u/ExaminationKey1476

Hi all,

I started working for a supported living company on May 6th 2025. I quit due to mental health reasons that were exacerbated by the company but probably irrelevant to note here. My contract ended on 9th March. I worked there full-time.

On March 24th I was emailed my payslip. I noticed I had only received £16 SSP when I was due to receive £118 SSP. I queried this with the payroll officer less than an hour after the email was sent, and told that they weren’t aware of March sickness and will deal with it in April. This was the only communication I received from her.

A few days ago on April 29th, I received a final payslip and a notice of overpayment. The amount totalled to £339.76. I questioned this as it was unclear why I had this alleged overpayment. I received mixed responses quoting different amounts of money that were used to calculate the overpayment (E.g. £588-£245, and then £558-£263). I asked them to recalculate as at this point it was still unclear why I owed anything and how they calculated it.

Yesterday, 30th April, I was contacted by a different payroll adviser. She stated that my March wage was an overpayment (£293.76) and if they had known about my March sickness, the payslip would have been amended to show an overpayment of only £46. I informed her that I had notified payroll back in March when I noticed the difference in SSP. She replied that they could not do anything at that point as the money would have left their accounts, but that the original advisor I spoke to would have mentioned there may be an overpayment. I copied in the reply from the original advisor and highlighted that I was not made aware of this.

I understand if they could not have stopped the wage coming out for 26th March, however the advisor has stated if it had been addressed I would only owe £46. I feel the difference is due to the issue not being acted on when I reported it, and that the advisor didn’t warn me at the time about a possible overpayment. I have disputed this as I feel it is unfair to be held responsible over such a significant amount, considering I notified them in March.

They have now escalated the matter and sent another letter, threatening to take this to court or a debt collection agency if I do not respond by 7th May. I have formally disputed this and requested recovery action to be paused during this dispute.

Can they pursue the full amount, despite written acknowledgement that it would have been significantly less if they addressed the issue when I first raised it? And do I have any grounds to challenge the amount or request a reduction?

Any advice is very much appreciated.

Thank you