Missing Overtime on Your Payslip? UK Employee Recovery Guide

You worked the hours. They are not on your payslip. The cash is missing. This guide tells you exactly what to check, what to write to payroll, and what to do if the missing hours don't reappear next cycle.

First - confirm it's actually missing

Before you raise a dispute, work through these four checks. Most "missing overtime" cases turn out to be one of them.

1. The cut-off date

Most UK payrolls operate a cut-off date - typically the 15th of the month for monthly pay, or the Tuesday before payday for weekly pay. Anything worked after the cut-off is paid in the next cycle, not this one. Check your contract or staff handbook for the cut-off; many people forget it exists.

2. The overtime rate

Some employers apply a different multiplier (1.0×, 1.25×, 1.5×, 2.0×) depending on the type of overtime - weekday hours after 6pm, Saturday, Sunday, bank holiday. If you expected 12 hours × 1.5× = 18 paid hours but only see 12 paid hours at the standard rate, the employer may be applying time-off-in-lieu (TOIL) instead of paid overtime, or the multiplier wasn't applied. Either way, the line item is there but undervalued - that's a different fix from "missing entirely".

3. The hours type

Look at how the overtime appears on the payslip. Common labels: "Overtime", "OT", "PT" (premium time), "Sat rate", "Sun rate", "BH" (bank holiday). If your overtime is split across multiple line items, you may be looking at the wrong one. Add them all together before concluding it's missing.

4. The YTD figures

Look at year-to-date pay. If YTD gross matches what you'd expect (basic + bonuses + overtime to date), the overtime was paid - possibly in a prior period and you're misremembering this one. The YTD figure is the most reliable snapshot.

If overtime really is missing

Once you've confirmed the hours are genuinely absent, follow this exact sequence. It works because it creates a paper trail and treats payroll as a cooperator, not an adversary.

Step 1 - Email payroll, not your line manager (yet)

Payroll fixes payroll. Your line manager probably can't help directly and may slow things down. Email payroll within one working day of payday with this template:

Subject: Overtime missing from payslip dated [DATE]

Hi [Payroll team / payroll contact name],

I worked [X] hours of overtime in [period covered by this payslip] but they don't appear on the payslip dated [date]. The dates and hours were:

Total: [X] hours at [rate / multiplier].

The hours were [authorised by / agreed with / scheduled by] [name + date]. Could you please:

1. Confirm whether this overtime was submitted into the cycle.
2. If submitted, the line item or code on which it appears.
3. If not submitted, the process to add it to the next cycle.

Thank you, [Your name] [Employee number]

This is calm, specific, and easy to action. Payroll will usually reply within 1-2 working days.

Step 2 - If payroll says it wasn't submitted

The hours need to come from somewhere - either your line manager submits them now (for the next cycle), or the system has a separate route (e.g. a self-service portal, a paper timesheet).

Reply to payroll with: "Thank you for confirming. I'll forward this to [line manager] today to action. Could you also confirm the cut-off date for [next month's / next week's] cycle so the catch-up is included?"

Then forward to your line manager: short, factual, no blame. "Hi [name], payroll have confirmed my overtime for [period] wasn't submitted this cycle. Could you submit [X] hours for the next cycle?"

Step 3 - If payroll says it WAS submitted but didn't appear

This is a payroll system error and they need to investigate internally. Ask for a written explanation and a commitment that the missing hours will be added to the next cycle.

If the figure is large enough that waiting another 2-4 weeks isn't acceptable (over £200 in most household budgets), ask for an interim payment by BACS - most UK employers will action this within 1-3 working days for a clear, payroll-acknowledged error.

Step 4 - If unresolved after two pay cycles

You've now waited 4-8 weeks (depending on weekly vs monthly). Time to escalate.

• Talk to HR or your union rep with the email trail.
• Lodge a formal grievance under your employer's published grievance procedure.
• Contact Acas on 0300 123 1100 for free, confidential advice and access to early conciliation.

You have a legal right to be paid for hours worked. Section 13 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 makes unauthorised deduction from wages unlawful, with the right to claim through an Employment Tribunal - but that's the nuclear option. Most cases resolve at the email-to-payroll step.

Time limits

If you do escalate to a tribunal, the claim must be lodged within three months less one day of the deduction. That clock starts on the payday when the missing hours should have appeared. Don't drift past three months without taking some formal step.

Document everything

Keep:

• Every payslip (digital or paper).
• Your contract and any overtime authorisation.
• Rota or scheduled-hours record.
• Every email exchange with payroll, line manager, HR.

If a tribunal becomes necessary, this paper trail decides the case.

When to talk to a specialist

For unresolved missing-pay issues that exceed £500 or have continued more than two months, getting advice from your union (if you have one) or from Citizens Advice is sensible before escalating further. An employment solicitor is usually overkill for a single payroll error but is the right call if there's a pattern across colleagues or a deliberate underpayment.

Disclaimer

PayslipIQ provides automated educational guidance based on the figures you supply. It is not regulated employment-law advice. For unresolved disputes, contact Acas on 0300 123 1100 or Citizens Advice. For tribunal claims, time limits apply - get advice early.