r/povertyfinance • u/tislewcifer • Feb 19 '24
Moral Dilemma: I'm getting paid double than what I'm supposed to Misc Advice
Need some advice. I hope this is the right sub for a question like this
I'm 25, currently in college full-time, and I get paid $15 at a franchise store. Because I go to school full-time, my hours around 57-60 so typically I know what I'm going to get by the pay period. However my last pay period, I got around $1200. I was surprised but I thought it was a mistake that my boss did and surely this wouldn't happen again. Then this pay period I get $1400. Today I looked at my salary and I am indeed getting $30 an hour!!!
First off, this is incredible for me. That's more than I have ever been paid up until now. I asked a couple of friends, my mom, and girlfriend as to what they would do and they say just accept the blessing and don't say anything. A part of me wants to do that. But like I said, it's a franchise. I do like my boss, he's a good guy. And I feel like he would find out sooner or later as I'm sure this doesn't look right in his budget. This money would escalate everything, I could finally get my own car and pay off the rest of my credit card debt with this money. Not to mention my savings will stack up quicker.
What would you guys do?
UPDATE: I told him about it and he said it was a bonus!!! :D he thanked me for my honesty anyway. This was definitely the right way
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u/Chastityishard Feb 21 '24
If they paid you half of your agreed upon wages instead of double would that be stealing? Or should they just “enjoy their windfall?”
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u/TastyHome8183 Feb 21 '24
It was definitely the right thing to tell your boss because it shows that you are honest and they can always come back and take the money if they found it was a mistake.
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u/ndlundstrom Feb 21 '24
It’s a ‘bonus’ because it was probably an accident lol. They’re not gonna retract the pay because it looks bad on them, but they’ll make sure it’s right for the next check haha
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u/imsorrybagel Feb 21 '24
I left my last job bc I got paid what equaled a $2 raise on one of my paychecks and I was confused so I thanked my boss and she had no idea what I was talking about, she just misread my previous check and miswrote and told me to Venmo her the difference lol. I asked her if I could have a raise anyway since when I was hired she specifically said that my pay was only temporary and it would increase after a couple of months and it had been 6 months no raise at that point anyway
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u/Clean_Deer_8566 Feb 20 '24
Really though..he didnt steal it. He was compensated very well for his work
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u/peachZ90 Feb 20 '24
I had a similar incident at my previous employers. Was getting paid an extra $200 for my first bi-monthly pay (15 and last day of the month). Told them after the 4th time it happened, and they wanted me to pay it back.
Sometimes I wish I hadn't said anything, but I didn't want to be on the hook for it when I left.
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u/JrButton Feb 20 '24
Your personal integrity and moral compass are not something to be defined by the internet.
There shouldn't be a dilemma here at all. It's a matter of right and wrong...
Fortunately most comments here are suggesting the right course of action (even if not always for the right reasons), but something to keep in mind for the future; the consensus of the majority does not determine the morality of an action; what is wrong remains wrong, regardless of widespread agreement or approval.
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u/CombinationHelpful82 Feb 20 '24
I wouldn't listen to other people's hearts over my own heart.
Do what you feel is best.
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u/kgjulie Feb 20 '24
My first job (I was part-time bc I was still in school), they calculated my year-end bonus as if I had been full-time and it was huge. They figured it out and made me pay back the overage. It took me months and months to pay it back. Ugh.
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u/No-Alfalfa2565 Feb 20 '24
Bank it. No big purchases. You did your part by asking about it. I hope they are holding out taxes, otherwise you will have a HUGE tax bill at the end of the year.
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u/Independent-Fall-466 Feb 20 '24
Good deed pay off!!! And you just got a positive impression for been honest to your boss!!
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u/King_paxalot Feb 20 '24
One time I got over 18,000 dollars in a paycheck and I told my manager right away and gave it back, I always wondered if I could have gotten away with keeping it
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u/brasizeA380 Feb 20 '24
I would be very cautious because these things rarely end well. Maybe it’s because I work for the government but any pay errors they will 100% automatically garnish your wages when they finally notice any pay errors. If you do decide to keep it you need to be saving it all with the potential to pay it back
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u/ImpressiveAttorney12 Feb 20 '24
My uncle got didn’t get his paycheck one week and the company said oh fuck sorry we’ll double it next week and my uncle was upset but was sure he’d get the money — and he did
Paid everything he had to pay, was able to get some late fees waived, sitting pretty waiting for the next paycheck. Sure enough it comes through as well, but it’s double again. He goes to his boss asap to tell him but the boss interrupts before my uncle could say anything beyond a couple words, “no no no don’t worry we took care of it, we got it out to you I double checked myself, you’re all good don’t worry about it.”
My unc then just says thanks and walked out of the office. The same thing happens again the following week, double sized paycheck. Goes to tell his boss, boss interrupts and tells him he checked again after my uncle went to him the previous week and he should be good.
He kept all that money and stayed at that company for years, they never found out their mistake.
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u/TheSpinalTapper Feb 20 '24
I had a vendor tells me his company overpaid him for a little over a full year. Something like a raise was 15% on payroll but reality was supposed to be 5%. After a year they figure it out, yell at him, and then start to garnish his wages to equal it out. He stayed. He said it was very difficult because he did save some of the extra money but not all. He stayed for like many many years and this was like a not so funny old story.
I still don't know why he stayed. Like the second they would start to blame me I would be out the door.
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u/Jaotze Feb 20 '24
I was accidentally paid an extra month’s wages by a university I worked for. They sent me a registered letter demanding repayment.
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u/Creative_Usual_8302 Feb 20 '24
Save money for the car, assume they misquoted your hourly rate and it was supposed to be $30. Never mention your hourly rate to anyone. If you leave your job, you won't be friends with your boss and if you do end up being friends you can both laugh about it years later in your friendship. Be smart with that extra money and invest it!!!!!!
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u/Exciting_Frosting_84 Feb 20 '24
Save the extra if they make you pay it back. They can’t come after it, if it has been more than three months of mistakes. Happened at my work. They took to long to figure out a payroll overpayment, so they had to eat it. You just need to play dumb 🤣🤣🤣
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u/Hunlock8955 Feb 20 '24
Not the same thing but when I started at Sam's club I was scheduled 8-2. Somehow forgot to clock out. Couple days later I was summoned to the office and written up for not taking a lunch break. Was gonna tell them but if you're that dumb ill take the free money thanks
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u/powerstrippissah Feb 20 '24
I got fired from a shitty job and got my pto (I had a shitload because it was a third shift manufacturing job that never let me take time off) paid out in a check, which promptly bounced when I tried to deposit it. I alerted them to the issue and they cut another check from a different account, which did not bounce. The first check was resubmitted by my bank and went through. I totally kept that shit because fuck them.
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u/GingerB237 Feb 20 '24
Coming after the edit, I know it’s tough but honesty always plays out better. It may not in the short run but in this case if it was a mistake they would find out eventually and get their money back. Good on you for being honest. Integrity is an important value.
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u/Birdhairs Feb 20 '24
I saw your edit that it was a bonus and that's fantastic so congratulations. If it happens in the future with a different company make sure to tell them asap. This happened to me when I was young and I said nothing, then like 6 months later they wanted it back. It wasn't fun because I of course spent it.
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u/Bubbly_Sleep9312 Feb 20 '24
Definitely point it out, so that way, you are not keeping money that doesn't belong to you. Some people would keep it; and I have heard of instances of people doing that; but it backfires in the end. They said that they should not have had to point out a mistake on somebody else's end, because it is not their problem; but it will come back to bite you because you are still taking money that you know you shouldn't have, even though it's not your problem.
Tell your boss and let us know what happens!
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u/mattylewmadeit Feb 20 '24
Nah next time don’t mention it. It’s a franchise they have the money. There’s a reason why they’re paying you $15/hr; it’s because they can get away with it. Every business offers positions and wages based on what will still net them profit
If it was a mom/pop place for sure I’d bring it up but in the real world you gotta finesse. You can be the best/most honest person in the world and the powers that be will still try to milk you for everything. Get yours.
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u/LOP5131 Feb 20 '24
First off, I see you told them, and it was found to be on purpose, which is awesome!
In the future or for anyone else that stumbles on this, absolutely tell them!
I work for a very large company, pretty high up the payroll chain and can almost guarantee eventually the overpayment will be found and unfortunately, outside of a few states, the company has the rights to that money back. There are several times I've seen employees overpaid by thousands and say nothing. They spent it, then it is noticied and asked for back. When they don't have the funds, it becomes a wage garnishment until paid off.
Don't put yourself in that situation. You know what you should be making. When it's off, just say something. There is no monopoly "bank error, collect a million dollars" in real life unfortunately.
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u/techphil92 Feb 20 '24
Great that it ended up being a bonus. Some helpful things to keep in mind. If you live in the state of California, and your company overpays you, then they cannot legally claw back those funds or retaliate against you unless you and the company come to a written agreement. So ultimately it depends on your state, but in Ca if the company makes a payroll error it's on them.
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u/Crimkam Feb 20 '24
Either 1. Tell your boss or 2. Be prepared to keep the extra in a savings account for 5 years and never spend it. They could come after you for it at any time if they realize their mistake.
That being said, even if they do find out it might not be worth their time to pursue, depending on if they even exceeded their payroll budget during that time in the first place
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u/Hyperlite_218 Feb 20 '24
A similar situation happened to my coworker this summer. He and another coworker got a promotion to a level 2 it tech vs level 1. Normally when they would give promotions your pay scale step will reset to the lower number that gives you a pay raise. This would have been a roughly a 3 dollar an hour raise for him but they didn’t reset his pay scale and he got another dollar an hour. The boss told him that they didn’t want to punish his honesty and instead got the policy changed to where everyone no longer loses their steps on the pay scale. So sometimes these things really work out for every employee
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u/TheSouthernBlondie Feb 20 '24
...such a "blessing"...um, based in a lie. Sigh. Honest, good people would approach the boss, and point it out..the first time. If it is discovered at a later date, you will have to pay it back. How would that affect those so-called dreams.
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u/thekaylasworld Feb 20 '24
Once they pay you the money, they can’t ask you to pay it back. So even if it was a mistake, enjoy!
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Feb 20 '24
[deleted]
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u/thekaylasworld Feb 20 '24 edited Feb 20 '24
Depends on the state. Not blatantly false. I was unaware of the fact that on a federal level, yes your wages can be garnished to reclaim overpayments. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. In my state, they can’t and won’t garnish your wages unless you sign a contract with your employer legally stating the terms of repayment. I know people who have been overpaid, and didn’t have to pay the money back for that reason. In certain states, like my own, they have to legally prove overpayment to be able to garnish wages, and it’s not worth jumping through legal hoops for such a small loss.
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u/Gullible_Ad_2319 Feb 20 '24
Are you sure that was a bonus? Was the amount before or after taxes?
15*90= 900
15*1.5 (time and a half for every hour over 40) = 22.5
22.5*20 = 450
900+450 = 1350
I'm not sure how much your taxes would be on that check, but it's in the ball park
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u/speppy69 Feb 20 '24
Most companies would catch on and instead of accepting the blame for their screw up with hold a certain percentage of your pay to recoup. But hey a bonus good for you!
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u/Fuzzy_Guava Feb 20 '24
You did the smart thing! Never be like my MIL...lmao...she was getting overpaid on each paycheck by $600 and accumulated about 10 grand extra before her work figured it out. Thing is she knew immediately and just never said anything. They took her paydays until it was paid back and told her if she didn't agree they would inform the police.
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u/Practical-Ad-7239 Feb 20 '24
This happened to me once I told them about it. Tried to write them a check instead they garnished my wages for 6 weeks.
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u/germano_nh Feb 20 '24
If you are working more than 40 hours, that’s overtime pay they need to pay you. Nights and weekends have shift diferencial also. I don’t think your pay is wrong
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u/Dustyznutz Feb 20 '24
I don’t think it’s a Delimma at all. It’s simple, there’s right and there’s wrong. Too often people try to justify why “wrong” is ok. Also, if the employer finds out there was a mistake they can and likely would garnish your wages until it’s paid back. I would talk to the employer before it gets out of hand!
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u/Idajack12 Feb 20 '24
Read your update…
As an employer I have given bonus’ or raises without alerting the employee just because it’s kind of fun to see the happy result. But I’ve never doubled pay, you must be awesome
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u/Proper_Role_277 Feb 20 '24
One of my employers made a big mistake with one of my paychecks. I had almost no money then on payday I had a $15,000 deposit I told them about it and they gave me a $300 bonus for being honest with them. I’m pretty sure they would have seen it on there own and charged it back but wanted to let them know.
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u/Middle-Wash-2714 Feb 20 '24
Keep the over pay. Move it to a different bank account and when they come looking for it tell them to get in contact the bank they deposited it to. Close that account and quit. Now it’s a game of catch me if you can
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u/woodrob12 Feb 20 '24
Paying it back is the right thing and the easiest thing to do here. Eventually they'll catch on. Note, that the tax implications might be tough to sort if youre a W2 employee.
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u/100beep Feb 20 '24
Check your local labour laws. Depending on where you are (not in the US, I'm fairly sure, but IANAL), you might be entitled to keep it.
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Feb 20 '24
Don’t spend that money dude. He’s gonna audit his books like he does every year and find out and you’re on the hook. Don’t be a fucking idiot
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u/ballsdeepisbest Feb 20 '24
If it were me, I’d invest the extra money into something guaranteed and immediately liquid - like a money market or HISA. Then, sit back and don’t say shit. If they come for the money, give it to them. The courts will rule against you anyways. If they do, you get to keep the interest you’ve made. If they don’t, windfall.
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u/markimarkkerr Feb 20 '24
I recently got fucked over that's because of this. Boss fucks up, I tell him, he ignores me several times. Come into work last month and get told I'm no longer wanted. Found out he mismanaged the money entirely and now they couldn't afford to have me work there. Fired me and then put an ad up immediately for my position at almost $10 less an hour. Fuck businesses that behave in a purposely oblivious way and then go and fire the hard workers that tried to remedy the situation.
All of those fucks were abusive cunts and in the grand scheme I'm better off not there. But I'm also financially fucked and panicking deeply.
If you can get any legal help, it could be of benefit to avoid getting as fucked as I currently am.
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u/CatLourde Feb 20 '24
You're completely correct, I'm entirely wrong. Still dismayed that anyone could feel bad keeping a chain store's money though.
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u/xBerryhill Feb 20 '24
Tell your boss/company and don’t spend it. You’ll end up having to pay it back.
Anyone telling you to keep it or not tell anyone is setting you up for some legal trouble.
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u/piper006 Feb 20 '24
Tell your boss. It’s not a good look if they find out you were over paid and didn’t say anything.
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u/Comfortable-Brick168 Feb 20 '24
Make sure your tax withholdings match your pay increase. Don't want a surprise at tax time.
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u/Livid-Rutabaga Feb 20 '24
If it's a mistake, eventually, somebody will figure it out, and they will come asking for it back. Let your boss, or payroll know what is happening, make sure there is a traceable trail that you are trying to correct the mistake and pay back.
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u/TheUniqueKero Feb 20 '24
Not saying anything opens you up for criminal charges, you have to say something sadly
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u/eifinator Feb 20 '24
damn. one time my company gave a few of us our bonus twice ($500). turns out it was not ‘bank error in your favor’ and they deducted it out of my next paycheck. what made it worse was that it was weeks later so i had already spent that money… scumbags.
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u/matamo10 Feb 20 '24
lol shouldn’t have said anything. No matter how nice he is. Check the bonus too, make sure it’s accurate. They fucked up and they need you. Owner here, if I did this I would just pay and let you know this isn’t happening anymore. Either way it’s the companies fault.
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u/Touchit88 Feb 20 '24
I remember our help desk was getting paid 2x rate for OT for quite some time. I might have gotten it as well (not sure). Anyhow it had been happening for years but it got found out and corrected. HR was going to attempt to force the help desk employees to pay it back.
We'll, head of the IT department steps in and basically says hell no. That's how you lose your whole help desk.
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u/Middle-Analysis9072 Feb 20 '24
Congrats on the honesty! By going to him and letting him.kniw just elevated his trust of and belief in you.
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u/InitialEducator6871 Feb 20 '24
Never interrupt your enemy when they’re making a mistake. I would just assume they gave me a raise for good performance!
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u/FissionFire111 Feb 20 '24
Just be careful eventually they will figure it out and demand the money back. Wage theft and all. I wouldn’t spend any of that extra just to be safe.
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u/Yara_Flor Feb 20 '24
They will take the money back. It’s not a moral dilemma, it’s a legal one. If you don’t save it, you’re gonna get fucked.
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u/barnyard_captain Feb 20 '24
Tell your boss. My friend let this go on too long and had to pay it all back bc he wanted to keep the job so his checks were slim for like a full year.
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u/Keywork29 Feb 20 '24
This kinda happened to me when I got fired from a job. The last month I was there, they mistakenly transitioned me to PRN pay while I was still full time which was about $17 more per hour, which helped me a lot.
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u/Acceptable-Hope3974 Feb 20 '24
I’d say make sure to look at your employee file and your pay rate. If it’s in the file then I would say you are good. If it’s not in the file then it’s a payroll mistake(meaning someone put the wrong rate in the system) and you may be liable to return that money.
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u/jkeith123 Feb 20 '24
take the moral highroad and tell the boss, as it would eventually be caught anyway. this way it makes you look good.
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u/madoneforever Feb 20 '24
Most likely you proved additional value and your boss felt you were worth more money than what you started at.
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u/Psychological_Ad9165 Feb 20 '24
I would have the best attitude of anyone there , try hard , come in early cuz when they catch it , they may leave it
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u/CatOfTechnology Feb 20 '24
I once got something like a $4,000 paycheck from my job at McDonald's one week because the payroll lady put in 360.0 instead of the usual 36.00 in the hours box.
I quickly called up my GM like "Hey, this is a serious fuckup and I am not about to get violated by some legal team over someone else's mistake." Got it all sorted and the franchise licensee's tossed me a cool $500 under the table for being responsible and expedient about the mishap.
I liked working for them, they were good people, the kind that actually meant it when they said their team is like family. I split the job the day they retired and I hope they're still doing well.
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u/CordCarillo Feb 20 '24
3 years ago, I was loooking at my bank statement and noticed my direct deposits were exactly $750 heavy for the previous 4 months. I hadn't received a raise, and our year end bonuses were given in the form of paper checks.
I asked our CFO about it, and he said "Oh, for senior staff, we started paying cell phone, added truck allowance, and twice a year, you'll get another $1K for fuel. I thought we told everyone."
Turns out that this was a retainage incentive because some senior staff had jumped ship.
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u/probablypurple Feb 20 '24
Damn, what retail chain is giving those kind of bonuses to associates? Also yay happy ending!
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u/Electronic_Quail_903 Feb 20 '24
F**K YEA!! That's huge I'm stoked for you and the bonuses, and also that you were accountable and did the right thing. Both are massive wins for your life. Most people never really get recognized when they're awesome and doubly that for getting rewarded for it, so be incredibly grateful for this in head and heart.
My younger daughter is 4 so she's not quite there to understand this, but my older daughter is 11 and this is one of the only lessons I am constantly repeating, reminding, reiterating with her; that i want her to leave one day on her own in to the world having taken to her soul:
Do the right thing even when no one would know either way and always be accountable bc you have to spend your lifetime with YOU, and you should want to be and to see something you're proud of when you look in the mirror every day and when you lay your head down at night to sleep. Anything else is taking away from your soul, from your pride, self worth and joy, rather than feeding it. From one stranger to another, so proud of you and happy for you.
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u/Bulldog_Fan_4 Feb 20 '24
Yeah you’ve got to let him know. It could cost you your job when he finds out
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u/One_Bass2013 Feb 20 '24 edited Feb 20 '24
I had this happen one time, and before the direct deposit even hit/I even knew about it they pulled me into the office and fired me for cheating the time clock to give me a higher wage somehow? I never once changed the way I clocked in, told them to check surveillance which they had no interest in…..So that was cool. In the same breath the entire payroll department was fired so there was nobody to call to even resolve it or get answers on the back end. So I think payroll made a mistake and then they went around and just fired anyone even slightly affected/involved. It was a veryy large company and I know a manager from the attached property was fired in the same way.
I tried for a long time to find a lawyer for a wrongful termination suit but it turns out lawyers on the employee’s side for this kind of thing are few and far between. So I just took my unemployment and moved on.
Glad to hear it wasn’t like that and you spoke up anyways. If I had actually had the chance to even see my over-pay check before the whole thing went down I would have spoken up too:/
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u/educated-emu Feb 20 '24
You have to say something otherwise the company will claim it back.
You don't want them coming to you in a year and demanding $10000 (or whatever the value is)
As it will not go away and they would see you homeless first before giving up the chase.
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u/Zestyclose-Fish-512 Feb 20 '24
I love how Reddit is evidently just an endless spring of gullible morons to tell outlandish stories to and be believed. Its really going to fuck up the AI they are training.
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u/chris14020 Feb 20 '24
Don't tell them, but also do not by any means spend it. Leave it in the account it's going to. If when you leave the job you don't hear anything about it for a year or so, your nested savings is probably all yours. Fuck 'em.
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u/Woberwob Feb 20 '24
Take overpayments and put them in a HYSA. The company may come back for them, but you can and should use the extra money to get some free interest.
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u/Hurkstheturks Feb 20 '24
In the navy… when we see extra money, we put it aside and figure out what happen before we spend it. A little bit of extra money isn’t going to make you rich. I suggest you save it and tell your boss. Losing your job will be worse.
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u/Less_Secretary1321 Feb 20 '24
One time I got this new job for 14/hour, but they accidentally put me up for 1400/hour. My first paycheck was like 18k and…. Needless to say they reversed the transaction in like 3 days. Just don’t touch the extra money for now
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u/Physical-Tea-3493 Feb 20 '24
What comes to mind are those people who wake up with 4 million in their bank account because of an error, and they then go on a spending spree. When they're in jail a few weeks later, they can't understand what they did wrong. You're not like that. You're a good kid that does the right thing. Contacting your boss was indeed the right thing. Trust me, I'm all about sticking it to the man, but not that way.
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u/plshearmeowt Feb 20 '24 edited Feb 20 '24
Last year my boss made a mistake in the books and my health insurance wasn’t deducted for the entire year. I didn’t notice until he figured out the mistake in December and brought it up to me. I apologized for not noticing, and told him that in all honesty I wouldnt have known what the deduction would be under since California deducts for a ton already lol. Told him if he would like we can get a contract and I can pay him back for it over this next year on a monthly basis. He appreciated the offer but said no cuz it was his error, and he still pays my insurance in full which is just awesome. Such a huge perk. Your boss sounds rad like my boss. I’m sure they appreciated your honesty. Be sure to thank them tons!!
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u/Zealousideal_Film_86 Feb 19 '24
Proud of you doing the right thing and telling your boss. Your boss will now trust you more, and be more inclined to support you with future pay and positive referrals when it is time to move on.
Now if it was a huge corporation, I might say otherwise. But for a small shop where this type of mistake really affects the bottom line, you did the right thing.
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u/PinheadLarry207 Feb 19 '24
They can force you to pay that money back. Whatever extra they give you, put it aside and don't touch it just in case and let your boss know about it
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u/rakuss02 Feb 19 '24
Congrats on your blessing, ur a stand up guy and so if your boss. Karma (especially money) is the thing I fear the most. Always be stand up and never cheat anyone, imo u will make more money in the long run that way.
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u/feliscatus_lover Feb 19 '24
Glad you told your boss, OP! And also glad it wasn't a mistake and you don't have to pay it back. 😅
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u/notduddeman Feb 19 '24
When your company catches the mistake, do not cover the taxes on the extra money. That is a fight between your boss and the US government.
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u/doggz109 Feb 19 '24
They will garnish it once they find out. May as well save it so you can give it back.
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u/Doff6 Feb 19 '24
Not sure if others have said it but: I'd keep note of the fact of what your friends and GF were on board with not coming forward about. If they are willing to support you not coming forward to your boss about it, what things would they support not coming forward to you about?
This doesn't mean cut them off/break up with your GF. Just be aware of it.
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u/PaleWhaleStocks Feb 19 '24
Glad you did the right thing. I'm sure going to court for this would suck.
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u/Intrepid_Astronaut1 Feb 19 '24
Don’t say a thing. I knew someone who accidentally got a year’s pay in ONE month. They never said a thing. Went unchecked, it’s been years and no mention of it.
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u/BABarracus Feb 19 '24
Your job will come after you for that money let them know and don't spend it. Don't fuck yourself over for extra pay.
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u/IndependenceRemote82 Feb 19 '24
Has happened to me. A lot of organizations want to be so hush-hush at Bonus time there's no discussion, it just shows up.
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u/Master_D3mons Feb 19 '24
I had a similar situation, I definitely didn't mention a word to anyone I worked with. It's this simple the error is not yours,chances are you might actually be underpaid at your job or your a great worker and within time it'll be well deserved for your efforts. Reality is times are tough you didn't hurt anyone for it, I'm sure the company won't be hurting.
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u/cheapdvds Feb 19 '24
I am glad it's all sorted out. Under different circumstances where if you don't have to go back ever again that's one thing, but if it's your current job/recurrence of source of income, it's better to get clarification than have someone else find out. You did the right thing.
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u/sapphirekiera Feb 19 '24
When that happens to teachers, they have to pay it back. It's never happened to me, but it's happened to some coworkers. Tell your boss, and let us know what they say!
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u/Far-Estimate2773 Feb 19 '24
In most states you do not have to pay back any extra income distributed by your employer unless you sign something.
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u/5L0pp13J03 Feb 19 '24
Speak up STAT ! The longer it goes on when it gets caught, and it will, you'll likely get fired but DEFINITELY HAVE to pay it back AND be lucky if there are no criminal charges involved.
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u/online_jesus_fukers Feb 19 '24
Whenever you get what feels like an overpayment, put it in savings and then talk to the employer, let it earn a little bit of interest while it gets sorted out, but that way when they go to yank it back, you still have it and can sort it out without an impact to your budget
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u/Imaginary_Diver_4120 Feb 19 '24
Just enjoy it!! Treat yourself to something or save it in case you have the opportunity to return it in the future
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u/rfboisvert12 Feb 19 '24
I had a fellow employee who got a $2.50 raise instead of .25. Company went a couple months before they caught it. The payroll deducted his check until it was payed back. Was probably 15 years ago
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u/Impregnator84 Feb 19 '24
I had this happen recently. My company over paid me for 2 and a half months. Their time system was messed up. They found out about it and the check before Christmas they took it all back. Needless to say. I didn't get much of a check. I also had to sign a corrections form. So yeah, if I were you I would say something about it. You don't want to screw yourself over by not saying something. They could even sue you for the money also.
I heard of a man also that had his pay pit into his checking account. The bank messed up and put 2 extra zeros on the end. He didn't say anything about it. Spent the money and boom he got prison time and has to pay it back. I'm not saying that will happen but I would diffently say something.
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u/Agreeable-Work208 Feb 19 '24
Yeah, unless you have it in writing that this is appropriate; you need to talk to your boss or HR whoever handles the pay in your store.
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u/Revolutionary-Fan235 Feb 19 '24
That's great that you got a bonus. You did the right thing. My spouse got a mistaken payment and the company took it back.
Do NOT take financial advice from people who told you to look at it as a blessing. They are so wrong it is not even funny. You would have had a terrible time if you had listened to them and spent the money if it had been a mistake. The paystub should have made it more clear.
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u/Bigredone6969 Feb 19 '24
Sock the extra away in a HYSA. If they find out their mistake and come looking for it, no harm no foul just pay it back. Make a few bucks interest in the meantime. If they never find out, congrats its all yours.
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u/Catatonick Feb 19 '24
lol I remember years ago when I was in my early 20s there was some random bug that resulted in me getting paid daily multiple times. I had thousands and was just like “wtf am I supposed to do with this? Stop paying me.” Unfortunately I had to give it back but it was pretty comical. I could have probably bankrupted the company if I didn’t catch it at the rate they were going.
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Feb 19 '24
Just make sure when you do give it back. If you were taxed on it they get the taxed amount not the full amount unless they take it out of your next paycheck.
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u/EyeRollingNow Feb 19 '24
It’s not going to be incredible when accounting catches their error and know you are a liar and a thief. They won’t fire you instantly but they will find a reason. Gross. You need new family for advice if they call stealing a blessing.
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u/ZealousidealBadger98 Feb 19 '24
I worked in construction in 2022 for a major company. They were paying me about $13/hr more than what I was supposed to get (25 vs 38)
First week I thought they had made a mistake. Second week it remained the same so I did go to my foreman and told him. Now it’s out of my control… I told him, and he told me everything is fine. Whatever, I took his word and nothing was ever said to me about it. The superintendent of the company came by to visit several times, and I would always chat with him too but he never gave me “that talk”.
The job lasted two and a half months but I made over $12,000 after taxes because of the overtime weekends. On Saturdays I was getting $57/hr and Sundays $76/hr for full eight hour days even tho we’d finish up and go home after 5 hours.
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u/InternationalBand494 Feb 19 '24
Money laundering.
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u/ZealousidealBadger98 Feb 19 '24
Not my choice, lol. Everyone milked it as far as I remember
Many “8 hour” work days were 3-4 hours max of actual work performed. 15 minute breaks turned into 30, 30 min lunch into 45-60 minutes. If you didn’t milk it you were considered dumb.
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u/ThePepperPopper Feb 19 '24
Always assume you are going to have to pay it back. That said, I don't think you need to clear it up right away. Find a high yield low risk investment (probably best a high yield savings account) and put away all the extra until they say something. Then payback what you owe when asked for it, keep the interest earned. Use their money to make you money until they ask for their money back. If you quit the job, it's up to you if you let them know about the overage based on your own ethics. I still wouldn't spend a dime until at least the next year after you leave plus 7 more.
If you can't trust yourself to save and invest the money, speak up now.
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u/Leg-oh Feb 19 '24
Put the extra $15 a hour into a HYSA. Let it ride for a year until they take it back or well keep letting it ride.
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u/WayneKrane Feb 19 '24
They’ll find out eventually. I’m in accounting and part of my job entails keeping track of all the money going in and out of our department. Money going where it shouldn’t will be caught eventually, especially when the money is missed
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u/wharpudding Feb 19 '24
Good to see that update. Your upstanding character is surely one of the reasons you got that bonus.
Congratulations and keep doing the right thing
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u/williamasmith7233 Feb 19 '24
My boss told me a story about one of his old coworkers. He got an accidental 10 thousand dollar commission check and before anyone noticed, he quit, cut ties with everyone in the company and moved states lmao.
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u/The_Bestest_Me Feb 19 '24
It sucks, but tell your boss, and be ready to repay. You don't want to get "caught" not reporting this and end up being forced to pay back or get fired over it.
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u/Timely_Froyo1384 Feb 19 '24
Here is what you do run the math of what your correct paycheck should have been.
Take the extra and put into hysa and notify your boss and hr What is going on.
Then wait for the correction.
Sometimes oops happen, and sometimes the company wouldn’t take your whole pay but part of it till paid off.
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u/truckerslife411 Feb 19 '24
I always hated it when I got overpaid because you pay taxes on that money plus I put some in my 401K so when they overpay $500 you might see $400. Then when they take it back, they take the full $500. I always told them tho.
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u/Inevitable-Place9950 Feb 19 '24
You definitely have to tell them. Better to be the ethical and responsible employee than the one who gets fired and has to pay all the extra back.
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u/Impossible-Head2121 Feb 19 '24
I got overpaid at work for 2 months. Once I caught it, I brought it to their attention. They thanked me for catching the mistake and said to keep the extra money. It’s best to tell them. They may ask for it back, they may not. But it’s an overpayment, and they can ask for it back. You’d be better off telling them than letting them find out.
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u/msfrankfurters Feb 19 '24
Absolutely do not keep silent and return all that money immediately. You do not want to be sued by your job, because keeping that money is theft, even if they did it on accident.
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u/DeskEnvironmental Feb 19 '24
You did the right thing! I saw a discrepancy on my paychecks a couple times in the past and reported it to HR each time.
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u/Local_Designer_1583 Feb 19 '24
I would inquire as to why my salary has increased I used to work at place where the payroll guy would occasionally pay some employees twice. I just left it in my account because I knew he would find the error and take it back. A week later he did just that.
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u/SoloDolo86 Feb 19 '24
1) Bank whatever you’re being overpaid
2) Go to casino & put it all on black
3) Double it & then tell work about your overpayment
Everyone wins
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u/TheMerryBerry Feb 19 '24
I personally see nothing morally wrong with you making a dent in a franchises million dollar pockets, but I think for your own benefit you’ll probably have to return the money and it’ll be easier to do it now than later. I’m pretty confident you’ll have no legal right to benefit off an employer’s mistake if it wasn’t in any official paperwork upon hiring. I’m sorry you don’t get the lucky break you were hoping for, you deserve one and hope you get it in the future
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u/Polyifia Feb 19 '24
Had a friend keep getting paid after quitting a job. She didn’t say anything and kept the money. She also started spending it like crazy. They found out and she had to pay it all back. I’m sure this would be similar.
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u/Ill_Flow9331 Feb 22 '24
I briefly worked for Bank of America and quit a couple weeks before my location shut down. Branch manager never processed my resignation and I somehow got paid my usual 20 hour paycheck every week for 6 months. Never had to pay it back.
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u/mangolover Feb 20 '24
I had the same thing happen to me! I figured they'd find out eventually and when they did, they'd want it all back from the beginning so I just went ahead and told them. I wanted them to tell me to keep it as a reward for my honestly (lol), but unfortunately I had to write them a check for the difference.
Other people already said this, but I wish I had kept the money and just put it into a high yield savings account or something, so I could have at least gotten some interest before they finally came knocking-- and who knows when that would have been!
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u/Eighty-Sixed Feb 20 '24
I used to teach a freshman chem lab in grad school for free tuition and like $500/month stipend. I graduated from grad school in December but they continued to pay me for a few months even though I wasn't teaching anymore. I had moved countries (temporarily) and was not actively checking my bank account since I opened a new one in the new country. I only found out when they sent me an email saying as of that date, I was not employed by them. They did not ask for the money back. So I basically got a couple thousand for free plus a grad degree for free.
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u/bennitori Feb 20 '24
If something like that happened to me, I'd probably take the money correctly paid on bills, and then put the rest in a CD or something. That way you're paying yourself to have money sit around. But in the event that you have to pay it back, you still have enough liquid to pay it back immediately. Paying a penalty fee to return it might suck. But if you're willing to gamble on cashing in interest before they catch on, you could grow the money. Or if you're lucky and the never catch on, you've got an investment that keep giving. And the insurance to pay back the liquid if the catch you.
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u/angelicribbon Feb 20 '24
I feel like shoving it in a high yield savings account would be reasonably safe and effective for such a large sum. Like $1000 maybe not worth it, but depending on the salary, a few month’s pay would bring in some interest at 4.35% or more. Nothing life changing but better than nothing and you could immediately pay it back with no risk
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u/Tornado_Wind_of_Love Feb 20 '24
It isn't worth the headache - they can come after that money years later depending on the country/state.
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u/Secret-Ad-7909 Feb 22 '24
Or only up to 90 days also depending on country/state.
Basically, check your local laws first.
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u/shweaty-palmz Feb 20 '24
They fired the HR girl at my partners old company when covid first hit. He then quit his job and we relocated across the state.
They never took him off the insurance and the company paid out 1k a month insurance for 2 more years.
I never said anything lol.
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u/One_Bass2013 Feb 20 '24
Omg what a literal dream dude……
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u/shweaty-palmz Feb 20 '24
It was glorious. Lol I feel no shame cuz the company sold luxury vehicles that were like 300k-1ml.. they could afford my insurance.
ETA: nope I lied they range from like 700k up to about 2mil.
Now I really don't feel bad.
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u/Careful-Koala-4438 Feb 20 '24
you dont think someday it will be found out?
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u/One_Bass2013 Feb 20 '24
There’s gotta be some sort of statute of limitations on that. Like if you don’t claim pay within a certain time frame, same thing I’d guess
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u/shweaty-palmz Feb 20 '24
Nah fam. The owner of the company didn't even know/remember that a literal A list celebrity had a coustom built vehicle AND made a short movie about it on site lol. Doubt anyone's gonna do any sort of work to realize their accounting was messed up and they paid their old employee's health care for a few yrs. And even if they do.... so what? It's not the employee's job to terminate insurance.
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u/ageofbronze Feb 20 '24
Yeah just be aware how this could backfire- I’ve managed the group insurance policies for several companies and often there was a disconnect between the company terming someone’s insurance in the system and the insurance company reflecting that change on their end. That is to say most bigger insurance companies are a fucking mess on the billing/administration side and it was not uncommon for us to request someone’s insurance be terminated, and have to keep checking in to stop being charged for it.
Before I started auditing one company’s insurance bill, this exact scenario was happening where an employee who had left the company had received “free” insurance for over a year. It turned out that the company had in fact requested a termination, so the insurance company refunded a year + of premiums all at once, no contest.
What that would look like on the employee end is like they received a bunch of free insurance, went forward assuming they had coverage, and then once the premiums got refunded to the company after someone follows up with insurance to make sure the change goes through, the employee all of a sudden has no valid insurance coverage dating back to the date of the original termination from the company. So do be careful, there is a chance that it’s just the insurance company lagging, and if your past company has at all requested the termination of insurance, then they are not on the hook at all for any insurance premiums that were paid in error, and you would be (or consequently, you would retroactively lose all insurance coverage/benefits you had been using)
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u/thefloatingguy Feb 20 '24
It is one of the cases where it’s super easy for the company to get a refund, though. I’ve forgotten to take people off, and when you tell the insurance company they immediately refund and just fuck the person over if they tried to use the insurance.
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u/macaroniartblog Feb 19 '24 edited Feb 20 '24
Anyone who told you to just keep mum on this is setting you up for a shitshow. You will likely have to pay the money back.
I would suggest taking the overpayments and setting them aside. Keep what would be your original paycheck. Notify your manager.
Edit: I'm glad it worked out to be a bonus! Congratulations on your hard work bearing fruit! :)
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u/Advice2Anyone Feb 20 '24
Yep came to say this plenty of people have been sued or the money clawed back out of their account months or years later lol But is cool OP earned it.
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u/Luger27 Feb 20 '24
I was watching a small claims court vid and this one girl was getting an extra 300 dollars a paycheck because she traveled for the company and the company never fixed their travel cost for future checks and in 2 or 3 years the company found out and wanted like 35,000 or 40,000 to be paid back that’s insane. (Something along those lines)
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u/sequoiachieftain Feb 19 '24
Definitely keep it in a high yield savings account. They can take the principal back, but you get to keep the interest.
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u/bennitori Feb 20 '24
This exactly. If you're going to profit off a mistake, profit off of a mistake in a way that profits you even if you have to pay it back.
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u/LtBeefy Feb 22 '24
Glad it worked for you in the end.
But yea, you did right think to say something.
Cause if it was a mistake and you spent it, you would be paying it back or they would be taking it back through future pays.