overpayment in salary

[siddhis]

I was offered an office manager position with raise and relocation with my current job. I accepted and started my position at the end of February 2007, receiving my 1st paycheck in the beginning of march. Today, May 10 2007, I got a phone call from human resources stating that there was a mistake in payroll and I was making way more than I was suppose to. He stated that I would have to pay back almost $7,000. He said the mistake was made in clerical error on behalf of the payment agency. He also said I should have known that my salary was too high. He was treating me like a idiot, saying I should have known better. That is was "too god to be true". I had no idea that my raise was beyond what they wanted. When they offered me the position, the owner said, "how does 35 sound?". He never specified annual or hourly. Before the promotion, I was an hourly employee. I assumed he was giving me an hourly estimate. I agreed to it. I was never given anything in writing about my new salary. I've been spending the money as any "normal" person would (paying bills, buying groceries, etc). What do I do? This is not fair. I'll take the deduction in pay, but I do NOT want to pay them almost $7,000 for their mistake!!!!! HELP PLEASE!!!!

 

[calalily]

Over payment of $7000.00 in two months? Seems like yes you should have known. Alls you had to do was divide 35 thou by 12 to estimate your monthly salary which before taxes would be about 2,900 a month. I don't know anyone who doesn't figure out or estimate what their pay will be weekly or monthly before they accept a job or even directly after. No one would believe that you expected a paycheck of $6,500 a month which would give 78,000 a year. Ask if you can make payments until you pay it back. Did you really think they meant 35 an hour? Even you had to think that was pretty high compared to what you made before at an hourly rate. Even then that would be 72 thou a year not 78 if you worked 5 days a week for 52 weeks a year.

 

[siddhis]

they changed the amount to $5439.00 instead. i never said how much i was making an hour, so don't assume i was making a really small amount. i work in a profession where supervisors make over $60,000 / year. if you actually read my post, you would see that i said i was already employed through this company. i didn't just get hired and already new how much i was making before the raise. my paychecks after the "raise" were NOT $6500 per month. they were less than $4000 / month. I THINK YOU NEED TO FIND A DIFFERENT HOBBY. YOUR ADVICE IS CRAP. do not make assumptions before you get more info.

 

[cbg]

It doesn't matter whose mistake it was.

You are entitled to ask for an accounting of how the overpayment was figured, but if you actually were overpaid, you have no legal justification for refusing to repay.

 

[calalily]

I was basing what I said on your facts. You stated in your post that you started new position end of Feb and as of May 10th they wanted you to pay back $7000.00 in over payment. Regardless of how much you made previously, $7000.00 in two months above and beyond the raise for a new position is a lot of money by anyone's standards and it was based on what you stated not on any assumptions by me. Reread your original post and you'll see what I mean. Sorry if it pissed you off but I did not insult you in any way and if you took it that way then you read far more into my post than what was said.