Pay snafu- do I have to wait until next month for the correction?

SiD the Turtle · 26 Oct 2017 at 11:49

So I started a new job and thanks to an error somewhere along the line my gross pay YTD before my first paycheck with this new job was listed as THIRTY MILLION POUNDS so I was taxed up to the eyeballs to the point after the mortgage and train fare I will have about a fiver left to live on.

I'm yet to find out if this was HR's mistake or HMRC's, but the initial feedback I've got is that the firm will correct it and will pay me next month. Obviously this is not acceptable. What are my rights? Does it depend on who's mistake it is?

Dis86 · 26 Oct 2017 at 11:53

Hell no.

lude1962 · 26 Oct 2017 at 11:53

What does the P60 from your old job say?

PlacidCasual · 26 Oct 2017 at 11:55

If it's PAYE it will be the company's fault and I would demand they make good the situation.

SiD the Turtle · 26 Oct 2017 at 11:57

lude1962 said:
What does the P60 from your old job say?

P60 is correct.

PlacidCasual said:
If it's PAYE it will be the company's fault and I would demand they make good the situation.

Yup it's PAYE, could you clarify why it's the firms fault? I assume they submit the P60/P45/PAYE to HMRC.

opstrat · 26 Oct 2017 at 12:07

Give acas a phone. They will advise you best.

dowie · 26 Oct 2017 at 12:14

get payroll/HR to give you an advance/loan equivalent to your net pay and then let them sort out the rest of the **** up

not wanting to sound patronising but it isn't a good idea in general to live month by month - having some savings you can access instantly is generally a good plan and having a credit card would be useful too in this scenario - you're missing out on points/rewards and purchase protection too

Quartz · 26 Oct 2017 at 12:18

How much will your bank charge you for the overdraft? Speak to them and explain the situation.

CREATIVE!11 · 26 Oct 2017 at 12:21

OP YOU RICH HOMIE,

chuck your ocuk brotha over bout tree fiddy.

SiD the Turtle · 26 Oct 2017 at 12:22

dowie said:
get payroll/HR to give you an advance/loan equivalent to your net pay and then let them sort out the rest of the **** up

not wanting to sound patronising but it isn't a good idea in general to live month by month - having some savings you can access instantly is generally a good plan and having a credit card would be useful too in this scenario - you're missing out on points/rewards and purchase protection too

No, completely agree. In truth I can dip into savings/use credit to get by, but I'd rather not hit the penalties for withdrawing from my savings, nor should I have to for someone else's mistake.

PlacidCasual · 26 Oct 2017 at 12:43

I don't work in payroll but I understand that the HMRC usually leaves the firms to calculate the tax requirements of their staff for PAYE and audits later. So if you have been overtaxed it is because your payroll has made a mistake rather than HMRC. You have every right to demand that you are not inconvenienced by their mistake.

flea.rider · 26 Oct 2017 at 12:49

/p//hone em up tell them they have 24 hrs to sort it or you will be charging interest /loan rate on your money they have ..
or go in ask them to give it you out of petty cash ?

Uther · 26 Oct 2017 at 12:56

Waiting until next month is totally unacceptable.

Vonhelmet · 26 Oct 2017 at 13:13

It's nothing to do with HMRC, PAYE is the responsibility of the employer. Don't let the employer fob you off telling you to contact HMRC.

Even if your P45 was wrong, there's no reason your pay to date in that job should be wrong.

I knew someone who started at an accountancy firm I was at and he was registered as a partner, so he got paid like £30k the first month and had to pay it back. Whoops.

Tunney · 26 Oct 2017 at 13:14

I've had a similar issue in the past. Payroll made an emergency bank transfer for roughly what I should have been paid and then it was all evened out the month after.

It really depends on your employer though. Have you spoken directly to payroll yet?

Woden · 26 Oct 2017 at 13:21

Tell them you expect to be given the time off, paid, until the sort it. You can't afford the train thanks to their incompetence.

HazardO · 26 Oct 2017 at 14:10

Tell payroll you'll not kick up a fuss as long as you get the 30mil.

Scam · 26 Oct 2017 at 14:17

Obviously with it being a new job you probably don't want to **** people off too much. In other words running into your managers office shouting and swearing to "show me tha monies!!1" probably ain't going to go down well.

That said, yes they absolutely should correct the error. If they can't do it quickly they can loan you the money or make other arrangements. Be fair, but firm in that it is their mistake and they should fix it asap.

EDIT: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/rights-at-work/pay/problems-getting-paid/

Speak to your employer

Try speaking informally to your employer if you’re having problems with your pay. You could also try speaking to your human resources or payroll department, if there is one.

Ask them to explain anything you don’t understand on your payslip or why you haven’t been paid. If you disagree with anything, explain why.

If your employer has made a genuine mistake, ask them to pay you the money you’re owed straight away. You shouldn’t have to wait until your next pay day.

mattyg · 26 Oct 2017 at 14:33

Vonhelmet said:
It's nothing to do with HMRC, PAYE is the responsibility of the employer. Don't let the employer fob you off telling you to contact HMRC.

Even if your P45 was wrong, there's no reason your pay to date in that job should be wrong.

I knew someone who started at an accountancy firm I was at and he was registered as a partner, so he got paid like £30k the first month and had to pay it back. Whoops.

I thought it was the individuals responsibility to make sure they pay the correct amount of tax etc.

Edit: Ok different scenario now I've re-read it

Steeps · 26 Oct 2017 at 14:57

I'd contact your old employer to find out where the rest of your 30 million has gone!