NHS Overpayment Response Pack
Been told by NHS payroll that you were overpaid? Check what you can realistically afford for free, then unlock letters written around your situation to ask for the calculation, query it, or agree a repayment plan.
Want the law first? Read NHS Overpayment of Wages: What Are Your Rights? Everything in this tool follows that guide.
Short answer
You generally do have to repay a genuine overpayment, even if payroll made the mistake, but you should generally only be asked to repay the net amount you actually received, and most trusts' policies take hardship into account when agreeing how it is repaid. If you dispute that an overpayment happened, or the amount, you can raise that formally before agreeing to repay anything. The analysis on this page is free. The letters are a one-off £7.99, with no subscription and 90 days of access.
⚠This is not legal advice
This tool and the letters it produces are general guidance based on the law and typical trust practice described in our guide. They are not legal advice and cannot take account of your trust's own overpayment policy, which differs between employers. If your case is contested, or the amount is large, speak to your union or staff-side representative, or get free advice from Citizens Advice or ACAS, before you send anything.
About the overpayment
Everything you type stays in your browser and is never sent to us. Your answers are saved in this browser so they are still here after checkout. Letter text is never saved. Use "Clear my answers" to remove them, especially on a shared computer. See a worked example of the letters.
Leave blank to use "Payroll Team".
In your own words, e.g. "March to August 2026".
The figure payroll gave you. Payslip figures are gross.
Leave blank if you were only given a gross figure.
Your finances (for the affordability check)
Rent or mortgage, bills, food, childcare, transport and existing debt.
This is your own proposal to the trust, not an entitlement. The trust decides whether to accept it.
Your analysis will appear here
Enter the gross amount quoted (or the net amount if you have it) and the analysis updates as you type. Add your take-home pay and essential outgoings to see what a repayment plan could look like.
Free worked example. Fictional person and trust
Example: overpayment letters and call script
Sam Patel was told in writing that a wrong pay point meant an overpayment of £1,840 gross (£1,342 net). Sam accepts it and wants an affordable plan. Take-home pay £2,100 a month, essential outgoings £1,650, offering half of what is spare.
Everything below was produced by the pack itself from those made-up details. It is an example only: the names, trust and facts are invented, and your own documents are built from your own answers. Square brackets mark the places you fill in or check yourself.
1. Request for a written explanation and breakdownExample
Asks how the overpayment arose, the pay periods, gross and net figures, tax and NI treatment and the policy applied, and asks that deductions wait until you have it.
[Your address] [Your postcode] 14 October 2026 Payroll Team Example NHS Foundation Trust [Trust payroll address or email] Employee/reference number: [your employee number] Subject: Request for a written explanation of the overpayment notified on 24 September 2026 Dear Payroll Team, I received written notification from Example NHS Foundation Trust dated 24 September 2026 that I had been overpaid. The overpayment was quoted as £1,840.00 gross (£1,342.00 net) for the period March to August 2026. The reason given was that a wrong pay point or band had been applied. I understand that a genuine overpayment normally needs to be repaid, and I want to work with you on this. Before agreeing the figure, I would like to see how it was reached. I will also write separately with a proposed repayment plan. So that I can understand the position, please could you provide the following in writing: 1. How the overpayment arose, and which pay periods it covers. 2. For each affected pay period, what I was paid and what the trust considers I should have been paid, so that I can check the figures against my payslips. 3. How the gross and net figures were calculated, and how Income Tax, National Insurance and pension contributions have been treated, including whether any tax and National Insurance is being corrected through payroll. 4. Confirmation that the amount you are asking me to repay is the net amount I actually received, and not the gross figure. 5. A copy of the trust's overpayment recovery policy, and confirmation of which parts have been applied to my case. I would be grateful for a response within 14 days of the date of this letter (by 28 October 2026). I would also ask that no deductions are made from my pay until I have received this information and had a reasonable opportunity to consider it. Thank you for your help. Yours sincerely, Sam Patel
2. Repayment plan proposalExample
Proposes a monthly amount and end date from your figures, with a short factual hardship paragraph, and asks the trust to confirm in writing and apply its hardship provisions.
[Your address] [Your postcode] 14 October 2026 Payroll Team Example NHS Foundation Trust [Trust payroll address or email] Employee/reference number: [your employee number] Subject: Proposed repayment plan for the overpayment notified on 24 September 2026 Dear Payroll Team, I received written notification from Example NHS Foundation Trust dated 24 September 2026 that I had been overpaid. The overpayment was quoted as £1,840.00 gross (£1,342.00 net) for the period March to August 2026. I am writing to propose a way of repaying it that I can sustain. I propose to repay £225.00 per month, starting in November 2026 and finishing in April 2027 (6 monthly payments). This is based on the net amount of £1,342.00. After meeting my essential outgoings, such as housing, bills, food and transport, I have around £450.00 a month available, and the amount proposed is within that. I can provide a breakdown of my outgoings on request. Please could you: - confirm in writing whether this plan is acceptable, including the monthly amount, start date and end date; - apply the trust's financial hardship provisions, including any ability to extend the repayment period or reduce the amount taken per pay period, if the plan as proposed is not workable; - confirm the total amount to be recovered, and whether it is the net amount after any correction of tax and National Insurance; and - let me know if the trust's policy sets a maximum amount that can be recovered from a single payslip. I would be grateful if recovery could begin only once the plan has been confirmed in writing, and for a response within 14 days of the date of this letter (by 28 October 2026). If my circumstances change, I will tell you promptly. Thank you for your help. Yours sincerely, Sam Patel
5. Call script and evidence checklistExample
A one-page plain-text guide for phone calls or meetings with payroll, plus the evidence to gather.
CALL SCRIPT AND EVIDENCE CHECKLIST Overpayment notified by Example NHS Foundation Trust on 24 September 2026: £1,840.00 gross (£1,342.00 net) Prepared 14 October 2026. For your own use. Do not send this page. Your aim: confirm the net figure and the calculation, then agree a repayment amount and end date you can sustain. BEFORE THE CALL - Check your trust's overpayment policy. Ask payroll for a copy if you cannot find it. - If you are a union member, speak to your union or staff-side representative first. - Have your evidence to hand (see below) and a pen ready. - Note the date, time, and the name and role of the person you speak to. EVIDENCE TO GATHER - Payslips for the period March to August 2026, and the month either side - Your contract, and any letters confirming your band, pay point or changes to allowances - The overpayment notification and any emails about it - Bank statements showing the net amount actually received - Rotas or timesheets, if hours or enhancements are in question - A simple summary of your income and essential outgoings, to be shared only if asked OPENING - "Hello, I'm Sam Patel. I'm calling about the overpayment notification dated 24 September 2026. I want to understand it and resolve it properly." KEY QUESTIONS - Is the amount you are asking for the net figure I actually received? How are tax and National Insurance being corrected? - Can you send me the calculation by pay period? - Under the trust's policy, what is the maximum that can be taken from one payslip, and how are hardship requests handled? - If I propose a monthly amount, can you confirm the plan in writing, with the start and end dates? KEEP IN MIND - A genuine overpayment generally has to be repaid even where the mistake was the employer's, so focus on the calculation and a workable plan rather than on whose fault it was. - You should generally only be asked to repay the net amount you actually received. Query anything that appears to exceed it. - Policies differ between trusts. Ask what the policy says rather than assuming. AFTER THE CALL - Send an email the same day summarising what was said and asking them to confirm it. - Diary any dates they give you for a response. - Keep copies of everything you send and receive.
What you get
The free part works out whether the figure you were quoted is gross or net, what you could afford to repay each month after essential outgoings, how long that would take, and what to do next for the position you have chosen. The letter pack then turns those answers into drafts you can edit, copy or print. Which letters you get depends on your position:
| Your position | Letters generated |
|---|---|
| I accept it but need an affordable plan | Written explanation request, repayment plan proposal, call script and evidence checklist |
| I want the calculation explained before agreeing | Written explanation request, query letter, call script and evidence checklist |
| I dispute the amount | Written explanation request, query letter, request to pause deductions, call script and evidence checklist |
| I dispute that an overpayment happened | The same four, worded to question whether any overpayment occurred |
Every letter is polite and factual, uses today's date, and leaves bracketed placeholders for anything we do not know, such as your address. None of them threatens action or claims your employer has acted unlawfully. They ask for information and a written response within a stated period, and they reserve your position where you are disputing.
NHS overpayment letter: what to include
Whether you are agreeing to repay or disputing, a written letter is better than a phone call because it leaves a record of what you asked and when. A strong overpayment letter has the same basic parts:
- The date and form of the notification (in writing or only verbal), the amount and period quoted, and the reason given.
- A request for the calculation, pay period by pay period, showing what you were paid and what the trust says you should have been paid.
- A question about whether the figure is gross or net, and how Income Tax, National Insurance and pension contributions are being treated.
- A request for a copy of the trust's overpayment recovery policy.
- A request that deductions wait until you have the information, and a reasonable reply date (the pack uses 14 days).
- If you are agreeing: a specific monthly amount, start and end month and a request for written confirmation. If you are disputing: a reservation of your position and which figures you question.
The worked example above shows the real letters, built from made-up figures, so you can see the tone and level of detail before you decide.
How to challenge an NHS overpayment
- Ask for it in writing. A verbal figure is not enough to check. Ask how it arose and how it was calculated.
- Check it against your payslips and contract. Our NHS Payslip Checker and payslip guide help you see what you were paid and why.
- Establish whether the figure is net or gross. You should generally only be asked to repay the net amount you actually received.
- Do not agree an amount or deductions in writing until you have the calculation.
- Raise your disagreement in writing, saying exactly which figures you question. If you still disagree after seeing the calculation, ask which formal route your trust uses, often a step in the overpayment policy or its grievance procedure.
- Involve your union or staff-side rep early. Overpayment cases are routine for them.
A genuine overpayment generally has to be repaid even where the mistake was the employer's, so the realistic aims are a correct figure and a workable plan. Our guide on NHS overpayment of wages goes through the law in detail.
Net or gross: a worked example
Suppose payroll writes that you were overpaid £1,840 over six months because the wrong pay point was applied. That is a gross figure, taken from your payslips before Income Tax, National Insurance and pension contributions. Your bank statements might show that you actually received £1,342 of it. The £498 difference never reached you. If the overpayment is corrected in the same tax year, trusts usually recover the net amount, with tax and National Insurance corrected through payroll, so £1,342 is the figure to ask the trust to confirm. If it is only found after the tax year has ended, the trust may need to recover the gross amount and correct your tax record separately, so ask payroll which applies. Either way, query in writing any request that appears to exceed what you received.
How much to offer: a worked repayment plan
The free check works from two numbers you control. Take the same example. Take-home pay of £2,100 a month, less £1,650 of essential outgoings (housing, bills, food, transport, childcare and existing debt), leaves £450 spare. Offering half of that gives £225 a month. Clearing £1,342 at £225 takes six payments. If the offer is accepted, that is roughly six months. Offering a quarter (£112.50 a month) would take twelve payments, and offering three quarters (£337.50) would take four. The figure is your own proposal, not an entitlement, and the trust decides whether to accept it under its policy. If you have little or nothing spare, say so in writing and ask the trust to consider hardship, and consider free debt advice from StepChange or Citizens Advice.
Can the trust take money from my pay without my consent?
Under the Employment Rights Act 1996, section 13 sets the usual rule that an employer needs your agreement to make a deduction from your wages, and section 14 makes an exception for recovering an overpayment of wages. So a genuine overpayment can usually be recovered through payroll. What you can usually influence is the calculation, whether the figure is net, and how it is spread. The policies we have looked at typically commit to explaining how the overpayment arose and agreeing recovery with you where possible, and often set an upper limit per payslip unless you agree to more, but there is no single national NHS rule, so ask for your trust's policy.
Before you send anything
Check your trust's own overpayment policy. There is no single national NHS policy, so notice periods, hardship thresholds and per-payslip limits all differ. Compare the notification with your payslips. If you are a union member, tell your representative early, because overpayment recovery is routine casework for them. For help reading the lines on a payslip, see how to read your NHS payslip, or try the NHS Payslip Checker.
Why trust this tool
- ✓ Follows our own guide to NHS overpayments, and never tells you to rely on the narrow change-of-position concept
- ✓ Treats the net amount you received as the basis for repayment, and tells you to query any request that appears to exceed it
- ✓ Labels your repayment figure as your own proposal, never as an entitlement
- ✓ Says clearly when a point varies between trusts, and points you to your trust's policy and your union
- ✓ Runs entirely in your browser. Your details are not sent to us, and letter text is never saved
- ✓ Guidance last updated October 2026
Related guides & tools
NHS Overpayment of Wages: What Are Your Rights?
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How to Read Your NHS Payslip
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NHS Pay Calculator
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NHS Staff Representation Explained
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Agenda for Change Pay Scales 2026/27
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NHS Disciplinary Hearing Pack
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