Salary Overpayment - Negotiating Clawback?

[NoPackDrill]

My previous employer has overpaid me - I didn't notice, less than £1k. They have sent me a letter which says they'll be sending me an invoice and then 'discussing' a repayment scheme. In a normal year, I'd probably just pay it straight back, but . . .

a) This is 100% their cock-up, the tone of the letter has moderately pissed me off, and I have quite enough other stuff going on at the moment;

b) I am just about to start paying back a £4k overpayment by my new employer! I started in June, and only noticed in August that salary payment was too meaty, and told them straight away. This one I'm more sympathetic with, as contract was very rushed (finally agreed at 16:45 on the afternoon before my start date). They offered me a six month schedule, but I asked for four so that it's clear this year.

I don't think I've ever been overpaid before, and now twice this year!

Anyway, could I charge old employer an admin fee? (Only half joking). Otherwise, what do you reckon I should offer? (I have the cash, it's just me not wanting to be my usual pushover self).

[Arrivalist]

Why be a prick about it? How would you feel if they underpaid you and then dicked you about?

I’m sure that deep down you know the answer.

[Terminator X]

Get another job and keep it?

TX.

[xx99xx]

Doesn't matter if you're seen to be a pushover or not, you don't work for them any more so it's not like they're going to shaft you with extra work, rubbish pay rise etc

[shirt]

Arrivalist said:

How would you feel if they underpaid you and then dicked you about?

It sounds like he’s a contractor so that would be a regular occurrence

[Wacky Racer]

If you can afford it. just pay it back and have done with it.

If not, spread it over four months or something.

What would you want if it was the other way round? I think you know the answer.

[Countdown]

NoPackDrill said:

Anyway, could I charge old employer an admin fee? (Only half joking). Otherwise, what do you reckon I should offer? (I have the cash, it's just me not wanting to be my usual pushover self).

I'm curious as to how they managed to overpay you. Were you

1. PAYE on their books
2. Agency temp
3. self employed contractor

For (2) and (3) they would pay on receipt of invoice and a decent Purchase Ledger system would stop the same invoice being paid twice. If you were PAYE on their books then overpayments can happen if you weren't recorded promptly as a Leaver.

To answer your question - I'd repay them. Keeping money that wasn't mine wouldn't sit right with me.

YMMV

[AB]

This happened to a friend of mine who used the money to pay off a credit card in full and then agreed to pay their (previous) employer back the same monthlies they were to clear the CC. Benefited him to the tune of the interest.

[alscar]

I think I’d be waiting for the invoice and suggested repayment structure from the old employer first but whilst you can “ ask “ for additional time and indeed “ suggest “ an admin fee I’m not sure for a sum like that I would be bothering.
If you a contractor who knows if you might at some point go back to doing some work for them.
Presumably you will already be earning a bit of interest from the overpaid amount anyway.

[Monkeylegend]

Terminator X said:

Get another job and keep it?

TX.

Seems a bit drastic when it is his previous employer who are asking for less than £1k to be paid back.

[Jazoli]

Surely you just pay it back straight away? if you know what you earn each month then suddenly you'd been paid double or whatever it pretty obvious its not yours.

[NoPackDrill]

Countdown said:

NoPackDrill said:

Anyway, could I charge old employer an admin fee? (Only half joking). Otherwise, what do you reckon I should offer? (I have the cash, it's just me not wanting to be my usual pushover self).

I'm curious as to how they managed to overpay you. Were you

1. PAYE on their books
2. Agency temp
3. self employed contractor

For (2) and (3) they would pay on receipt of invoice and a decent Purchase Ledger system would stop the same invoice being paid twice. If you were PAYE on their books then overpayments can happen if you weren't recorded promptly as a Leaver.

To answer your question - I'd repay them. Keeping money that wasn't mine wouldn't sit right with me.

YMMV

Option 1 - but via Fixed Term Contracts, as dependent on government funding. Yes, I’ll just pay on receipt of invoice - just could have done without the buggeration factor right now.

[xx99xx]

Wondering how difficult/time consuming it is to transfer money from one account to another?

Unsure of the problem here.

[loskie]

Yep:

BUT


The OP may have left or been fed up of their ineptitude when he left.

Only to find that it's following him.


He/she/they are right to be peeved.

I work for a Govt dept. The ineptitude is rife. Especially at the higher levels.

[Countdown]

loskie said:

I work for a Govt dept. The ineptitude is rife. Especially at the higher levels.

He said the post was Government funded which implies private sector.

[BlackTails]

NoPackDrill said:

what do you reckon I should offer? (I have the cash, it's just me not wanting to be my usual pushover self).

To pay it back, on demand. Skip the repayment plan and get it over and done with as quickly and cleanly as possible.

Edited by BlackTails on Saturday 19th September 20:06

[loskie]

Countdown said:

loskie said:

I work for a Govt dept. The ineptitude is rife. Especially at the higher levels.

He said the post was Government funded which implies private sector.

I said I work for a govt dept.

[NoPackDrill]

Countdown said:

loskie said:

I work for a Govt dept. The ineptitude is rife. Especially at the higher levels.

He said the post was Government funded which implies private sector.

Public sector, but funded year to year by the Home Office (so, typically, you find out in March how much money you have to spend from April).

[Countdown]

loskie said:

Countdown said:

loskie said:

I work for a Govt dept. The ineptitude is rife. Especially at the higher levels.

He said the post was Government funded which implies private sector.

I said I work for a govt dept.

At a higher level?

[Countdown]

NoPackDrill said:

Countdown said:

loskie said:

I work for a Govt dept. The ineptitude is rife. Especially at the higher levels.

He said the post was Government funded which implies private sector.

Public sector, but funded year to year by the Home Office (so, typically, you find out in March how much money you have to spend from April).

That seems oddly late.

Core government and arms length bodies usually get their 3 year budgets following a Spending Review, and their annual budgets by July of the preceding year. HMT and Central Govt aren’t stupid, they know organisations have to set budgets and delivery plans for the year ahead, which they can’t do if they don’t know how much money they are likely to have.

Out of curiosity (I used to work in the Home Office, in Finance) is your ex employer on the Designation Order linked below?

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/208/sched...