i have to refund a check issued in error

[monstergirl]

three checks were issued to me in error by my employer, two i deposited, one i still have. upon discovery of this, they obviously asked for the money back, which i was prepared for. what i was NOT prepared for is that they are asking for a refund of the GROSS amount, not the net, which means i would have to pay them ~$200 extra for their accounting mistake.

the clerk in personnel assured me that i would get a refund of the difference in my tax return, but i don't know that i can believe her. is it legal for them to ask for a return of money that i never received? is this something that can affect my future employment with these people? is there a better way that i can negotiate this?

 

[wcomp]

is it legal for them to ask for a return of money that i never received?

Yes.

is this something that can affect my future employment with these people?

Of course.

is there a better way that i can negotiate this?

They may be paying their withholding taxes on a quarterly basis, and may be able to fix the accounting on their end such that they credit themselves for the money they withheld, or have their payroll service do that for them.