Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
33
“Doesn’t Look Like We Can Avoid The Inevitable”: Hospital Worker Faces $5K Repayment Demand
We all face moments where things don’t go as planned, and sometimes those moments can be downright frustrating. Whether it’s a misunderstanding, a mistake, or just plain bad luck, life can throw us unexpected challenges that leave us scrambling for solutions.
A person shared online how their girlfriend, a hospital worker, found herself in a tough spot after being told she owed $5,000 due to an overpayment error. Despite working hard and relying on her paycheck, the author’s girlfriend is now caught in a difficult position. Keep reading to find out how this story unfolds and what options she’s left with.
RELATED:
We might encounter unexpected challenges in life that can be deeply troubling
Image credits: Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo)
A person shared how their girlfriend is thinking about resigning from her job after a payroll error led to a $5,000 repayment demand
Image credits: Behnam Norouzi / unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Kateryna Hliznitsova / unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Mdg12d
Payroll mistakes can significantly affect employees
Mistakes can happen in any business, and payroll errors are no exception. These errors can create big problems, affecting both the company’s finances and the employees who rely on their paychecks. When such issues arise, they can cause significant stress and complications for everyone involved.
According to an EY report, companies with 250 to 10,000 employees were surveyed to understand the scope of payroll errors. The results were eye-opening. On average, businesses achieve only about 80.15% accuracy in their payment processes. That means a significant number of employees receive faulty salary payments.
When such mistakes occur, it takes companies about $291 to fix it. This includes both the direct costs, like correcting the error and processing refunds, and the indirect costs, such as the time spent dealing with the fallout and potential damage to employee trust.
The report highlights several types of payroll errors, with some being more common than others. When it comes to managing vacation and sick leave, mistakes happen more often than we’d like to think. On average, there are 721 mistakes for every 1,000 employees.
This could mean that your request for time off got lost or mixed up, or that someone’s sick leave wasn’t recorded correctly. Imagine planning a vacation and finding out that your vacation wasn’t approved, or being told you don’t have enough sick leave when you’ve been saving it up.
Image credits: Mohamed hamdi / unsplash (not the actual photo)
Payroll management is crucial because people depend on their paychecks to support their lives
Many employees rely on benefits like health insurance and retirement plans. Mistakes in handling these can mean you end up without the coverage you need or get the wrong benefits calculated. This can be really frustrating, especially when you’re counting on these perks for your health and future.
Similarly, time or attendance error is also a frequent payroll problem. When a company miscalculates the number of hours an employee has worked, it can lead to issues with how much they get reimbursed.
For instance, if you forget to clock in or out, it can lead to incorrect hours being recorded, which might affect your pay. You might get less salary compared to the hours you worked or more if you accidentally included extra hours.
There are times when such errors can happen due to technical glitches. If there are software or hardware issues with the timekeeping systems, it can also cause errors. A malfunctioning time clock might not record the exact time someone starts or ends their shift.
If there’s confusion about work schedules or if changes in the schedule aren’t communicated clearly, it can result in discrepancies. Just like in the case where the author’s girlfriend faced a $5,000 repayment demand due to a payroll error that went unnoticed for months.
She was left struggling to balance the unexpected financial burden, highlighting how crucial clear communication and accurate payroll management are for everyone’s peace of mind. What’s the most frustrating payroll error you’ve encountered at work?
Image credits: Ben Iwara / unsplash (not the actual photo)
People online offered the author advice on how they could challenge the repayment terms
Poll Question
Thanks! Check out the results:
Newsletter
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
What do you think ?
UncleJohn3000 1 week ago
The only word that mattered in all of that was 'union.' Go to your union.
The Darkest Timeline 1 week ago
There may not be much they can do except, perhaps, ask for a longer timeline to repay but it’s worth it to ask.
Load More Replies...
Nils Skirnir 1 week ago
States and companies are very quick to get money back for their own mistakes. Very, very, very slow to reimburse wage theft.
Alex Martin 1 week ago
She works for the state. Washington State deems any overpayment as a gift of public funds which is prohibited by law. By law, the hospital must reclaim those funds and has a short timeline to do that once the error is detected. If she worked for a private employer, if the employer did not detect the error within 90 days the funds don't need to be repaid.
Devin Schmitt 1 week ago
Per WAC 296-126-030, overpayment must be detected within 90 days to be collected.
neytjie 1 week ago
5k is 10% of her annual salary? So she makes 50k a year. Is that not way too low?
Tyranamar Suess 1 week ago
It's way too low. But I don't know what she does. Support staff salaries are not that high.
Load More Replies...
Cee Cee 1 week ago
Set up a cold weather shelter for rough sleepers. Different grant arrangement, different pay roll admin. Rocked up to Tesco checkout with a trolley load of our Xmas stuff. Debit card declined. Embarrassing. What the heck? I knew payday was the previous day. Luckily I had a credit card. Bank account almost at zero. Next day rang HR. Turned out I'd been paid twice. Once by my main employer, once by the temp. So they took all of it. I was furious. Didn't even get an apology.
️️Upvote faery️ 1 week ago
I'm in a similar position right now; I've just been informed that I've taken too much vacation time this year and have to pay it back. I talked to my union stewards yesterday, and they are setting up a meeting with the union rep and management. Hopefully I won't have to pay anything back but if I do, I've got the option to just give up some of my days next year, and that's what I'll do instead of paying it back
The Darkest Timeline 1 week ago
I had this exact thing happen to me a while back. As a teacher, I get paid through state funds. Payroll made a mistake and overpayed me for about 5 months. I was actually the one who caught the error (in a roundabout way) so there is no telling how long it would have gone on had I not brought it to their attention. By law, they had to recapture the overpayment so they garnished my pay over the next few months. I understood why they had to do it but it still sucked. I still live in fear that it will happen again and I won’t even know it until I owe some crazy amount so I check my paystubs regularly.
The Darkest Timeline 1 week ago
They made a mistake, yes, but when it comes to public entities, they can’t just let overpayment go.
Load More Replies...
Noflipstogive 1 week ago
Get an employment attorney. I'm pretty sure it's their mistake and illegal to try to recoup from the employee.
Upstaged75 1 week ago
This happened to me with PTO accrual. I left a company and then came back a few years later. That's what messed everything up - even though it was their error. I had ended up taking vacation days because I thought they were going to expire. Then it turned out I didn't actually have those days available. Which resulted in me not getting paid for them. No union in my profession though and there was nothing I could do about it. :(
tameson 1 week ago (edited)
In Washington State the employer has ninety days from the initial overpayment to detect and implement a plan with the employee to collect the overpayment. If the overpayment is not detected within the ninety-day period, the employer cannot adjust an employee's current or future wages to recoup the overpayment. Source: WAC 296-126-030: - WA.gov
WoodenLion 1 week ago
exact same thing happened to me in texas. kept getting paid differential for 11 months. they gave me 4 paychecks to pay it back. non-union job.
UncleJohn3000 1 week ago
The only word that mattered in all of that was 'union.' Go to your union.
The Darkest Timeline 1 week ago
There may not be much they can do except, perhaps, ask for a longer timeline to repay but it’s worth it to ask.
Load More Replies... Nils Skirnir 1 week ago
States and companies are very quick to get money back for their own mistakes. Very, very, very slow to reimburse wage theft.
Alex Martin 1 week ago
She works for the state. Washington State deems any overpayment as a gift of public funds which is prohibited by law. By law, the hospital must reclaim those funds and has a short timeline to do that once the error is detected. If she worked for a private employer, if the employer did not detect the error within 90 days the funds don't need to be repaid.
Devin Schmitt 1 week ago
Per WAC 296-126-030, overpayment must be detected within 90 days to be collected.
neytjie 1 week ago
5k is 10% of her annual salary? So she makes 50k a year. Is that not way too low?
Tyranamar Suess 1 week ago
It's way too low. But I don't know what she does. Support staff salaries are not that high.
Load More Replies... Cee Cee 1 week ago
Set up a cold weather shelter for rough sleepers. Different grant arrangement, different pay roll admin. Rocked up to Tesco checkout with a trolley load of our Xmas stuff. Debit card declined. Embarrassing. What the heck? I knew payday was the previous day. Luckily I had a credit card. Bank account almost at zero. Next day rang HR. Turned out I'd been paid twice. Once by my main employer, once by the temp. So they took all of it. I was furious. Didn't even get an apology.
️️Upvote faery️ 1 week ago
I'm in a similar position right now; I've just been informed that I've taken too much vacation time this year and have to pay it back. I talked to my union stewards yesterday, and they are setting up a meeting with the union rep and management. Hopefully I won't have to pay anything back but if I do, I've got the option to just give up some of my days next year, and that's what I'll do instead of paying it back
The Darkest Timeline 1 week ago
I had this exact thing happen to me a while back. As a teacher, I get paid through state funds. Payroll made a mistake and overpayed me for about 5 months. I was actually the one who caught the error (in a roundabout way) so there is no telling how long it would have gone on had I not brought it to their attention. By law, they had to recapture the overpayment so they garnished my pay over the next few months. I understood why they had to do it but it still sucked. I still live in fear that it will happen again and I won’t even know it until I owe some crazy amount so I check my paystubs regularly.
The Darkest Timeline 1 week ago
They made a mistake, yes, but when it comes to public entities, they can’t just let overpayment go.
Load More Replies... Noflipstogive 1 week ago
Get an employment attorney. I'm pretty sure it's their mistake and illegal to try to recoup from the employee.
Upstaged75 1 week ago
This happened to me with PTO accrual. I left a company and then came back a few years later. That's what messed everything up - even though it was their error. I had ended up taking vacation days because I thought they were going to expire. Then it turned out I didn't actually have those days available. Which resulted in me not getting paid for them. No union in my profession though and there was nothing I could do about it. :(
tameson 1 week ago (edited)
In Washington State the employer has ninety days from the initial overpayment to detect and implement a plan with the employee to collect the overpayment. If the overpayment is not detected within the ninety-day period, the employer cannot adjust an employee's current or future wages to recoup the overpayment. Source: WAC 296-126-030: - WA.gov
WoodenLion 1 week ago
exact same thing happened to me in texas. kept getting paid differential for 11 months. they gave me 4 paychecks to pay it back. non-union job.
You May Like 30 Times People Got Fired In Ways They Will Never Forget “I Still Need An ID”: 50 Examples Of Unhinged Customer Behavior At CVS And Walgreens 30 Of The Biggest CEO Fails That Prove Not Everyone Is Born To Manage
Mantas Kačerauskas
Rugile Baltrunaite
Jonas Zvilius
Related on Bored Panda
30
22