Overpaid by mistake

[Bob'n'weave]

I just got a nice bit of extra wedge to the tune of just over 3k “Commission” in my January pay packet. Lovely! but sadly I wasn’t due any commission so I toyed with the idea of keeping quiet but being honest (dumb?) and guessing that they will eventually suss that they have over paid I owned up and paid it back today.

I'd noticed it late on Friday afternoon and was “mentally” spending the money over the weekend but am only 9 months into a new job, had some nice commission that I was due the month before and a tasty promotion/pay rise so I just had to own up.

I might be torturing myself here but has anyone ever had an over payment, kept quiet and your company hasn’t noticed?

I'm sure a bit of fiscal karma will come your way. If I was the boss, I would defo remember this.

 

[The Kid Frankie]

About ten years ago in my previous employment I started seeing an extra £100 on my pay slip marked 'Bonus.' I said nothing and it went on for about six months before it stopped. Nothing was said to me about it at the time or since. To this day I have no idea if it was intentional or a glitch.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I thought it would go to civil courts.
EDIT: Just seen post above. I'd better hand back all my overpayments then

Ha

The definition of theft is to dishonestly (he knows it's not his so to keep it with that knowledge would be dishonest) appropriate (to take something, to keep something that you've found, to reduce into one's possession etc) property belonging to another (includes money) with intent to permanently deprive the other of it (speaks for itself). Nailed on.

 

[Captain Sensible]

I got paid for 2 extra months after I left a job. I never heard from them again. Pay it back? Did I fu**!! It was a horrible firm and I gave it a year, then just forgot about it. Now I think of it as a parting bonus.

 

[scamander]

did the right thing, you can spend the money but you've just earnt some serious honesty points with your employer which will hopefully be noted down. I seem to remember that not declaring it can technically be counted as fraud (receiving money which you know you haven't earned), however, I imagine the legally minded on here will know better.

Several years ago I worked for a company and was auditing an office they had and found a personnel file which had the normal leaver paperwork but missing a copy of the form you sent to payroll. Contacted payroll and they were still paying the chap 7 months after he'd left.

Flagged this with the manager there who admitted his mistake and had to deal with payroll. As I understand it they just cancelled the wage and left it be as if they pursued it the senior management would have gone on the warpath. The chap in question was on around 28k a year, would love to know what he did with it.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Got paid twice by a supermarket once as a student, not a big amount of money but put it in a seperate account for 6 months to see if they noticed and then spent it.

 

[Alba Badger]

Cheers you lot. Made me feel bit better about it.

 

[ForestRowSeagull]

Yup had the same fairly recently after leaving my placement year. Worked one week of the month but was paid for the whole thing. I hope the goodwill earned by returning it was more than the extra payment. Would've played on my mind anyway

 

[Diablo]

I got charged twice when paying by card for car Hire.....After god knows how many phone calls got one refund, two days later got other refund so two weeks car hire cost nothing..

 

[Justice]

Should of blown it on cocaine and hookers what's wrong with you man.

 

[Official Old Man]

You've lost £3k
Don't expect the company will remember. Some other chap will get promotion first.
But more importantly, like me, you'll sleep well tonight.

 

[RandyWanger]

Was something in the news recently, a lad from Dublin.

"A teenager who was overpaid his wages after his employer made a 'decimal point error' - meaning he got €19,639 instead of €196.36 - has been jailed for FOUR YEARS after going on a spending spree... Yesterday he was jailed for theft from his former employer - after a court heard he failed to report the error and spent all the money on drugs, socialising and items like a new bed and a PlayStation"