My employer forgot to tick the box saying im a student now iv gone 2 years without paying a penny

robdub · 11 June 2018 at 4:47PM

Hi All,

Been working at a company for nearly 2 years. Plan 1 student loan repayment scheme. Told them i'm a student in the interview and on my first day. They know this!!! Thought my employer and SLC/HMRC would do their job, communicate and would deduct my student loan repayments via a stop/start notice, like what happens at every job i have had since being legible for paying back. When i got my p60 through i noticed id paid 0 back on my student loan for a whole year, thought why? Turns out my employer did not tick the box saying i'm a student. it took me 3 months of sorting to get a start/stop notification sent and I have only just last week paid my first loan repayment out of my wage at this job. So for 2 years i have been racking up interest and not paying a penny out of my wage, all thanks to my employer.

is there any action i can take?
I asked them to pay me the interest i had gained (worked it out from statements from SLC), but my work declined and said i'm chasing my own tail. I should have noticed on my pay slip. Well screw them as its their job to do this BEHIND MY BACK, like tax. I kinda don't have a choice? but iv just successfully got away without paying a penny, racking up 2 years of interest. Not that I wanted this to happen....

Luckily 6 months ago i started paying voluntary payments monthly, so i have been making some personal payments more recently, and will continue to do so.

I have seen the start/stop notification letter and says company's can be fined for not acting on this? Can they be fined for not doing their job properly 2 years ago? Screwing me over, costing me interest?

Thanks.

marliepanda · 11 June 2018 at 5:04PM

You didn't notice no SLC deductions on your pay for 2 years, 24 payslips?

They have a job to do, but you have to take some responsibility as well. Im sure youd have noticed had they underpaid your salary.

The interest is unlikely to be a massive difference, unless you are a very high earner and paying a lot back each month (and then, even more reason for you to notice you were not paying anything...)

yoshiyella · 11 June 2018 at 5:04PM

The company are right in my opinion - yes they have made a mistake but you should have spotted it on any of the 24 monthly pay slips you should have seen.

Also, how is it "behind your back" paying back money you borrowed? It is nothing like tax - maybe if you act like that to them they will say au revoir!

pjcox2005 · 11 June 2018 at 5:07PM

You also got given money which you wouldn't have been entitled to if deducted properly so you're payslip has been higher.

If that was invested in shares that made a profit, would you be volunteering to pay the profit made back to the company or SLC as you wouldn't have had those savings to earn from?

DCFC79 · 11 June 2018 at 5:16PM

robdub wrote: »

Hi All,

Been working at a company for nearly 2 years. Plan 1 student loan repayment scheme. Told them i'm a student in the interview and on my first day. They know this!!! Thought my employer and SLC/HMRC would do their job, communicate and would deduct my student loan repayments via a stop/start notice, like what happens at every job i have had since being legible for paying back. When i got my p60 through i noticed id paid 0 back on my student loan for a whole year, thought why? Turns out my employer did not tick the box saying i'm a student. it took me 3 months of sorting to get a start/stop notification sent and I have only just last week paid my first loan repayment out of my wage at this job. So for 2 years i have been racking up interest and not paying a penny out of my wage, all thanks to my employer.

is there any action i can take?
I asked them to pay me the interest i had gained (worked it out from statements from SLC), but my work declined and said i'm chasing my own tail. I should have noticed on my pay slip. Well screw them as its their job to do this BEHIND MY BACK, like tax. I kinda don't have a choice? but iv just successfully got away without paying a penny, racking up 2 years of interest. Not that I wanted this to happen....

Luckily 6 months ago i started paying voluntary payments monthly, so i have been making some personal payments more recently, and will continue to do so.

I have seen the start/stop notification letter and says company's can be fined for not acting on this? Can they be fined for not doing their job properly 2 years ago? Screwing me over, costing me interest?

Thanks.

If only you had checked payslips before.

financegeek · 11 June 2018 at 6:32PM

did you not check any of the 24 payslips you received? or the previous years p60?

you may have had a claim if it was missed off one payslip then you brought it to their attention, but after 24 months i think it's your error for not checking.

Merlin139 · 11 June 2018 at 6:40PM

robdub wrote: »

Thought my employer and SLC/HMRC would do their job, communicate and would deduct my student loan repayments via a stop/start notice, like what happens at every job i have had since being legible for paying back.

If you had been making payments at all the other jobs you have had since you started being liable for paying it back then you should have been checking your payslips!

Having worked in HR/Pay for many years I have noticed nobody has a problem when they get more into their banks each month but the minute its less than normal for whatever reason they take an interest in the problem.

discat11 · 11 June 2018 at 6:49PM

You do realise when an employer makes payments on your behalf they are doing you a favour right?

Your employer made an error, they've presumably apologised.
End of story -if you're out of pocket it is your responsibility first & foremost, although if you've spoken to your employer with the attitude you've shown here then you probably won't have the issue any longer -since you'll be getting the push soon anyway.

My employer forgot to tick the box saying im a student now iv gone 2 years without paying a penny

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