To cut a long story short I took maternity leave in 2007, I received a letter before leaving stating which months I would be paid for and which were unpaid from my head of personnel. I took an authorized career break during which time I tried to sort out the annual leave that my employer owed me from when I was on Maternity leave, this led to them e-mailing me in January 2009 to inform me that I had been 'overpaid' contractual maternity pay. The pay office disagreed with the letter that I had received from our HR head and informed me that I should only have been paid for 26 weeks not 39 as stated in the letter. I contacted our head of personnel who answered the e-mail to pay services saying that I had been paid correctly. Nothing more heard until July 2009 when received a letter informing me of the 'overpayment' again and wanting repayment plan, again the head of personnel emailed them informing them that I had been paid correctly. Cut forward to January this year, still on career break and had a letter from pay services threatening me with solicitors for repayment of maternity 'overpayment' again! I contacted them, sent all proof showing that it had been questioned 3 times and each time I had been told that I had been paid correctly. I was due to return to work in May this year but voluntary redundancy came up and I applied and got it, but they paid me by mistake for May. I had already filled in forms to return to work but they hadn't completed the paperwork, so therefore I knew this money wasn't mine, I notified our pay services and kept the money separate in my bank so that it didn't get spent.
Well, this month, after my redundancy finish date I receive another e-mail demanding a payment schedule for the maternity 'overpayment', it's been six years now since they paid me, I really thought the money was mine and according to the original letter and 2 subsequent e-mails it was! I volunteered the information about the ovepayment in May this year and have paid it back by bank transfer as this was never mine to keep, but the maternity pay is another matter, should I get a solicitor involved as this is what they are threatening?