66173 (2024). Hon Jan Tinetti to the Minister of Education

66173 (2024). Hon Jan Tinetti to the Minister of Education: What processes are in place at Education Payroll, if any, to ensure that cases of alleged overpayments are not referred to debt collectors, until which time as the debt has been proven, whether by agreement, or through an order of the Employment Relations Authority or Employment Court?

Hon Erica Stanford: I am advised by the Ministry of Education that, before beginning a recovery process, Education Payroll works with the school to confirm the circumstances and the amount of any overpayment. Once the overpayment has been calculated and confirmed by the school, Education Payroll follows a standard process that has been agreed with the Ministry of Education. The process involves: • working to contact the employee by phone • sending an email or letter with information about the overpayment and repayment options • explaining the overpayment and providing a breakdown of the calculation to ensure the employee understands how the overpayment arose • clarifying any perceived discrepancies with the school and ensuring it has up to date instructions on collecting the overpayment. Education Payroll will contact an employee in writing at least three times before an overpayment is referred to its debt collection service provider. Overpayment debt is usually at least 50 days old before it is referred to an agency for collection.