An overpayment is compensation paid to an employee in excess of the amount owed for a given pay period. Overpayments are legal debts to the University, and as a state agency, the University of Washington is required by law to pursue recovery in full, regardless of the amount overpaid or how the overpayment occurred.
Washington State Constitution, Article VIII, Section 5 states: “The credit of the state shall not, in any manner, be given or loaned to, or in aid of, any individual, association, company or corporation.” There is no time limit on the collection of debt to the state.
Preventing Overpayments
- Enter time off and leave in Workday before the payroll deadlines each pay cycle
- Ensure your department payroll/HR is aware of any upcoming leaves of absences
- Review paychecks promptly and immediately notify your department and Payroll Office of an overpayment when discovered
Resolving Your Overpayment
- Correct your timesheet/absence record in Workday as soon as possible, if applicable
- Respond to the overpayment notification in the allotted time
- Validate overpayment information and discuss any discrepancies with your department
- If the overpayment information received by the department is incorrect, you may be able to appeal the overpayment
- Repay any overpayments in a timely manner
Repayment Process
All payroll overpayments must be promptly reported to the Payroll Office. Upon being notified of the overpayment, the employee must immediately repay the University the total amount of the repayment. Active employees may be able to repay via a paycheck reversal, timesheet correction, or payroll deduction (either via a one-time total gross deduction, or installments). Terminated employees, or employees on leave, must repay via personal check, cashier's check, or money order. For employees that are terminating, the overpayment balance will be deducted from their final payroll payment and/or leave cashout.