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Payslip woes

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Edie

Well-Known Member
My payslip is a dogs breakfast and I don’t have the first clue about it. On the deductions section there are the following things, can anyone explain them?

PAYE - I’m guessing this is income tax
NI A - another kind of tax, no idea what the difference is
NHS Pension - self explanatory
Recovery Advance NR - TWO FUCKING GRAND!!!

What is that last one? It’s near on 2/3rds my salary 😱😭 HR are crap and don’t reply. The ladies automatic reply is she’s on leave while next week.
 
Edie said:
My payslip is a dogs breakfast and I don’t have the first clue about it. On the deductions section there are the following things, can anyone explain them?

PAYE - I’m guessing this is income tax
NI A - another kind of tax, no idea what the difference is
NHS Pension - self explanatory
Recovery Advance NR - TWO FUCKING GRAND!!!

What is that last one? It’s near on 2/3rds my salary 😱😭 HR are crap and don’t reply. The ladies automatic reply is she’s on leave while next week.
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NI is National insurance. Which is different to income tax.

Recovery Advance NR – when an out of salary payment has been made prior to pay day, this amount must be recovered under Recovery Advance NR

(From: https://madeinheene.hee.nhs.uk/Portals/14/LET payslip guide.pdf) - you can google the term for further explanation. Did you get money advanced to you at some point?
 
skyscraper101 said:
NI is National insurance. Which is different to income tax.

Recovery Advance NR – when an out of salary payment has been made prior to pay day, this amount must be recovered under Recovery Advance NR

(From: https://madeinheene.hee.nhs.uk/Portals/14/LET payslip guide.pdf) - you can google the term for further explanation. Did you get money advanced to you at some point?
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I didn’t get money advanced. They underpaid me last month to the tune of a grand, so said that this month I would get it on top of my salary. But instead they’ve deducted two grand?! I’m so confused.
 
I would escalate this with whoever is the payroll manager for your NHS trust. Have you been paid for the 1 grand you were due on this payslip?

If you’ve not received any payment between last payday and this payday then they shouldn’t have taken an advance. Furthermore 1k gross payment should not mean a 2k net deduction.

My gut feeling is they’ve input someone else advance against your record. Which shouldn’t happen. I’d also ask why this wasn’t picked up during their checking process as they should be checking for net variances.
 
Elpenor said:
I would escalate this with whoever is the payroll manager for your NHS trust. Have you been paid for the 1 grand you were due on this payslip?

If you’ve not received any payment between last payday and this payday then they shouldn’t have taken an advance. Furthermore 1k gross payment should not mean a 2k net deduction.

My gut feeling is they’ve input someone else advance against your record. Which shouldn’t happen. I’d also ask why this wasn’t picked up during their checking process as they should be checking for net variances.
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Thanks that’s useful advice. They don’t seem to have a single clue. They got so confused last month they asked the payroll of a neighbouring trust to help them (!), then called me up to say they meant to pay the underpayment via BACS (whatever that is) but it didn’t go through so they apologised and said I’d get my proper pay PLUS the BACS top up from last month. But deducted two grand instead :confused:
 
Can’t help Edie but Mrs Numbers works for the NHS too, she got a pay rise recently which was back dated but because she’s now in a higher pay bracket when she thought she was going to get a nice one off lump increase last month she actually got a considerable amount less because her extra pension contributions which were also backdated got taken out. She now also gets £30 or so less a month, after the pay rise. Makes no sense to me.
 
Edie said:
Thanks that’s useful advice. They don’t seem to have a single clue. They got so confused last month they asked the payroll of a neighbouring trust to help them (!), then called me up to say they meant to pay the underpayment via BACS (whatever that is) but it didn’t go through so they apologised and said I’d get my proper pay PLUS the BACS top up from last month. But deducted two grand instead :confused:
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BACS is the payment method - it means they would be paying it into your bank account (as opposed to say writing you a cheque). Unnecessary jargon. They could have said “it will be in your bank account on x date”

This is resolved by you speaking to someone on the phone and following up with an email. If you’ve been left short by 50% or so as you imply this is urgent and should be prioritised for resolution by the end of the week and ideally for Pay Day.

If the trust is trying to focus on a corporate level on employee wellbeing and wellness etc I’d also put in my email that pay errors + a lack of a escalation model on the out of office for the person you emailed do not help the well-being of employees such as yourself!

Happy to help with any other questions as this is my area of work.
 
Elpenor said:
BACS is the payment method - it means they would be paying it into your bank account (as opposed to say writing you a cheque). Unnecessary jargon. They could have said “it will be in your bank account on x date”

This is resolved by you speaking to someone on the phone and following up with an email. If you’ve been left short by 50% or so as you imply this is urgent and should be prioritised for resolution by the end of the week and ideally for Pay Day.

If the trust is trying to focus on a corporate level on employee wellbeing and wellness etc I’d also put in my email that pay errors + a lack of a escalation model on the out of office for the person you emailed do not help the well-being of employees such as yourself!

Happy to help with any other questions as this is my area of work.
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Thanks Elpenor thats super useful. I keep kicking myself for not being in a union for just such a situation but it’s thirty quid a month and most of the time that just means not having a Nandos or a takeaway each month (currently get one every other week on a Friday so this single mum has one day in 14 off 😅).
 
Numbers said:
Can’t help Edie but Mrs Numbers works for the NHS too, she got a pay rise recently which was back dated but because she’s now in a higher pay bracket when she thought she was going to get a nice one off lump increase last month she actually got a considerable amount less because her extra pension contributions which were also backdated got taken out. She now also gets £30 or so less a month, after the pay rise. Makes no sense to me.
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I’ve heard of this happening and it’s absolutely shit. I suppose you console yourself your pension is getting a big boost.
 
Edie said:
Thanks Elpenor thats super useful. I keep kicking myself for not being in a union for just such a situation but it’s thirty quid a month and most of the time that just means not having a Nandos or a takeaway each month (currently get one every other week on a Friday so this single mum has one day in 14 off 😅).
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I don’t know exactly how useful a Union is for this sort of thing for resolving your issue on an individual level - when I’ve worked in unionised environments I’ve rarely had to deal with queries from reps - and suspect it may add another layer of communications and provide an opportunity for things to get muddled.

Imagine it is much more useful at a higher level though for the union to lobby for an improved payroll service though if they’re aware of how often this happens.

Bit of a digression - I still think you should join your union :)
 
Edie said:
Thanks Elpenor thats super useful. I keep kicking myself for not being in a union for just such a situation but it’s thirty quid a month and most of the time that just means not having a Nandos or a takeaway each month (currently get one every other week on a Friday so this single mum has one day in 14 off 😅).
Click to expand...

If you're getting nowhere with the payroll manager, just escalate it to the Head of Finance or Finance Director. If they've underpaid you - also insist that they do a BACS transfer now into your account - don't take any crap about it not being corrected till next month..
 
Hollis said:
If you're getting nowhere with the payroll manager, just escalate it to the Head of Finance or Finance Director. If they've underpaid you - also insist that they do a BACS transfer now into your account - don't take any crap about it not being corrected till next month..
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Thanks Hollis I hate escalating things cos you sound like such an offensive ‘let me speak to your manager’ twat but… yeah :(

I started work there in August. Every month so far has been an incomprehensible nonsense!
 
Hells bells, Edie .
That is an immense amount of fucked up.
My sympathy.

Elpenor is [obv] well versed in payroll ... and I would second the "join the union" , but failing that I would tell the appropriate union rep - in case there is a pattern developing. In this case, likely to be incompetence somewhere in the system, rather than the deliberate defrauding I encountered when working for a firm that eventually went belly-up.

But I would ask [demand] that the finance dept make a "Faster BACS" transfer so you get the money as soon as possible.
You've already waited long enough.
 
Numbers said:
Can’t help Edie but Mrs Numbers works for the NHS too, she got a pay rise recently which was back dated but because she’s now in a higher pay bracket when she thought she was going to get a nice one off lump increase last month she actually got a considerable amount less because her extra pension contributions which were also backdated got taken out. She now also gets £30 or so less a month, after the pay rise. Makes no sense to me.
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Ugh this doesn't bode well, I'm also due an NHS pay rise, 4 months of which to be backdated next month. I was warned that the backdated pay would be taxed at the max, which I'd then get back in April, or whenever it is now. What a mess. Sorry for your mess as well Edie what a nightmare :(
 
Rebelda said:
Ugh this doesn't bode well, I'm also due an NHS pay rise, 4 months of which to be backdated next month. I was warned that the backdated pay would be taxed at the max, which I'd then get back in April, or whenever it is now. What a mess. Sorry for your mess as well Edie what a nightmare :(
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I don’t actually understand how it’s worked out as it has, she’s still in comm’s with payroll so if there’s any update I’ll share.
 
Rebelda said:
Ugh this doesn't bode well, I'm also due an NHS pay rise, 4 months of which to be backdated next month. I was warned that the backdated pay would be taxed at the max, which I'd then get back in April, or whenever it is now. What a mess. Sorry for your mess as well Edie what a nightmare :(
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It will only be an issue for tax if it takes you into 40% tax that month. If not then everything will be taxed at 20% anyway. As long as you’re not on a month 1 tax code (it will say this on your payslips) then any overpayment of tax will be adjusted next month.

You will pay more national insurance and I guess it could affect any UC claimed but I don’t know much about benefits.
 
Rebelda said:
Ugh this doesn't bode well, I'm also due an NHS pay rise, 4 months of which to be backdated next month. I was warned that the backdated pay would be taxed at the max, which I'd then get back in April, or whenever it is now. What a mess. Sorry for your mess as well Edie what a nightmare :(
Click to expand...
Check that you’re on a cumulative (as opposed to Month 1) tax code. There’s a chance you may be particularly so if you started with your employer this tax year. It will say on your payslip (possibly shown by an X after the tax code).

If you’re not - you may need to call HMRC on 0800 200 3300 to move to a cumulative code - there may be ways to do this via an online chat too.

And, what Looby says re how the backpay will impact on the tax you pay.

NI isn’t cumulative unlike tax so there won’t be an adjustment as with tax.
 
Looby said:
It will only be an issue for tax if it takes you into 40% tax that month. If not then everything will be taxed at 20% anyway. As long as you’re not on a month 1 tax code (it will say this on your payslips) then any overpayment of tax will be adjusted next month.

You will pay more national insurance and I guess it could affect any UC claimed but I don’t know much about benefits.
Click to expand...
Elpenor said:
Check that you’re on a cumulative (as opposed to Month 1) tax code. There’s a chance you may be particularly so if you started with your employer this tax year. It will say on your payslip (possibly shown by an X after the tax code).

If you’re not - you may need to call HMRC on 0800 200 3300 to move to a cumulative code - there may be ways to do this via an online chat too.

And, what Looby says re how the backpay will impact on the tax you pay.

NI isn’t cumulative unlike tax so there won’t be an adjustment as with tax.
Click to expand...
Oh lord I don't understand most of all that :D I will check my payslip, but I've been a permanent employee for nearly 2 years now. So any NI I pay due to the back payment I won't get back? Will it be over and above what I would have paid had I just, yunno, been given the pay rise when I was promoted? :rolleyes:
 
Rebelda said:
Oh lord I don't understand most of all that :D I will check my payslip, but I've been a permanent employee for nearly 2 years now. So any NI I pay due to the back payment I won't get back? Will it be over and above what I would have paid had I just, yunno, been given the pay rise when I was promoted? :rolleyes:
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Sorry, I used to be a tax nerd. :D So a month 1 tax code means each month’s tax is calculated in isolation based on your earnings that month alone. What you earned the month before or after makes no difference to what you pay.

A cumulative code means that say in July you paid too much tax, in August the payroll system your employer uses will pick up that overpayment and adjust so that you pay less tax/get your money back.

National Insurance isn’t cumulative so the amount you pay is based just on what you earned that month and won’t be adjusted.
 
Rebelda said:
So any NI I pay due to the back payment I won't get back? Will it be over and above what I would have paid had I just, yunno, been given the pay rise when I was promoted? :rolleyes:
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No. It will be the same - potentially less should it take you above the threshold where NI is only deducted at 2%.Whereas the tax rate goes from 20% to 40% to 45% as earnings increase, NI drops from 12% to 2%.

What Looby said re cumulative codes.
 
Happy to help :)

I like helping folk to understand their payslip, it’s one of the rewarding parts of my job. The former placement student at my old work still texts me her payslip most months asking for me to explain it - and lately her mates payslip too :D
 
Last edited:
I’m on an emergency tax code! That’s part of the explanation. Plus they took back that two grand, but added £1500 (so they’ve overpaid me £500). Those two things account for the confusion I think. I’m getting there understanding it!!
 
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