What do I do??? Am I going to have no money?

[namechanged707]

Okay...
I work part time and would expect between £500-£600 on a normal month for my job (that was the expectation).
I claim childcare for my baby in a baby wing and get help with housing costs as my DP is in education full time until summer.
December was my first month working there and I was paid close to £1,200! I assumed Christmas bonus - I did email the manager to enquire and double check but heard nothing.
I have to give my payslip in on Monday to be able to reclaim for temporary help with childcare and rent. The payslip says nothing about a Christmas bonus, just a basic wage of £1,280 and then tax/NI deductions.
Are they going to think I'm lying and tell them that that shouldn't be my normal wage? If I don't get my temporary help from them then I wouldn't be able to pay rent or nursery fees.
If it was a mistake on works part, are they going to make me pay it back after a month???

I'm so stressed that I won't be able to pay rent or childcare!

It sounds as though they've paid you for two months. How long have you worked there? Is this your first pay packet from them? Are there dates on the pay slip?

@HollowTalk they definitely only pay once a month. I started on 10/12, paid on 21/12. Payslip says issued on 5/1. Due another payslip on 28th Jan!

I'm so panicked!!!!

Loads of employers pay wages sometimes as much as 2 weeks early for the whole of January in December so employees have a lot of money coming in for Christmas. So it might be that was your wages for Dec and Jan. A proper pay slip though should explain that very clearly indeed. read every word on the pay slip again and again and try to make sense of it.

@Xenia that's pretty much all that's on there apart from NI and tax deductions.
I'm sure it wasn't wages for December and January. Everyone else is expecting to be paid on the 28th January. My employer has to sign and declare payments on my form to claim for financial help, which stated I'd be paid just over £500 on 21/12 with the next wage coming in on 28/1.

Are you on UC?

contact your payroll/hr department

@TheQueef in the Isle of Man.

@Quartz2208 already contacted them but can take a few days to reply and this is urgent now and I have no idea what will happen now!

Could they have paid you FT salary rather than PT? Definitely contact payroll and ask for an explanation in writing to show benefits etc.

Are you back at work now after Xmas break? It’s been a couple of weeks, so have you actually spoke to them directly about it? If not, then go speak to them.

@patsycrime my first thought. Not sure how they could've made that mistake!

Have you had a tax refund, or not been taxes as you started so late in the year you won't reach the threshold?

@ChrisjenAvasarala yes, but as I'm a new employee I actually only got my payslip today detailing it! I assumed with the no reply to the email enquiring about the extra pay that it must've just been Christmas bonus!

@Disfordarkchocolate definitely a tax deduction on the payslip, don't think not being taxed would bring my PT wage up to 1,200 though!

Don't think I've been this stressed in a while! I literally can't afford to have any less than usual for my rent and my childcare!!

You can check the tax fairly easily - go to a website like www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/ and put your annual pay in and see what it says shoud be taken off for tax and then your net pay and see how that relates.

However it looks like the gross pay of £1280 is totally wrong and someone has made a mistake (don't spent it) and it should be half that figure. Obviously check against your employment contract which may say £600 a month or whatever.

@Xenia I kept it in my bank until Christmas but after no response, it was spent on my DS and days out!!

Not even sure what to do now or how to sort this!

Have you called Payroll? I'd call today (now!) It is possible you won't get anything this month if they've paid you double in December.

Is anyone able to give me advice of how to sort this and not end up with absolutely no help for childcare/rent and in debt to my employer???

Spending it was a bit daft!
You started on 10/12 and were paid 11 days later and thought you'd got a £600 Christmas bonus?

you are going to be right up the creek without a paddle if they want it back!

@HunterHearstHelmsley I can't even find a number!!! I've emailed but no response! I'm going to call my store manager at 1pm!

Ask the payroll person, that is the only way you are gong to find out. I don’t mean to sound harsh but no one on the internet can guess what your employer might have done or whether you’ve been overpaid. Please contact them now and sort this out.

Ask your employer