To be worried to bring this to manager's attention?

[emmalouise83]

Last year I requested a reduction in my hours from full time (37.5 hrs) to 32 hrs. I did this through formal channels with my manager and have the paperwork to back up my request. I have never looked at my payslips (all electronic, don't get them through the post), and just took for granted that this had been correctly processed as requested, and therefore assumed that the new amount I was being paid reflected the number of hours I'd asked for.

I have looked at my payslip for the first time properly today and noticed it says 33 hours at the top. I've looked back and they are all the same, since I requested the reduction. This means for the best part of a year I have been paid for 1 hour more per week than I've worked.

I am now really worried that if I raise this with my manager I will owe back a lot of money. 😩 Can to be made to pay it back if I raise it, do you think? This obviously wasn't my error as I was very clear in my flexible working request that I wanted to reduce to 32 hours. But could they argue that I should have checked my pay slips before now? What should I do?!

Will you have also been given extra leave based on a 33 hour week?

Yep, required to pay it back, but they will allow you to this with a payment plan so as not to cause hardship.

Honestly who throughly checks their payslips? Not many people in a 9-5 salaried role.

As a Manager, we'd be grateful you caught it before it went unnoticed longer, and you'd be getting bonus points for honesty.

Literally you can only come out looking good for pointing this out.

Speak to your manager, I've handled issues like this in the past. Depending on the company we'd either write it off (usually if employee makes a song and dance about not being able to repay it) or deduct very small amounts over a lengthy period of time.

Could it be a paid for lunch break?

No my leave entitlement is worked out by our admin/ secretary so a separate system entirely. I've seen the spreadsheet she works from and she has me down as working a 32 hour week because this is what I told her I work, so my leave entitlement is correct and based on 32 hrs not 33.

I manage a payroll department in similar org. Unfortunately we would need to recover but will always agree a reasonable recovery plan, especially with COL crisis. You can suggest to repay over the same time that the overpayment occurred.

lunch breaks are all unpaid according to my contract.

Ex-NHS HR Director.

you’ll be asked to pay it back. It will
likely come up in a financial audit at some point so better to deal with it now than a year or 2 down the line.

never assume that your pay is right just because it’s the same as last month. Tax codes can be wrong, pension rates can change. Important messages are often put on payslips because there is an expectation that people will check them.

Not being able to remember a password is a pretty lame excuse TBH.

Imagine if her employer found out in say 10 years time, and asked for the money back. She would owe a lot then.
But anyway, an hour for 52 weeks (which is how long it has been happening for) works out to more than a weeks pay 😁

I would assume they would want it back. However, as it is their fault you should have the right to a payment plan that is suitable for yourself

Shows how different workplaces are! I work somewhere where going above snd beyond is expected. my colleague was overpaid and had to set up a payment plan.

I work for NHS and had similar. I had to pay it back even though it was their error. They agreed to a payment plan.

I couldn’t know I was being overpaid and say nothing - my conscience wouldn’t let me ! It won’t be that much after tax and ni and as others pps said they would do it over a long period. I anticipate that your manager would be understanding of why you didn’t realise til now but the money isn’t yours

Deal with the problem promptly.
It is honest to get on to it and have it sorted straight away. The amount of overpay is not enormous; you will be fine/

The company might even agree to not give you the next pay rise (by 1 pound) until you have repaid the wages. That way you will not notice it.

Im also NHS and this happened to one of my colleagues. He had to pay it back but they let him do a payment plan, so I’m sure they won’t take it all at once.

NHS can’t do that.

I'd approach the manager "hey, when we discussed my hours did we settle on 32 or 33? Only saying as I thought it was 32 so have been working that, but I've noticed at the top of the payslip it says 33. To be honest the monthly amount for 33 and 32 are so similar the actual amount didn't make me wonder. Either way I've been working 32 hours so I either owe you time or wages. Do you want to have a look back see what was recorded, then we can discuss how best to sort this"

Attached to (but not directly for) the NHS here. I was overpaid last year on expenses (they used an incorrect mileage rate). As it was their error, they wrote off a proportion of it and we agreed a payment plan to pay it back. All sorted. It doesn't need to be a big deal, OP.
Everyone should check their payslips, though. You, not your payroll, are responsible for ensuring you've paid the correct tax and that your tax code etc. is correct.

@Notamum12345577 good point didn't think of that!!

Saying that I'd still keep quiet and hope they didn't notice though!

Draw it to your manager's attention, he may actually be okay with you potentially using toil to bring some of it down. Worst case scenario they want it all repaid, they can spread the payments out for you so don't panic ❤️

I always check my hours now. This happened to my friend.
they took it all in one go the next month, she was livid.
it also happened to me in my last job.
they didn’t care if i was going to be short.

Could you ask to work an extra day a month to repay the hours that way ?

Or take it out of holiday entitlement?

You need to raise it, as strictly speaking once you realise the error but you do nothing, it becomes theft (but it is NOT theft until you realise the error and then do nothing about putting it right).

Join an union now.

You haven't noticed this yet, obviously. But you will in about a month or two.

My DD, NHS has had her pay messed up since October. It was their mistake. From her's and other people I know, the NHS won't leave someone in hardship to payback an overpayment. Work out what you can afford to put it to them. They may only want so many months back. In my experience there are quite a few pay errors across the NHS and it's easier to write off as much as possible. It depends on your staffing levels, though.