overpaid by work - what to do

[bigyellowbowl]

Longstanding issues with work over pay. They owed me £500 from miscalculated pay and it turns out I've been paid back the correction twice.

For back story, employer was horrible. utterly fastidious, and expected (and generally got) 100% accuracy from employees, yet made mistakes every single month with pay/holiday etc. I stopped mentioning their mistakes after the first couple of times because they so shitty about it and it was only because I was leaving that I dared to mention the £500 (a new, totally different payroll issue to the ones I spotted every month).

I got let go in a horrible way so definately clouding my judgement as to whether I should tell them about their lastest error or just put it somewhere safe until they notice.

I'd let them know.

That’s a lot of money. I think you could get in trouble if you don’t say something

I don't think the backstory makes any difference, although I can see how it might cloud your judgement.

These things have a habit of coming back to bite you on the arse so I'd point it out now and save yourself from future grief.

Tell them and pay it back.

Put it in a savings account and wait for them to notice.

The other thing I forgot to say is that my payslips have been edited. So first payslip was for about £500 more than I usually get but was not listed separately. e.g. pay = £2000. I actually got paid £2000.

I then got my next months paylip, a month later, which said pay £1500, correction £500. I actually got paid £2000.

I've gone back and looked at my digital payslip for the first month, and it's been changed, and now says pay = £1500, despite me actually getting paid £2000.

They always say honesty is the best policy but... depending on how badly you were treated.. being let go when you may not have had another job or some other reason where you were put out of pocket by them when they let you go.......... I would keep it to one side for a while.

They will notice, and they will need it back, don’t spend it

Keep records of every money and payslips when you’ve been overpaid. Any amounts that you have been overpaid by, keep aside in a separate savings account and do not spend it. Chances are, they will want their money back eventually. Make sure you also have records of you trying to contact them to give them the money back.

Don't tell them.

Don't spend it, just in case they find out.

I wouldn't tell them, with a record of serious payslip mistakes they're more than likely to mess up the correction too and get that wrong.
Keep the evidence, keep the money separate and don't spend it.
Move on.
If they don't sort it themselves in the next couple of years I would let it lie.

Years ago I had a company do this. They didn't pay me the correct amount after I left, they messed up badly and in the end I went to the head office and confronted the finance chap. They wrote a cheque in the end. Months afterwards they paid me the proper amount into my bank account, long after I had left, effectively over-paying me. I rang them up to explain but they got all shirty and wouldn't discuss it further.

I worried about it for so long afterwards, thinking I'd be done for fraud or something, looking back I should have saved myself the worry. I hadn't done anything wrong, they were just incompetent. I put the money aside but a year later no-one had discovered it - I can't imagine what their accounting practices must have been like - and I'm afraid I used it. It never came back to 'bite' me and that was at least 20 years ago....

Put it in a savings account, if they don't say anything by this time next year treat yourself to something nice.

@MeanderingGently

I wouldn't tell them, with a record of serious payslip mistakes they're more than likely to mess up the correction too and get that wrong. Keep the evidence, keep the money separate and don't spend it. Move on. If they don't sort it themselves in the next couple of years I would let it lie.

Years ago I had a company do this. They didn't pay me the correct amount after I left, they messed up badly and in the end I went to the head office and confronted the finance chap. They wrote a cheque in the end. Months afterwards they paid me the proper amount into my bank account, long after I had left, effectively over-paying me. I rang them up to explain but they got all shirty and wouldn't discuss it further.

I worried about it for so long afterwards, thinking I'd be done for fraud or something, looking back I should have saved myself the worry. I hadn't done anything wrong, they were just incompetent. I put the money aside but a year later no-one had discovered it - I can't imagine what their accounting practices must have been like - and I'm afraid I used it. It never came back to 'bite' me and that was at least 20 years ago....

Wasn't for a council in the South East was it?

In 1999 to 2000 I worked at an after school club part time, and full time in the school holidays. Pay was a bit rubbish but it worked around my college course.

Enjoyed it for most of the time until my line manager left and we got some Mrs Trunchball wannabe. She was vile to me, I was the youngest and constantly said she would sack me for spurious reasons.
Take up of places at this after school club dropped as a result of this woman, and two of us, myself and the second youngest girl, were let go.

I got paid until the end of the month, which wasn't much, around £200.

A month or so later, went to a cash point, thinking there will be pennys in there and instead found £800. Checked it twice.
Went into the bank who looked and said it was from X council
I rang them and at first a payroll woman thought I meant they owed me. It took 3 attempts before I spoke to someone who understood they paid me, not owed me.
I was told I must be mistaken. They don't make mistakes.
In the meantime another £400 went in.

My college tutor told me to offset it. Just in case. I wrote to the council several times, sent them copies of my bank statement. No response other than "we are looking into it".

I spent it after a year. Never heard about it again. Their cock up not mine

They cannot legally demand it all back in one payment, even if they do want it back. They would need to arrange a convenient way for you to pay it back per month anyway.

By the sounds of it the payroll department is very disorganised so highly unlikely to notice this overpayment. Were you ever out of pocket in the past? Or was it just the payslips that were wrong - this can still cause issues with HMRC and your tax payments!

They can ask for it back and you could agree a payment plan .I'd just put it on onside and wait.

Keep it. Fuck 'em. They'd be treating me to a Mulberry bag OP .

I've also been overpaid when I left a job I hated many years ago. I really wasn't sure how as the payslip just said something about unused annual leave.
I worked out it was a manager error eventually because of something else they'd done but didn't tell them. I think I held on to the money for a couple of months but I was a very skint newlywed so spent it and figured I'd make an arrangement if they came back to me.

Now I'd either contact them or put the money in a savings account.

Don't tell them but don't spend it yet.

I doubt they will notice if their payroll dept is that inept. Payroll is done every month and will be reviewed annually by someone internally before the auditors come. Then depending on the sampling there is a small chance the auditors might pick up the error but given the amount is quite low it’s not “material”.

£500 is small fry to a company it wouldn’t be worth someones time to chase repayment. Getting a solicitor to write a letter demanding repayment would cost that much. You will be fine.

You’ll get found out so let them know. It sucks but just do it. It would be worse to get a criminal record if they reported you.

Tell them.
Always.
You have to have integrity, and you may end up in trouble otherwise.

How does that work with tax if you have to pay it back as you’ll have been taxed on it but they’ll want the full amount back. I’d keep it and wait for them to ask for it.

My son was doing night shifts in a supermarket whilst at uni...when he left they overpaid him £800....we kept quiet and they never asked for it back.

If you’ve been genuinely overpaid then you need to tell them and that at it back.

Sit on it.