Still getting paid a month after leaving!!!

eirebhoy

I left my job on Sunday 29th Dec and I got paid on the 2nd January for the week 15th-21st Dec. I then got paid on 9th of January for Christmas week and I thought that was it. But I checked my bank a/c today and I got €185 from the jobs a/c. I got taxed for my first week in the job (in October) but I got that tax back the following week and since then I have not been taxed because of my tax free allowance.

Why could I have got this €185? If I got paid by mistake, have they a right to claim it back? If not, I am celebrating tonight.

WhiteWashMan

yes, they can claim it back, but if they have a legal case against you?
probably not.

although, if it keeps happening, then you are obliged to tell them. if you dont, you can be considered defrauding the company, and thats an offense. so if its one week, keep the cash. if its two weeks. keep shtum. if it happens for three to four weeks, inform the company. chances are they might just stop payment. they may demand money back, but you can claim you thought it was back pay you deserved and informed them in a timely manner there was a problem. leave it 10 weeks, yoiu will be sued!

so...
collect a week or two extra if it happens and enjoy, but dont spend it until you are sure there will be no reprecussions.

seamus

As WWM says.

It's essentially the difference between finding €5 and €500 in the street. It's a matter of what your conscience tells you.

For one or two week's wages, they may not bother following it up, but if they keep paying you, you should let them know, and return any money they've paid wrongly.

At the end of the day, if you end up in court being asked about the money, you'll be stung. I would love to here someone come up with a plausible reason as to why they were receiving the exact amount of money as they used to receive after they'd left a company.

Lafortezza

Could it be holiday pay or overtime or some kind of bonus that you should have but didn't receive in your last few paychecks?

eirebhoy

I don't think I am still on the payroll because we used clock cards in the job and, unless someone clocked me in and out a few times, I haven't a clue what the money is for. I always looked at the hours on the pay slip so it is not for overtime and I never mised a day so its not for holiday pay.

The clock cards were left beside the machine so it could easily be that my card was left there and someone was using it. I will see do I get anything next week and I will post back then.

demanufactured

those clock cards are realy annoying , i work in woodies in athlone and we use them, there really annoying lol

zAbbo

I used to get my wages paid into the Credit Union, when i left that job, and moved away from home. I never had time to check the CU account for some time, 6 months later i found out i had been paid 4 weeks wages after i left. Of course i didnt inform the company(it was only a part time crappy hotel job). Altho if i had of found out straight away i prolly would have told them as you may need them for references

leeroybrown

There was a case in a similar vein a few years ago when a bank (BOI afair) accidentally transferred ~ £100,000 into a guy's account. He realised the mistake before they did and transferred the money elsewhere making it his. Once he did that the bank tried their usual "It's our money, you are required to return it ..." line, no doubt followed by the "It's a moral obligation to return it ..." line.

If I remember correctly he got to keep the money. Their loss ...

the_syco

Originally posted by lafortezza
Could it be holiday pay or overtime or some kind of bonus that you should have but didn't receive in your last few paychecks?

One of my jobs, I got about EUR250 for holidays I seemingly never took. And then there was my back week. And the days after the last paycheck went in (Wednesday).

So I got wot seemed like a 2 weeks pay. It explained wot it was on the pay slip, tho.

p

Don't listen to some of these idiots.

If someone pays you by mistake and you realise that, then I suggest ringing them up. There's a good chance it may be tax-back or something.

Pay the company back, it's the decent thing. Unfortunately, many people don' tdo that in Ireland, which is why we get ripped off so much.

DivX

I'm surprised at people suggesting that you should keep the money if you get away with it.

IMO if you haven't done the work then you shouldn't be paid, simple as that.

Somebody is out of pocket at the end of the day, and we wonder why things cost so much in this country.

If someone owed me money and if i thought they were trying to hide the fact from me, i'd do everything in my power to get it back, sure you'd do the same.

leeroybrown

My point was that when someone accidentally gives you money your decision whether to keep or return it is a _moral_ issue for the most part. It a nice thing to get it sorted out and return the extra but in many cases it's down to personal judgement rather than any legal obligation.

krattapopov

sounds like holiday pay to me, id be surprised if you got paid again, and if you do... let em know

Victor

Originally posted by leeroybrown
There was a case in a similar vein a few years ago when a bank (BOI afair) accidentally transferred ~ £100,000 into a guy's account. He realised the mistake before they did and transferred the money elsewhere making it his. Once he did that the bank tried their usual "It's our money, you are required to return it ..." line, no doubt followed by the "It's a moral obligation to return it ..." line.

No, they sued him and got their money back. The courts take a very different view between money you genuinely thought was yours and money you knew wasn't.

leeroybrown

I stand corrected.

I was basing my assertations on the basis that he had gotten away with it and hence there was precedent for keeping knowingly recieved monies.

Based on that I'll agree with Victor that knowingly taking the money may not work out in your favour (if it's provable that you knew it wasn't yours).