Overpaid on my first paycheck- help me be a good person

[Anonymous]

After 6 months unemployed, i started my job on April 23. Today is payday and i honestly assumed that I wouldn't be paid at all because payroll typically lags a week in my experience, but I believe I was paid for 2 weeks of work. I make $75,000 per year and I was paid $2368 today. It is so tempting to stay quiet as I could desperately use the money but how do I rectify this? Reach out to my boss? Will I have to send money back or will they not pay be next pay day?

[Anonymous]

Look at your paystub to see what’s going on. The deductions may be incomplete or missing at this point. I don’t think it’s an issue of morality because I’d assume payroll will adjust downward if they overpaid you this time.

[Anonymous]

No need to be a good person, lol. It's not like it will go unnoticed forever. They will notice at some point, and if you haven't cleared it up you'll look like an a$$hole. So just looking out for yourself, you want to say something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at your paystub to see what’s going on. The deductions may be incomplete or missing at this point. I don’t think it’s an issue of morality because I’d assume payroll will adjust downward if they overpaid you this time.

My weekly pay is $1,442 before taxes and deductions ans I was paid almost $1000 over that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at your paystub to see what’s going on. The deductions may be incomplete or missing at this point. I don’t think it’s an issue of morality because I’d assume payroll will adjust downward if they overpaid you this time.

Im assuming it’s a company with a professional payroll contractor — if it’s a tiny company then I’d say something now.

[Anonymous]

One thing companies will never do is to overpay you. They will adjust in the coming months even if you don't notify them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at your paystub to see what’s going on. The deductions may be incomplete or missing at this point. I don’t think it’s an issue of morality because I’d assume payroll will adjust downward if they overpaid you this time.

My weekly pay is $1,442 before taxes and deductions ans I was paid almost $1000 over that

They’ll take it back, now or later.

[Anonymous]

75,000 divided by 26 is 2,885. Check your deductions and see if that gets you to $2,368.

[Anonymous]

I was once overpaid at work due to overlap in FMLA. The HR/accounting department did pick up on it a few months later and contacted me to pay them back.

[Anonymous]

They will take it back. Better to fix it now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:75,000 divided by 26 is 2,885. Check your deductions and see if that gets you to $2,368.

I have only worked 1 week. I started last week Tuesday so today marks 1 week exactly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After 6 months unemployed, i started my job on April 23. Today is payday and i honestly assumed that I wouldn't be paid at all because payroll typically lags a week in my experience, but I believe I was paid for 2 weeks of work. I make $75,000 per year and I was paid $2368 today. It is so tempting to stay quiet as I could desperately use the money but how do I rectify this? Reach out to my boss? Will I have to send money back or will they not pay be next pay day?

You prob put your withholdings wrong or the benefit withdrawals didn’t kick in yet or you aren’t seeing your 401k contributions. Or maybe they had a singing bonus?

Log in, get your whole paycheck and then look it over and decide.

[Anonymous]

I see two red flag words in your post: assumed and believe.

You do not know. Therefore, you call and ask to clarify.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see two red flag words in your post: assumed and believe.

You do not know. Therefore, you call and ask to clarify.

This.

Just call payroll and ask if this is right. They'll check it and get back to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see two red flag words in your post: assumed and believe.

You do not know. Therefore, you call and ask to clarify.

Agree. It’s the right thing to do (you don’t want to risk your rep at a new job over this) and you might be surprised.

I once worked in grad school as a part-time assistant to a professor. After I left that job I got one more “paycheck” two weeks later for about the same amount as my regular pay. I told my professor I’d been paid accidentally. It turns out my job earned annual leave (I didn’t even know that) and they were paying it out!