any reclaiming of ‘overpayment’ should be discussed with the staff (snip) in advance, and (snip) should also have been arranged so that any repayment doesn’t cause ‘undue financial hardship’ Yes. I work as a payroll administrator for an employment recruitment company, so know for a fact that not only is this standard HR policy, but is enforced by employment regulations. They cannot make deductions to your pay to which you've not agreed UNLESS requested to do so by Inland Revenue or HM Customs, i.e. the government. Although, having said that, it's in the public service arena, so the ball may be in a different court. Nonetheless, some variant of the policy will be in effect, and I'm guessing whoever put the deductions through didn't think through to the consequences. Have at them! Apologies if someone has already pointed this out; I'm at work and didn't have the time to trawl through all the comments to check.