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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU? Money money money. I'm going to have to give it back, aren't I?

102 replies

rizlett · 17/06/2017 08:20

Started new job 1st August 2016. It was horrendous so gave 4 weeks notice at end of February and left at the end of March 2017. I've just received a letter saying the finance team were not notified of my leaving at the appropriate time and they are requesting I repay a months salary received at the end of April. At the time I assumed it was my month in arrears. It's a big (dis)organisation and I think my line manager's manager probably forgot to tell the finance dept I had left. I haven't got another job so no income at the moment. Can I offer to pay it back in teeny tiny installments or AIBU?

OP posts:
PinguDance · 21/07/2017 13:02

Although the above is something I had to look up when I worked in a small company and indeed it is advice for 'small firms' so maybe it doesn't apply. Anyway you could call if needs be!

Bombardier25966 · 21/07/2017 13:28

They're correct that they cannot give a replacement P45, however I'm not sure whether an exception could be made if they have sent it to the wrong address. I would ask HMRC.

The only thing you need it for is to give to your next employer and for your own records (helpful if you have to do self assessment for tax). In the case of your next employer you can complete a P46 instead, so it's not essential.

Have you asked about paying the overpayment back in instalments?

Bombardier25966 · 21/07/2017 13:31

Double checked and they can't reproduce the P45 even if it is lost. You can ask for a statement of your earnings and deductions for the financial year but that would not be an official document per se.

Original poster
rizlett · 21/07/2017 14:04

Thanks Bomb - that's helpful - haven't got to the payment negotiation stage yet.

OP posts:
AaoograhaHoa · 21/07/2017 14:42

Don't be so quick to assume that you will have to!

As I understand you don't necessarily need yo pay it back. There are hoops they need to jump through - such as proving the overpayment. And if you can reasonably claim that you did not notice the overpayment then again you may have grounds for non- payment.

This might help:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.peoplehr.com/blog/index.php/2015/12/01/what-should-you-do-if-you-accidentally-overpay-an-employee/amp/

HipsterHunter · 21/07/2017 14:54

Terrible financial controls to have done that!

Offer to pay it back £10 a month.

Original poster
rizlett · 21/07/2017 14:56

That's interesting Aaoograha. Thank you.

OP posts:
DorisMcSweeney · 21/07/2017 15:30

When I worked at the Home Office they discovered that they had been paying someone's salary for 8 years after he had left. He had subsequently moved to Australia and I'm not sure if he ever repaid it.

Moral of the story - emigrate Grin

Original poster
rizlett · 21/07/2017 15:48

8 years!! Shock

OP posts:
Original poster
rizlett · 14/01/2018 09:45

UPDATE

I asked them for my P45 so payroll asked HR to confirm it had been sent. The HR dept did confirm it had been sent but the address they put in the email was not my address - it was in the same county though and I know there are staff with the same name as me.

When I queried this they changed their mind and said it had been sent to my home address which it hasn't.

Now they are arranging to send me a POE [I assume a proof of earnings?} so I'll wait to see it that arrives at the correct address.

I'm tempted to write to the other address to ask if they did receive my P45. Would that be the right thing to do or is it a bit weird?

OP posts:
LIZS · 14/01/2018 09:49

You could raise a complaint under Data Protection legislation as your p45 has been issued to wrong address and the information misused. Why can they not resend it?

DrinkReprehensibly · 14/01/2018 09:56

I know it's been covered but thought I'd add my voice to the fact that yes, some companies still pay a month in arrears. My last previous job was with a big water company and I had to wait two months to get my first pay day and effectively got two payments at the end of my first month in my new job because of their payment policy.

WeAllHaveWings · 14/01/2018 10:12

I know it's been covered but thought I'd add my voice to the fact that yes, some companies still pay a month in arrears.

Op left at the end of March and got paid at the end of March. That is her month in arrears. A payment at the end of April, if working a month in arrears would be for work done in April. If op thought her payment at the end of April was for her March work that would be 2 months in arrears which although not impossible, very rare.

When you had to wait 2 months for your first pay it would have been because you hadnt been entered in the payroll system on time, your first payment of 2 months wages corrected that and you were subsequently paid a months in arrears. Op was paid end of March so already had been paid, so its not really a plausible excuse for keeping money that wasn’t hers.

lurkingnotlurking · 14/01/2018 10:16

An old job once paid me a few hundred too much as I was leaving. I didn't realise and it was spent by the time they did. They onlu asked once. No follow up.

Lulusmother · 14/01/2018 10:21

Wow ! It's taken them nearly 10 months to ask for it back !😳

JapaneseBirdPainting · 14/01/2018 10:33

I have worked for 2 companies in th Uk and both paid in arrears- one was a private company and one was in the charity sector. I thought that was normal!

JapaneseBirdPainting · 14/01/2018 10:34

8 years!!!! Grin

Original poster
rizlett · 14/01/2018 10:38

It is correct that a company is unable to send out a duplicate P45 - I think its to do with fraud.

It has been 10 months and they have chased it periodically since then.

I'll have a look at data protection - thanks Lizs.

OP posts:
DelphiniumBlue · 14/01/2018 10:42

Ask them to send you the playslips before you do anything. Then check your bank statements. If their claim that they have overpaid you is correct, then you can consider what to do. For example, have you been paid for accrued holiday etc?

Huntinginthedark · 14/01/2018 10:44

I would deffo take up the issue about data protection
Get some advice about what happens when important personal documents are sent to the wrong address.

If they've been asking intermittently for this long I doubt they'll pursue it

InspMorse · 14/01/2018 10:50

You have been given no payslips, they sent your P45 to a fictitious address, they ignored the fact you left, they say you have been overpaid, they have an overpayment policy but as you don't work for them anymore you have no contract with them.

Tell them that due to the catalogue of errors made by their financial department, in order for you to proceed any further with their claim you require them to provide you with copies of :
A) All backdated payslips for your employment period
B) Copy of P45

alotalotalot · 14/01/2018 10:53

It's been over 6 months and this still hasn't been resolved?

InspMorse · 14/01/2018 10:55

BTW... Give them no information.
AT ALL.

They need to provide you with proper proof that you owe them money first.
From what you've said, I wouldn't trust anything they say in an e-mail.
You need to see the paperwork for yourself.

WeAllHaveWings · 14/01/2018 11:00

Op knows she owes the money, she was informed 6 weeks after the original over payment. Why go to the hassle and stress and prolong the issue cause more bad feeling and lack of trust,, just make arrangements to pay back in instalments you can afford and move on. Although I suspect you will have lost most goodwill for getting an agreement to pay instalments having messed then around for more than 6 months now.

WeAllHaveWings · 14/01/2018 11:02

Why didn’t you sort out the issue with your missing P45 6 months ago when you didn’t receive it?