Keep Being Overpaid Despite Leaving in September

etherealinsanity

Thanks @TELLIT01. I think I'll email my MP on Monday after talking to my university's old careers service. I don't want to cause any problems by getting people in trouble, but it's getting a bit ridiculous at this point.

I completely agree with your point about the Civil Service vs. private industry though. I did two back to back internships over the summer - one with a private law firm and then another with the Civil Service and the difference was huge so I can see what you mean!

etherealinsanity

Thanks for the information Floop! I had always observed such huge differences between departments (even in their grade systems - Ofsted doesn't use the SEO, HEO grade terms for instance) and had been told that my move to another department would be handled by a completely different HR group that I assumed the payroll teams wouldn't communicate either. I'm really worried about it all because I've been waiting so long for pre-employment checks to be completed that I don't want it all ruined at the end with something that seems completely out of my control.

I've emailed my manager multiple times since the first day I got overpaid, telling her that I'd happily repay the money and updating her of the total it's gotten to but I don't understand why it's not being treated with more urgency. But then again, I had huge problems with my manager even while I was there - from her forgetting I was coming to missing all of my internship form deadlines for other events so I'm not entirely surprised this is happening!

I also escalated the issue to my manager's manager who approves all budgets and things like wages, but again there doesn't seem to be much urgency to recover the money. While I was there, my manager's manager approved all sorts of dodgy things though - they had a lot of internal team awards events and away days, and two staff members would be sent to do 'site work' and 'research' by visiting three different hotels over three days for each event, trying out the pool and food, and then returning to have meetings about which hotel would be the best venue for each event. So I'm not holding out much hope for them helping me!

jackomdj

Have you been copying in every person, each time you email. Ie HR, HR manager, your old manager plus their line manager and the person in charge of the whole department every time you email?

I would do that, and if anyone replies without copying in everyone, send it back to everyone, just adding 'FYI'

Good luck.

ETA put a timeline at the bottom of all future correspondence giving details of all past emails, letters etc

Mercdriver

getmore4less wrote: »

All they probably need to do is send HR another "this person left form"


it does not matter what tax they take off the old job it is not your money.

When you start you get HR/HMRC to apply your tax code ALL to your new job.

The problem for the OP is that any other job he does he will get taxed at emergency tax rate - Basic rate with no allowance, and it can take some time to get it back in the form of a rebate. This would be effectively punishing the OP for their honesty. Yes they would get it back eventually, but there is a difference to the OP getting taxed at 20% v nothing if earning below the threshold.

Edi81

If it really is like moving company the. You should have received a P45 by now.

getmore4less

Mercdriver wrote: »

The problem for the OP is that any other job he does he will get taxed at emergency tax rate - Basic rate with no allowance, and it can take some time to get it back in the form of a rebate. This would be effectively punishing the OP for their honesty. Yes they would get it back eventually, but there is a difference to the OP getting taxed at 20% v nothing if earning below the threshold.

You get the tax code put on the new job ASAP old job set to no allowance.

That can be done quite quickly.

TELLIT01

getmore4less wrote: »

You get the tax code put on the new job ASAP old job set to no allowance.

That can be done quite quickly.

The problem isn't so much a new tax code as HMRC showing his earnings as much higher than they really are. The overpayment will have to be repaid and, given the treatment received from his previous employer so far, I would have little faith in them doing that correctly.

etherealinsanity

Thanks Edi. The problem is that they haven't ended my contract internally so I'm still on the payroll and haven't received a P45 because I'm supposedly still working for them.

etherealinsanity

Hi Jack,

I've made sure to re-copy everyone in to the emails whenever someone's not copied others in. Every time I email, I mention the total the overpayment has gotten to and that I've sent previous emails on the matter. I think the timeline is a good idea though and I'll definitely be using it when I most likely get overpaid again this Tuesday.

etherealinsanity

Thanks getmore4less. I think I'll phone HMRC on Monday just to get some clarity on what will happen if the issue still isn't sorted out by the time I start my new job, and then pressure my old team that way as well.