Payroll error in my favor, consequences?

Hey Ashtray

Hey, aside from being terribly unethical, are there legal ramifications to not informing my employers that they paid me way too much this paycheck?

Also, assuming they notice, I imagine they can ask for it back, no? Canadian law, if that matters.

Thanks.

wasted pixels

Hey Ashtray wrote: »

Hey, aside from being terribly unethical, are there legal ramifications to not informing my employers that they paid me way too much this paycheck?

Also, assuming they notice, I imagine they can ask for it back, no? Canadian law, if that matters.

Thanks.

If they notice (and they will), they can just dock your pay at any point in the future for the amount they overpaid. Might as well go bitch about it now so they can't try to act like it's your fault they goofed.

Ruckus

I don't think they can force you to pay it back, but they can deduct the difference from your next paycheque, at least here in MB.

tsmvengy

Talk to payroll about it. If they figure it out they will take it out of a future paycheck after notifying you.

Casually Hardcore

They pay a lot of people a lot of money to catch errors like that. Trust me, they will find out, they will want it back, and they are going to get it back one way or another. Just take to your manager about it.

Aegis

Hey Ashtray wrote: »

Hey, aside from being terribly unethical, are there legal ramifications to not informing my employers that they paid me way too much this paycheck?

Also, assuming they notice, I imagine they can ask for it back, no? Canadian law, if that matters.

Thanks.

Yea, what other people have said: They'll notice. My father's worked in payroll in Ontario for thirty years now, and from what he's told me essentially to make that up they'd just make up the difference on your next check. I don't believe they can legally force you to give money back once they've paid it out, hence going the lower-paycheck route next time.

You might want to just tell them so that they do catch it early and you know what to expect from your next check.

Hey Ashtray

The thing is, it's a one time payment, so I'll never get paid by them again. So can they track me down and beat me up, or what?

Dman

You'll have to live with the guilt for the rest of your life!!!

Give me the money and I'll put it into various charities for you so you can live guilt free.

vonPoonBurGer

Hey Ashtray wrote: »

are there legal ramifications to not informing my employers that they paid me way too much this paycheck?

I don't believe you're under any legal obligation to inform your employer that they paid you too much. It's highly likely they'll notice eventually though, unless their accounting and payroll people are really incompetent. Once they do figure it out, they'll ask to be reimbursed for the overpayment. They might even decide to put the screws to you and demand interest on the overpayment as well. If you refuse to pay it back, they'll likely take you to court (probably small claims court, depending on the amount), they will likely win, and then you will be under a legal obligation to pay them back the amount of the overpayment, plus possible interest and court costs. One-time payment or not, this "windfall" is a future clusterfuck waiting to happen. I wouldn't risk it.

VisionOfClarity

Hey Ashtray wrote: »

The thing is, it's a one time payment, so I'll never get paid by them again. So can they track me down and beat me up, or what?

Yes.

Thanatos

It sounds like this isn't an employer, but a contractor, which is different. I'm speaking from the U.S., here, but I have difficulty imagining the law in Canada being all that different. You need to call them, and let them know about the mistake. If they catch it in the future, they can come after you for it.

LadyM

Thanatos wrote: »

It sounds like this isn't an employer, but a contractor, which is different. I'm speaking from the U.S., here, but I have difficulty imagining the law in Canada being all that different. You need to call them, and let them know about the mistake. If they catch it in the future, they can come after you for it.

Qingu

Hey Ashtray wrote: »

Hey, aside from being terribly unethical, are there legal ramifications to not informing my employers that they paid me way too much this paycheck?

Also, assuming they notice, I imagine they can ask for it back, no? Canadian law, if that matters.

Thanks.

How much did they overpay you, and is that amount worth the economic and ethical risk you are taking? If they find out, even if they can't get the money back, will your professional reputation suffer?

It's not something I would risk a few hundred dollars for. And if it's a few thousand, they're probably going to notice regardless so you'd be better off telling them.

Quid

I'll add on to the "They can take it back from you if they want" crowd. You're not entitled to the money.

I'd stick it in a savings account and not touch it until the matter's taken care of.

Thanatos

Quid wrote: »

I'll add on to the "They can take it back from you if they want" crowd. You're not entitled to the money.

I'd stick it in a savings account and not touch it until the matter's taken care of.

This isn't necessary unless they make it difficult for you to give them the money back (and that has been known to happen). Otherwise, you should just cut them a check for the amount, and make sure you get a written receipt, as well as put the reason for the check on the check.

Quid

Thanatos wrote: »

Quid wrote: »

I'll add on to the "They can take it back from you if they want" crowd. You're not entitled to the money.

I'd stick it in a savings account and not touch it until the matter's taken care of.

This isn't necessary unless they make it difficult for you to give them the money back (and that has been known to happen). Otherwise, you should just cut them a check for the amount, and make sure you get a written receipt, as well as put the reason for the check on the check.

To be fair, all my prior experience with this was government bureaucracy.

Dread Pirate Arbuthnot

IMO, take the difference, set it aside in your bank, don't touch it. Call your employer and let them know, and log the time of the call, who you talked to, etc. They can and probably will come after you for the amount.

Unknown

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Hey Ashtray

Cool beans, thanks guys. I'll go talk to the business office here on Monday, doesn't feel right keeping the money anyways, even if I could get away with it.