Short Paid - Suggestions on what else I can do

[Observer]

I was short paid on one of my checks. I filed a grievance right away. Too much withholding was taken out (over $100 too much). Anyway, when I was able to ask why I hadn't heard anything - I was told by the ba that the union doesn't want to get involved with the IRS. I still don't know what that means. I even showed the Fed. tax table to the ba so that they could visually see the mistake that payroll did.
Since you can't contact payroll - try finding their phone number - and the union won't help - what would be the next recourse?
To me, it's "wage theft" plain and simple. I was short paid and I want the pay and penalty pay.
What have any of you done when this has happened to you? Why is there such a reluctance to assisting a fellow teamster?

 

[PT Crazy]

You were not under paid. So you paid more to the government. Fill out a new w-4 form and payroll will make the changes. Maybe you filled it out wrong or they keyed it in wrong. The fastest way to correct the problem is hand in a new form. It may take two weeks.

 

[PT Crazy]

On upsers.com you can change your withholding.

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

If you can prove UPS screwed up and didn't pay you what is owed you, you should go through your immediate supervisor. Make copies of your stub. If you were wronged, they will pay you back at their convenience. Possibly the next pay period. People make mistakes. Don't expect a green check and don't expect "penalty pay". You deserve to be made whole, not to make a profit.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

On upsers.com you can change your withholding.

Federal only. State changes have to done on paper.

 

[Mugarolla]

I was short paid on one of my checks. I filed a grievance right away. Too much withholding was taken out (over $100 too much). Anyway, when I was able to ask why I hadn't heard anything - I was told by the ba that the union doesn't want to get involved with the IRS. I still don't know what that means. I even showed the Fed. tax table to the ba so that they could visually see the mistake that payroll did.
Since you can't contact payroll - try finding their phone number - and the union won't help - what would be the next recourse?
To me, it's "wage theft" plain and simple. I was short paid and I want the pay and penalty pay.
What have any of you done when this has happened to you? Why is there such a reluctance to assisting a fellow teamster?

You said you were short on one of your checks.

If all your checks have too much withholding, you need to change your W-4 and your grievance lacks merit.

If all of your other checks have the correct withholding, then UPS screwed up the withholding on one particular check.

The union does not have to get involved with the IRS. Your BA is incompetent and doesn't know what he is talking about if this was a one time screw up.

If it was only a single check, it is a payroll error subject to penalty pay and subject to UPS correcting it.

Ask your BA to hear the grievence. It is UPS's responsibility to fix it.

 

[Kae3106]

Payroll does not manually mess with taxes. Did this check happen to be a payoff/cash out of vacation or sick time? If so, these are treated as bonuses and taxed at a flat 25% per IRS rules. If it was a regular check, it seems odd that your W4 settings would have been tweaked for a single check.

 

[PrimeUPS]

I was short paid on one of my checks. I filed a grievance right away. Too much withholding was taken out (over $100 too much). Anyway, when I was able to ask why I hadn't heard anything - I was told by the ba that the union doesn't want to get involved with the IRS. I still don't know what that means. I even showed the Fed. tax table to the ba so that they could visually see the mistake that payroll did.
Since you can't contact payroll - try finding their phone number - and the union won't help - what would be the next recourse?
To me, it's "wage theft" plain and simple. I was short paid and I want the pay and penalty pay.
What have any of you done when this has happened to you? Why is there such a reluctance to assisting a fellow teamster?

Your post is ambiguous. Which "withholding" are you referring to, specifically?
Did you up your insurance, retirement, or other benefit options? United Way?
Did you or someone with access to your account adjust your withholding exemptions on upsers or file paperwork to do the same?
Were you previously overpaid and the company is simply reimbursing itself?
Are you subject to other legal withholding? Child support? Collections?

Payroll systems (those that actually cut checks and determine amounts and withholding's) are fairly robust. In my entire career I've never even heard of someone having too much or too little withheld that they personally weren't responsible for. "They held out too little!" well did you put the exemptions at 6? "Yes". There's your sign. Either way, these are things that the employee does. By the way, the company is not responsible for your selections, it is up to you to make sure that the proper exemptions and benefit selections are filed. If too little is withheld, the IRS doesn't call UPS and say "hey, you didn't take enough out".

There's not likely to be a penalty here. The company paid you in gross terms properly, the appropriate hours and wages.

 

[Observer]

Answer to PrimeUPS - Federal withholding. Payroll keyed in same amount as what was on regular check issued the same day. I do see KAE3106's logic. But since we don't receive bonus',etc. - I have never had anything but actual fed w/h based on the gross wages ever withheld. No, the exemptions were not changed. They've been the same as ever for a few years. IRS doesn't call anyone - it is always by letter. So, I will go with Mugarolla as they are right on the money. It was a one time error by payroll. I did check with others who work in accounting and they stated that keystroke errors are common. They also said if the company sends in too much withholding based on total wages - the IRS will contact the company and find out why it has been doing so.

 

[Kae3106]

Answer to PrimeUPS - Federal withholding. Payroll keyed in same amount as what was on regular check issued the same day. I do see KAE3106's logic. But since we don't receive bonus',etc. - I have never had anything but actual fed w/h based on the gross wages ever withheld. No, the exemptions were not changed. They've been the same as ever for a few years. IRS doesn't call anyone - it is always by letter. So, I will go with Mugarolla as they are right on the money. It was a one time error by payroll. I did check with others who work in accounting and they stated that keystroke errors are common. They also said if the company sends in too much withholding based on total wages - the IRS will contact the company and find out why it has been doing so.

Whoever told you that in accounting is completely wrong. The IRS accepts whatever is withheld and does not try to figure out if "the company sent in too much." As long as the amounts withheld and deposited match to the amounts reported, the IRS is good with it. I have worked in both UPS Payroll and Accounting and I can tell you that Payroll DOES NOT touch your taxes on regular checks. The company pays over 150,000 employees every single week...do you actually think they are hand keying your taxes each week??

 

[Mugarolla]

Whoever told you that in accounting is completely wrong. The IRS accepts whatever is withheld and does not try to figure out if "the company sent in too much." As long as the amounts withheld and deposited match to the amounts reported, the IRS is good with it. I have worked in both UPS Payroll and Accounting and I can tell you that Payroll DOES NOT touch your taxes on regular checks. The company pays over 150,000 employees every single week...do you actually think they are hand keying your taxes each week??

Well someone obviously took out an extra $100 on this guy on only 1 paycheck. Someone did something wrong and it is a payroll issue subject to penalty pay if not corrected.

 

[PrimeUPS]

Answer to PrimeUPS - Federal withholding. Payroll keyed in same amount as what was on regular check issued the same day. I do see KAE3106's logic. But since we don't receive bonus',etc. - I have never had anything but actual fed w/h based on the gross wages ever withheld. No, the exemptions were not changed. They've been the same as ever for a few years. IRS doesn't call anyone - it is always by letter. So, I will go with Mugarolla as they are right on the money. It was a one time error by payroll. I did check with others who work in accounting and they stated that keystroke errors are common. They also said if the company sends in too much withholding based on total wages - the IRS will contact the company and find out why it has been doing so.

The only time a keystroke error could occur is if you submitted modified paperwork that needed to then be entered. Keystroke errors are common in anything, including on DIADs.
You say it was the same as your regular check meaning what? You received a regular payroll check with the appropriate holding and then a what kind of check???
Call/write, it doesn't make a difference. The point is, the IRS does not communicate with UPS regarding your withholding unless they need something done for some reason they are legally empowered to enforce upon the company to comply. Bottom line. You could give your entire check to the IRS and they wouldn't care. It's a tax free loan to them, no different than overpaying during the year and getting a refund in April.
Go to your supervisor with the paystubs, work from there.

 

[brownmonster]

Well someone obviously took out an extra $100 on this guy on only 1 paycheck. Someone did something wrong and it is a payroll issue subject to penalty pay if not corrected.

He said he had 2 checks issued the same day and one had too much taken off. We need to know what the second check was for. It's all in the details.

 

[Kae3106]

2 checks issued on the same day at this time of year...I'm positive the one with the higher taxes had to be an entitlement payoff. Cashed out vacation and sick days are considered bonus payments by the IRS and are taxed at a flat 25% federal rate. If he'll just tell us the earn types on the checks, it will tell us what they were for.

 

[Observer]

The one that had the extra federal taxes taken out was the 25 hour vacation one. Since I have never had that much withholding taken out and it was the exact same amount of withholding as the other check - that is why the amount stuck out. I also checked the last couple of years of 25 hour vacation checks and there wasn't an over withholding on any of those - just the correct amount of withholding was taken out based on total gross amount. So when I contact the union should I provide copies of those other checks as proof that I have never had over withholding on a vacation check previously? I'm really miffed that I have to fight so hard to get a shortage taken care of. We are not paid sick days and bonus ever. Must be nice.

 

[Inthegame]

So when I contact the union should I provide copies of those other checks as proof that I have never had over withholding on a vacation check previously?

Yes, but you should have already contacted "the union".

 

[Kae3106]

The one that had the extra federal taxes taken out was the 25 hour vacation one. Since I have never had that much withholding taken out and it was the exact same amount of withholding as the other check - that is why the amount stuck out. I also checked the last couple of years of 25 hour vacation checks and there wasn't an over withholding on any of those - just the correct amount of withholding was taken out based on total gross amount. So when I contact the union should I provide copies of those other checks as proof that I have never had over withholding on a vacation check previously? I'm really miffed that I have to fight so hard to get a shortage taken care of. We are not paid sick days and bonus ever. Must be nice.

For the vacation check, did you actually take a week of vacation or were you just paid for a week of vacation but did not take time off? This is very important to the taxation. If you actually took the week off, then it should have been taxed normally. If you received 25 hours of vacation pay but did NOT take a week off, then the IRS considers this a supplemental or bonus payment and the 25% flat federal tax is correct.