over paid

[gunners70]

has anybody been overpaid ,what happened regarding paying back

[TeeferTiger]

Tell your DOM, they contact HR and then they tell you how they're going to get it back. Either from your wages or recalled from the bank.

Shouldn't be a problem getting/giving the money back as it shouldn't have been spent

[gunners70]

problem is it was over 3 years and they say i owe 1600 quid due to cock up in my office with shift allowance

[TrueBlueTerrier]

has anybody been overpaid ,what happened regarding paying back

our whole office got a function payment of £75 we were not entitled to and they have taken it back at £25 at time.

No letters no nothing they just started taking it back. Give the DOM his due though he apologised at WTL and he said he had made them aware of his anger at them not warning anyone or even writing a letter of explanation.

problem is it was over 3 years and they say i owe 1600 quid due to cock up in my office with shift allowance

I would get straight onto the CAB and get their advice - at worst case you should be able to get their help to pay off the amount in instalments, at best they might even get it discounted - A letter from the CAB always makes a HR dept nervous

[mclovin]

say nowt. let them find the discrepancy.

[gunners70]

they have found out ,thats the problem sent me a letter saying i owe 1600 .they have said i can pay 50 quid a week back how very generous

[hampshireman]

problem is it was over 3 years and they say i owe 1600 quid due to cock up in my office with shift allowance

As someone else said. See the CAB.

It is their mistake. I assume you did not realise it? And three years is a long time.

Is there a statute of limitations?

If you knew it ... then maybe you have to repay.

Suggest a pound a week if pushed

[fishtank]

they have found out ,thats the problem sent me a letter saying i owe 1600 .they have said i can pay 50 quid a week back how very generous

Unacceptable...Tell them they can have it back at the same rate that they overpaid you....over the same 3 years that they overpaid you for...just over a tenner a week.

[fishtank]

OVERPAYMENTS RECOVERY PROCEDURE

1. Objective

The objective of this procedure is to provide advice and guidance for processing of overpayment of wages and expenses cases.

2. Introduction

2.1 The process and procedure set out below will be followed in all cases of overpayments, recognising the legal right and commercial obligation of the Business to recover overpayments and the need to ensure it has a consistent, efficient and legal policy on the recovery of overpayments of wages.

2.2 It is Royal Mail’s policy to pay wages on time and correctly, and every effort should be made to eliminate the overpayment of pay occurring. However, it is the duty of every employee to notify the Business immediately if they become aware of an overpayment in their pay.

2.3 Royal Mail commits to dealing with overpayments in a reasonable and sensitive manner and with due regard for individual circumstances.

3. Process and Procedure

3.1 Where an overpayment is discovered the total amount of the overpayment should be calculated and the reasons for the error established and recorded.

3.2 As soon as an overpayment has been established, People and Organisational Services will notify the employee concerned. This notification will clearly detail the amount of the overpayment, the circumstances that have led to it and the options available for recovering the monies that have been overpaid. The individual should also be informed that advice can be obtained from their Union.

3.3 Where the process in Para 3.2 (detailed above) does not resolve the issue then the employee’s Line Manager will be informed of the overpayment together with the reasons that have led to it occurring, the amounts involved, and advised that they now need to meet with and discuss this issue with the employee concerned.


3.4 The Manager will arrange an interview with the employee concerned. The employee should be given prior notice of the interview and informed that should they wish, the local Union Representative may accompany them to the interview. A record of this interview should be kept by the line manager and copied to the employee.

3.5 The purpose of the interview is to establish all additional relevant facts and any mitigating/personal issues that need to be taken into account. Normally, the outcome of this meeting will be an agreement to repay the overpayment in full, over an appropriate and agreed timeframe. However, in limited circumstances, this interview may lead to agreement that some or all of the overpayment is waived and in extreme cases that the whole overpayment is waived. The MCM/DOM will be responsible for making any final decision on waiving some or all of the overpayment, after seeking advice from their RSM (Advice and Support).

In making the decision referred to above, the following should be considered:-

• whether the Employee notified the Business of the overpayment and, if so, what actions were taken by Management
• whether the overpayment continued for a substantial period of time
• the value of the overpayment in question
• the employee’s personal circumstances.

3.6 Royal Mail’s policy is to seek recovery of overpayments of pay by agreement, wherever possible. However, Royal Mail reserves its statutory right to deduct from salaries any monies owed. The CWU notes it is Royal Mail’s policy to reclaim overpayments of wages in these situations by deducting 10% of the individual’s gross basic pay per pay period until the overpayment is fully recovered. This will be a last resort and only applied after all reasonable efforts have been made to reach an agreement with the employee concerned. Royal Mail commits to dealing with overpayments in a reasonable and sensitive manner and with due regard for individual circumstances throughout the period of the overpayment.


4. Key Principles

4.1 In all cases of overpayments an employee’s pay record/arrangements will be amended so as to rectify the overpayment at the earliest opportunity.

4.2 In cases of bulk overpayments, i.e., where there are two or more individuals, and they have been overpaid as a result of an error emanating from the same source, these may be treated as individual cases.

4.3 In the case of overpayments of less than £25 (pro rated for part time employees), People and Organisational Services will notify the employee that the amount will be automatically deducted in the next pay (whether that be weekly or monthly).

4.4 It is agreed that all underpayments of pay will be paid in full. Where there is an overpayment and an underpayment one will be offset against the other as appropriate.

4.5 Recovery of overpayments will not take place in cases where an employee has died. In instances where the business seeks to recover the monies from an employee who has died, this will be authorised by POS, in conjunction with the RSM (Advice and Support).

4.6 In instances where an employee has left the business, Royal Mail will seek to recover any overpayment. As soon as an overpayment has been established People and Organisational Services will notify the ex-employee concerned. This notification will clearly detail the amount of the overpayment, the circumstances that have led to it, and the options available for recovering the monies that have been overpaid. Debt recovery will be used in instances where reasonable efforts have been made and failed to reach an agreement on repayment of the overpayment.

4.7 Where an employee has given advance notification of leaving the business, the business will normally recover all outstanding monies owed from the employee’s final pay to repay the overpayment.

4.8 In instances where a casual employee is overpaid, People and Organisational Services will notify the employee concerned. This notification will clearly detail the amount the overpayment, the circumstances that have led to it, and the options available for recovering the monies that have been overpaid.

4.9 Overpayments identified as suspected fraud or contributory negligence will be dealt with under the terms of the appropriate national procedures.

4.10 Recovery of overpayments and the arrangements associated with the process will be applied in a timely way in order to ensure that the Business recovers the monies quickly and efficiently, and to minimise any anxiety caused to the employee.

[gunners70]

cheers for the replies cab monday i think
tax ,national ins and pension contributions havnt been taken into account therefore could be paying back more than i actually earned .
1st i knew about it was today when i opened my post , it is me and 4 others who have been written to .the annoying thing is we started an hour earlier than rest of office at 5 o clock and were told we would get grandfather rights for 3 years

[not me]

works out at £10.26 a week if you were repaying it at the rate they paid it to you

[jaylime]

I was getting paid driving allowance for six years and now owe £6000.I am currently paying it back at $20.00 a week.The bit about tax and NI is interesting I never thought of that.

[fishtank]

I was getting paid driving allowance for six years and now owe £6000.I am currently paying it back at $20.00 a week.The bit about tax and NI is interesting I never thought of that.

The tax and NI is not an issue if the deductions are taken from gross pay as you are now paying less tax and NI because of the deductions.
It balances itself out....or it should but i'm not an accountant.