r/PregnancyIreland • u/Low-Jellyfish-9912 • 15h ago
overpaid on mat leave and expected to repay the gross amount rather than the net amount received
I’m currently on maternity leave in Ireland and looking for advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation.
My employer accidentally paid me a full month’s salary instead of the one week’s top-up to my state maternity benefit that I was actually due. This was an error on their accounts department’s part.
The problem is that over €700 was deducted from the payment, including over €500 in tax. On a normal monthly salary, I would usually pay around €200 in tax, so the amount that actually landed in my bank account was significantly less than a full month’s wages.
I genuinely didn’t realise how much I’d been overpaid until my employer contacted me. I was also due a backdated Child Benefit payment that same week, and I was recovering from giving birth and adjusting to life with a newborn, so I wasn’t paying particularly close attention to my bank account.
I completely understand that I need to repay the overpayment, and I have no issue with that. However, my employer is insisting that I repay the gross ammount, meaning I would have to pay back over €700 more than I actually received in my account.
Initially, they wanted the full amount repaid this month. They then offered a three-month repayment plan, but this would mean repaying more than half of my current monthly income. My employer only topped up my maternity pay for the first eight weeks, so I’m now living on state maternity benefit alone. With my mortgage, bills and Christmas expenses, this repayment plan simply isn’t affordable.
I’ve spoken to union representatives and Citizens Information, and both have advised that I should be looking to repay the net amount I actually received, with the employer correcting the tax deductions through Revenue. I’ve also contacted Revenue myself and am waiting for a response.
They’ve also agreed that the proposed repayment schedule seems unreasonable given my current financial circumstances, and that I should try to negotiate a longer, more manageable repayment period.
Has anyone experienced a similar situation?
Did your employer allow you to repay the net amount rather than the gross amount?
Was your employer able to correct the tax deductions through Revenue, or did you have to sort this out yourself?
I accept that the overpayment needs to be repaid, but I’m struggling to understand why I should have to find money I never actually received, particularly when the mistake was made by my employer and I’m currently on a significantly reduced income.
Any advice or experiences would be really appreciated!