so you made an error, you've learnt your lesson, but why do you think you should be exempt of paying it all back?

If you made an error and did tow payment for your mortgage/rent, would you accept the bank/your landlord keeing 1/3 of the money because after all, it was your -technical-error.

London50

No way would I have used the money no matter how much I may have needed it. I am long time retired and understand that if I got/get overpaid for any reason it needs to be checked and paid back if incorrect.
You thought/hoped that it would not be spotted but you were caught.
Pay it back within the time period offered, move on and learn just in case it happens again.