Oh LORDY just found out i've been overpaid by 2K and they want it all back!!!!!!!!!

[Moomin]

Am on maternity leave and have been since Sept. Was in hosp for most of Sept and some of October before i had the baby so my wage slips were not really top priority for me and since then have hardly given them a glance. I did notice last month that I seems to be fairly well off but thought that was due to back-pay for a new pay level I was awarded in sept. However, got my wage slip posted to home today and I realised that I'm still on my old pay!!!!

Should have been full pay for 8 weeks (sept and oct) then half pay for 12 weeks (nov dec and jan). I rang the fincance office at work straight away and the woman in charge said 'ooo yes, it hasn't been changed over - you'll have to pay it back you know...' YES I KNOW THAT YOU STUPID WOMAN but how???!!!!! she's ringing the central pay office today to try to get all the right details and is ringing tomorrow with the verdict.

I know i've been stupid not checking my wage slips but I truely didn't notice and my accounts been mega overdrawn for a while now so the wages were just swallowed up in this. Will they want payment all in one go????!!! please god no - it was their mistake after all. Anyone able to advise?

At my place (which I acknlowege has a generous policy), it is half pay plus Maternity Pay - check is it is not the same at yours! At least that would be an extra c.£400/month for you not to worry about paying back

oh yes, that's true... still money i can't afford though. i'm so dim

A reasonable employer would let you pay it back in installments. They ought to discuss the amount and period with you. It is their fault, not yours. Any deduction from your pay without your consent would constitute a breach of the Wages Act, so they can't just take it back in one lump sum.

It's their error, so they have to be reasonable. A colleague of mine had this, and offered them £50 a month (she owed £1000), which they had to accept. Good luck!

Moomin, not what you need right now! I know what you mean about not checking the payslips, like you're really bothered at the moment!

Its their error, and though they are entitled to have it back, you can do it in installments. Most companies will operate on this policy and let you pay them in installments.

I think the fact that you brought it to their attention should earn you big brownie points. I would continue to be proactive about the situation and work out a schedule to pay the money back, i.e. suggest that they retain £x per month once you are back at work and on full pay again.

thanks. I won't be on full pay again with them though! I've already decided to hand my notice in and leave in July, although I get paid until end August, so I was going to have to pay back some maternity pay anyway! oh well, worse things happen at sea. I should imagine I could pay in installments as they're a mega mega employer (B'ham City council!) so i think they can survive without my having to pay it all back in one go. If that stupid man in a wig that works in our finance office had got her shit together and sorted out my paperwork instead of leaving it all to me to find out my maternity pay and conditions maybe I'd have paid a bit more notice! anyway.... bothered