I got extra pay by mistake…then they took it back without a heads up

Business Forum Personal Finance
21

@Arie
They’re allowed to take it back without warning. The takeaway? If your pay looks off, check with payroll.

22

Eli said:
@Arie
They’re allowed to take it back without warning. The takeaway? If your pay looks off, check with payroll.

Just because they can do it doesn’t mean it’s fair practice. They should at least notify you.

23

@Devi
Sure, but if you see a big unexpected amount and don’t ask, it can look sketchy. If pay was low, OP would’ve checked right away.

24

Eli said:
@Devi
Sure, but if you see a big unexpected amount and don’t ask, it can look sketchy. If pay was low, OP would’ve checked right away.

You’re right, but it still shouldn’t be on employees to handle payroll’s mistakes.

25

@Devi
He didn’t have control over payroll’s mistake, but he could’ve double-checked when he saw the extra cash. A quick chat with payroll might have made a big difference.

26

Eli said:
@Devi
He didn’t have control over payroll’s mistake, but he could’ve double-checked when he saw the extra cash. A quick chat with payroll might have made a big difference.

True, if they hadn’t messed up in the first place, we wouldn’t be having this chat.

27

@Devi
Exactly, but since OP noticed, he could have planned it better. Better safe than sorry!

28

Eli said:
@Arie
They’re allowed to take it back without warning. The takeaway? If your pay looks off, check with payroll.

They can’t just take it back with no notice. Why comment if you’re not sure?

29

@Arie
If you didn’t understand your payslip, you could’ve asked. You don’t need to know all payslip details to check if you got a bonus. If you thought it was a mistake, hoping they wouldn’t notice isn’t the best move.

30

IANAL, but under the Employment Rights Act 1996, an employer can correct an overpayment without telling you first. It’s not ideal, but that’s the rule.

If you’re struggling with finances because of this, maybe think about having a bit set aside in case of these situations. I keep a bit extra in my account to avoid missed bills if anything goes wrong with pay. Losing a bit of interest is better than dealing with unpaid bills.

31

@Axel
Looks like someone had fun with that extra “bonus”… just saying.

32

Azriel said:
@Axel
Looks like someone had fun with that extra “bonus”… just saying.

Believe what you want, but that’s not what I’m asking here. I’m just checking if they can legally do this without notice :man_shrugging:

33

@Arie
Yes, they can.

You don’t get surprise bonuses. If it was a bonus, they’d have told you. They should’ve given a heads-up, but legally, they don’t have to.

At the end of the day, managing your own finances is on you.

34

@Arie
Well, your financial issue came up because you spent it assuming it was a bonus.

35

Azriel said:
@Arie
Well, your financial issue came up because you spent it assuming it was a bonus.

Fair enough, thanks!

36

@Arie
I get paid at the end of each month, and bills come out around the 5th. It gives me a few days to manage things if there’s an issue.

Maybe consider that setup? Sometimes these things happen.

37

@Arie

According to this, they don’t need to notify you. It’s just correcting the mistake.

38

@Arie
Solid response, don’t understand the downvotes.

39

@Axel
Not everyone can have a big financial cushion. OP should’ve at least held onto the extra cash to make sure it wasn’t a mistake.

40

Vesper said:
@Axel
Not everyone can have a big financial cushion. OP should’ve at least held onto the extra cash to make sure it wasn’t a mistake.

True, but if OP saw a bigger-than-usual payment, it might’ve been smart to save it for a rainy day instead of spending it.