Overpaid From Company Twice & Now Redundancy.

Retrogamer

I apologize as this may be a long post but i will try and keep it as short as i can.

I started working for a company at the end of 2017. When i started, the shifts meant we worked unsociable hours and we got a shift allowance additional payment for this.

Our payslips aren't posted to us, and we log onto an internal website when in the office to check them and print them if needed. But it's a real pain to set that up, so i just checked my bank each month and all was fine. Salary each month varied due to overtime and performance bonus.

A few months after i started, shift allowance stopped as the shifts changed. A few more months later, i get an email from HR to tell me that Payroll forgot to stop my shift allowance and they overpayment me approx £700. Mistakes happen and if i set up the online payslips i'd have noticed. No problem, paid it back in full straight away.

Shortly after this i'm off work sick for several months due to multiple eye surgeries and vision problems.
Company sick pay is 2 months full pay, then SSP During this time i'm off we got told we're all being made redundant. I couldn't check my payslips but i could see in my bank statements after 2 months my money dropped. Not to full SSP but almost and i suspected it was a pro rate payment due to the way it was calculated
Now i have just recently returned to work, i received an email from HR again to say Payroll have overpaid me yet again. This time around £800

After being on SSP for a while and off work wondering if i'm going to lose my vision or not and then finding out i'm being made redundant it's got me a little stressed. To then receive that email is really pushing it.

I understand that i have a responsibility to pay it but given Payroll have done this twice and it's given how much stress i'm under is there any avenues i can take such as raise a grievance or similar? It's just looking a bit grim for me as it'll take my finances a while to recover from being on SSP and with redundancy approaching i'm trying to save money and £800 is a lot in these circumstances.

chrisbur

To start with I would request a full calculation and explanation of this over-payment, and copies of the payslips.
How were the amounts owing calculated was it gross or net
How did you pay back the first amount owing and how do they want the second paying back.

Retrogamer

chrisbur wrote: »

To start with I would request a full calculation and explanation of this over-payment, and copies of the payslips.
How were the amounts owing calculated was it gross or net
How did you pay back the first amount owing and how do they want the second paying back.

I'll need to check again on Monday if it was gross or net as i've forgotten.

Yes, for sure with the breakdown and calculation. I managed to calculate the first overpayment myself and knew the amount they asked was right. The first overpayment i authorised them to deduct it from my next payment in one lump sum.

They've made me the same proposal as last time where they can deduct it from my next salary in 1 lump sum,or they can deduct it from my salary over the next 12 months in smaller payments. Payroll unfortunately also seem to have forgot that i'll be made redundant in a couple of months so the latter isn't going to be an option which isn't filling me with confidence along with the 2 overpayments that they're competent

Dazed_and_confused

Suggestion for the future. Check your payslips.

If the boot had been on the other foot and you have been underpaid how would you ever know?

Presumably you have a job primarily for the money so surely you want to get what is due??

chrisbur

Retrogamer wrote: »

I'll need to check again on Monday if it was gross or net as i've forgotten.

Yes, for sure with the breakdown and calculation. I managed to calculate the first overpayment myself and knew the amount they asked was right. The first overpayment i authorised them to deduct it from my next payment in one lump sum.

The important thing is to leave your cumulative figures as they would be if the over-payment had not happened. If for example the over-payment figure was calculated on gross and then deducted from net you would be out of pocket.

Retrogamer

Dazed_and_confused wrote: »

Suggestion for the future. Check your payslips.

If the boot had been on the other foot and you have been underpaid how would you ever know?

Presumably you have a job primarily for the money so surely you want to get what is due??

For the first overpayment, sure.

But as i mentioned in my original post it wasn't possible when i was off sick.
I was off work for months due to being almost blind (hence multiple eye surgeries) and my payslips can only be viewed when logged into the company intranet in the office which is about 25 miles from my home.

Savvy_Sue

Retrogamer wrote: »

For the first overpayment, sure.

But as i mentioned in my original post it wasn't possible when i was off sick.
I was off work for months due to being almost blind (hence multiple eye surgeries) and my payslips can only be viewed when logged into the company intranet in the office which is about 25 miles from my home.

We have a similar system, but if a colleague is away from the office for an extended period and unable to access payslips, or needs them printed, they have only to ask and I get printed copies in the post to them.

I'd ask for them, and a detailed breakdown of the calculation.

I am sure that NORMALLY you are expected to login and view them, but if you cannot do so then the employer still has a duty to provide them.

Exodi

Retrogamer wrote: »

I understand that i have a responsibility to pay it but given Payroll have done this twice and it's given how much stress i'm under is there any avenues i can take such as raise a grievance or similar? It's just looking a bit grim for me as it'll take my finances a while to recover from being on SSP and with redundancy approaching i'm trying to save money and £800 is a lot in these circumstances.

To be honest, I fear my post will be the opposite of what you want to hear.

If you can check and see that you have indeed been overpaid then there's not much to it unfortunately, they've been reasonable by offering to split it over several pay slips (whilst redundancy does complicate this, they still have shown they're willing to be flexible).

Reading between the lines of the above leads me to deduce you're hoping there's some way you can keep it? There would be no requirement of the employer to accommodate this so I'd get this suggestion out your head (if it was ever in there).

Regarding a grievance for the repeated payment discrepancies a) you were overpaid and so there's no conversation regarding immediate financial hardship b) the company has noticed and offered reasonable methods of paying this money back c) you are already in agreement of the basis of over-payment (by virtue of paying the other over-payment back).

You are however legally entitled to a payslip so could complain here; though they will likely argue you never asked for one - but to what end? You're being made redundant from this company, you'll rely on them for a reference so it seems nonsensical to start raising grievances with them (especially as they won't be worth the paper they're printed on after you leave).

Have you been with the company over two years?