COMPLIANCE
Overpaid: what to do when mistakes are made
Samantha O’Sullivan ChMCIPPdip, CIPP policy and advisory lead, provides an overview of how to process overpayments and recovery through the payroll
E very payroll professional I know strives to be accurate and on time, every time, so overpayments are something that no one likes to deal with. I delivered a BeKnowledgeable webinar on this very topic in June, as it’s something that you – our wonderful members – asked for in the recent Quick Poll. This article will provide you with a high-level overview as to what steps to take when processing overpayments through the payroll. Why and when do overpayments occur Overpayments will often occur due to
external factors the payroll function can’t control. During the BeKnowledgeable session, I asked delegates to vote for “the most common reason for overpayments occurring on the payrolls you process” and the results are shown in the chart below. It’s no surprise that late payroll data / last-minute changes topped the list. So, what can we all do to try to mitigate this happening moving forward? Some ideas that spring to mind include: l using National Payroll Week (NPW), which this year runs from 2-6 September, as the perfect opportunity to remind line managers and staff / clients
what the payroll cut-off dates are for the remainder of the tax year l providing the same information outside of NPW in an email update to line managers and staff / clients reminding them of the payroll cut-off dates l updating staff handbooks / collateral for clients’ employees ahead of the new tax year, detailing the payroll cut-off dates. Human error was the lowest rated reason overpayments occur, but it does happen. Lessons learned are a great way to explore how those occurrences don’t happen again. Overpayments can occur during any payroll period, but the way you process them within the payroll will depend on whether they occur: l in the current tax year l in a previous tax year l or a combination of the two. HMRC sets out useful guidance in the CWG2 as to how to deal with each situation here: https:// ow.ly/8izC50SmgxK. Key steps In any overpayment scenario, there are four essential steps that must be taken, which are to: l inform the employee promptly. You may be informed of the overpayment prior to the employee noticing, maybe due to a late leaver notification coming
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | September 2024 | Issue 103 20
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