Employer demands $2,700 back from 18-year-old employee after their payroll error: 'I’m just so irritated'

JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor

May 30, 2026 9:15 AM EDT

Should you be held accountable for someone else's mistakes?

Mistakes happen, and they happen often. Humans make mistakes, computers make mistakes, and we all have to keep on living. This is one of the hardest things about life and about jobs. A mistake was at the center of this story from the antiwork subreddit that sparked some discussion. Mistakes can feel so devastating. The first time you mess up at a new job, it can feel like you're letting everyone down. Your self-esteem goes through the floor, and you're left to pick up the pieces. It's the way that your bosses and peers react to those mistakes that really tells you what kind of workplace it is and what you can expect from it. If they treat you with grace and kindness, then it's worth sticking around. If they make you feel like your entire worth can be cut down after one mistake, then that's a toxic environment. But what happens when your boss is the one who messes up?

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Work overpaid me for the last year and now wants the money back

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Commenters came in with some practical knowledge and advice.

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Sometimes people don't like to admit that they've made a mistake. They bury their head in the sand and pretend like nothing went wrong. This is not a great way to deal with failure. The truth is bound to come out at one point or another, and it's better to own up to it. But this is much easier said than done. It can feel impossible to admit when you've made an error. You just wish you could go back in time and undo it, but there is no undo button. There is only forward, and that's how we learn. But the employer in this story had an interesting way of going about addressing their mistake. They wanted other people to be held accountable for it. Payroll errors happen, but they need to be dealt with delicately. Money is a sensitive topic, and you don't want to burden your employees just because you made a mistake. But that's what happened here. Keep reading for all the details of the story and see what you think about it.
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A model representing a teenage employee looks frustrated while speaking to a supervisor
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