I accidentally lied about salary

[Helloyouok]

Hi, I'm hoping for a bit of reassurance but feel free to also tell me off because I've been a bit silly.

I've been offered a new job, which involves a salary increase, and I successfully managed to negotiate a bit more than what I was originally offered.

In my current role I genuinely thought I was on £36.5k, so this is what I've been telling interviewers I'm on when asked. However I checked my Compensation statement just now and to my horror I'm actually on just under £35.5k! I'm not sure why I thought I was on more, I think I'm my head I've always said I'm on around 36k and then somehow added the 0.5 along the way so that's just the figure that stuck in my head.

Anyway the new job is about to contact my references and I'm having a bit of a meltdown because if they ask for current salary and notice the discrepancy will I be pulled up for lying, or even worse the offer retracted? It was a genuine mistake on my part.

I actually have been asked someone's salary as part of a telephone reference request. I said that I could be overheard and I wasn't prepared to say it out loud but they were clearly suspicious and wanted it, because they suggested they quote the figure given and let me confirm it.

Did they ask you for your salary or did they ask you for your income?

It wont be an issue. They are unlikely to find out.

Thanks everyone, super reassuring and corroborates exactly what my DH said, I overthink things way too much 😂

I didn't think references were asked about current salary, but Google says they may well be. It's been a very long time since I went through a recruitment process and changed companies so I think I'm just nervous and questioning each and every little thing!

Just say the correct amount from now forwards if asked. If you wrote it down then just send an email to correct the amount if this makes you feel better about things. Otherwise leave it be like others have said.

I'd not pay more money for someone who told me they'd got confused between the words 'current' and 'desired'. I'd think either they were a bit of a fool or were trying to take me for one. Employers will pay somewhere in between what they want to pay and what you want to earn, depending on how much they want you.

I wouldn’t worry. I don’t think interviewers should be asking what salary you are on anyway, at least in the industry I am in it is always asked in an attempt to offer the candidate something less and I wouldn’t be surprised if many deliberately exaggerate their salary when asked.

They'll see the exact amount earned when the P45 is handed in.

if it’s a big firm their recruitment team or HR will be the one who sees your current salary and won’t know what you said during your interview, it really won’t matter.

It's really discriminatory to ask for current salaries, it perpetuates lower salaries for women and people from ethnic minorities, I won't do it. I know what the job is worth and if they are the best person for the job they get what it is advertised for or a bit more if they negotiate well and are clearly above what I was hoping for. I doubt I would ever say no if a future employer asked for mine, but I'd love to have the balls to tell them just this at the time.

Most people would just assume it's a typo?

The 5 is right next to the 6 :)

No reference is going to confirm your current salary.

I always embellish what my current salary is, to get more! Then presumably they see what it actually was on my P45, but nobody has ever called me up on it. Unless you've said you're on 50k more than you are, or the person who asked you about your current salary happens to be the exact person who processes your P45, then I don't think anyone will notice or care.

You'll be fine.

I do know organisations who salary check and will withdraw offers if people have lied. HOWEVER I think the amount is too small to be of concern though so you should not worry.

That aside, I would consider not offering salary information at all. People should be paid for the role they are doing and that should be benchmarked etc based on what it is worth, not what you're currently earning . It is a massive cause of women being underpaid as they start on a lower salary, then continue to be paid less as their salary is pegged against previous lower salaries

I know! When I’m asked for references it sometimes asks for salary and I never fill it out!

@Helloyouok Yes, absolutely no reason to worry OP, relax.
Incidentally, why did you answer this question at all? Doing so really undermines your negotiating position. The last time I was asked that question in an interview by the Chair of the company, I replied "Is that relevant?". The Chair spluttered a bit and the CEO stepped in with "You're right, it's not" and then asked me the next question. And I got the job.

It's none of their business what your current salary is and I imagine your current employer would be in breach of GDPR if they shared it.
We should try not to share existing salaries with potential new employers as it your current pay has nothing to do with what they should pay you.
I think you need not worry here.

Never answer the "current salary" question in an interview.

Firstly, you might find in your current contract that this is regarded as confidential information and that you are not allowed to disclose it to anyone. Your current employer might not want your colleagues to know your salary, and they almost certainly don't want their competitors to know what they pay their staff. (This should also apply to the company, who should not provide salary details as part of any reference)

Secondly, you're not applying for your current job - you're looking to move on (and maybe up). You might have gained new qualifications or gained experience in new aspects of the job that your current employer is unwilling to pay you an increase for but which the new employer is looking for.

Of course the new employer is looking for some confirmation that you are currently working at a certain level (e.g. the "Customer Services Manager" of a 6 person team earning £30k is not the same as another person with the same job title managing 600 staff in a huge contact centre and earning £100k) but that should already have been established during the interviews.

A good answer is along the lines of "for this job to be of interest, I would be looking for a salary of £X" (which in an ideal world would have been clear in the job advertisement). An old manager of mine once advised me to not stop there, but to continue with whatever benefits were usual for the job - "plus a company car, health insurance, WFH, bonus scheme, time off/fees paid for professional training ...etc" and to not stop until the interviewer blinked.

A business wouldn’t likely disclose your current salary. But your next panic will be over your P45 and your taxable YTD earnings. You disclose your YTD earnings info to your next employer when you do their HMRC new joiner forms, but there’s a billion reasons why someone’s YTD pay might be lower than their earnings, so don’t over think it.

Also, know that it’s incredibly common to inflate your current salary a bit when changing jobs, companies almost expect it.

Unless your job application goes on to say "Ability to look up details" you'll be fine.

I just applied to a job and they had a mandatory salary field.on every job I've had. Asking current salary is shit enough. But froma job decade a go. Fuck that. That question should be banned.

But to the op, don't worry about it. It only few pounds less a month and barely noticeable as being a difference.

I was asked to provide a reference for someone who told me she inflated her current salary by £10k in her interview. I'm not her line manager. The reference unusually asked about current salary so I just put tbc and they never came back to me. She got the job with a huge salary increase and I'm happy for her but I wasn't prepared to lie.

Thanks all. Tbh the question took me by surprise (it's usually 'what are your salary expectations') and it didn't really occur to me on the spot to refuse to answer. Also I think in my industry it's quite common to ask. I'll know for next time to politely decline to answer.

Also to be clear my answer was not in writing anywhere, it was purely verbal on a virtual interview. But the interviewer did note it down.

I honestly wouldn't worry , i have never checked anyone i have interviewed salaries. If they do 1k is hardly something worth lying about so i'm sure they'd know it was a mistake.