Bonus & Pay Dispute Solicitor London: Unpaid & Withheld Claims
A cut, delayed or withheld bonus or pay decision is not usually a one-off mistake. Your income and how you get treated moving may both be at risk, and the evidence to help you prove what actually happened in terms of decision making by your employer is easiest to gather (after taking advice) while you are still in the building. There are often steps (that is taken legally) improve your position before a dispute hardens. Take advice early.
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BEFORE THE DECISION IS FINAL...
The Moment Your Bonus or Pay Is Cut, Delayed or Withheld, Your Options Start Narrowing
A cut, delayed or withheld bonus or pay decision is rarely as final as your employer presents it. Targets may already have been reassessed after the fact, scheme rules reinterpreted in your employer’s favour, or a decision dressed up as “discretion” when the real pattern says otherwise. The evidence that proves what actually happened, emails, appraisal records, target sheets, payslip history, is easiest to obtain while you are still employed but mst be done so legally following advice.
But there is often a window to act before a decision becomes final. Raising the right question in writing, at the right moment and in the right way, can force your employer to properly explain itself, correct the position in your favour or open the door to a negotiated resolution before positions harden on either side. That window narrows once payroll has run and the bonus year end/bonus payment end.
David will tell you quickly whether your employer’s decision looks challengeable, what evidence would strengthen your position, and what to do next, so you are not simply accepting whatever you have been told.
36 Years Advising Employees Facing Bonus and Pay Disputes
David Greenhalgh has advised senior executives and employees on unpaid, disputed and withheld bonuses, commission and unfair pay decisions for 36 years. He understands that missing out on a bonus you have worked hard for or a shortfall in you pay is rarely just a number. It is often a marker of how you are actually regarded by your employer and a signal of how the rest of the relationship is likely to go unless you take appropriate action.
His advice is tactical, not just legal. David knows how bonus schemes are drafted to protect the employer, how “discretion” is exercised in practice, and where the gap between a policy’s wording and years of consistent payment/bonus awards can be turned into leverage. That experience shapes every recommendation he makes, including when to challenge a decision formally and when a quieter conversation gets a faster result.
Discretionary doesn't mean unchallengeable. The earlier you take advice, the more room there usually is to negotiate.
Hear how David approaches a settlement agreement.
A short introduction in plain English on what to expect from the process.
The Bonus and Pay Outcomes Most Often Won Through Negotiation or Claim
A clear read on whether your scheme is contractual or discretionary
Before anything else, David works out whether your bonus or pay entitlement is genuinely discretionary, plainly contractual, or a mix of the two, because that distinction decides whether you have a claim and where it can be brought.
Evidence secured while you are still in post
Your contract, the bonus policy, appraisal records, target sheets and payslip history are far easier to obtain while you remain employed. David tells you early what to gather and how to preserve access to it.
Discretionary decisions tested against the law
A discretionary bonus decision must not be irrational, perverse, or exercised in bad faith. Where your employer's reasoning does not stand up, David uses that to challenge the outcome.
Years of consistent payment turned into an entitlement
Where a bonus has been paid consistently over time, or where you have been told you are on track for a bonus that pattern may support an argument that the arrangement has become an implied contractual term. David looks at the written terms alongside the history of payments to assess whether that argument might apply in your case.
A negotiated resolution before proceedings
Most bonus and pay disputes settle. David negotiates outcomes that reflect the real strength of your case, usually faster and with less exposure than a hearing.
The right forum for your claim
Tribunal awards for contractual claims on termination are capped; unlawful deduction from wages claims and Court claims are not. Choosing the correct route is often decisive in what you actually recover.
Bonus and pay resolved alongside your exit
Where you are leaving, David resolves the bonus or pay dispute as part of a settlement agreement, so nothing is left unresolved after you go. Employer will often fail to pay a bonus where they want to exit an employee and will later try to bring in what would have been bonus as part of the ex-gratia element.
Representation through to a hearing
Where a fair resolution is not possible, David represents you through ACAS conciliation and, if needed, tribunal or court proceedings.
Recent Bonus and Pay Dispute Outcomes
Case studies are anonymised. Past outcomes are not a guarantee of future results.
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From First Call to Resolution
Initial call
David gets clear on what has happened, whether you are still employed, and how close any deadline is.
Response within hours.Review and strategy
David reviews your contract and bonus policy, identifies whether the claim is contractual or discretionary, and agrees a tactical approach with you.
Same day.Action
Informal conversation, written grievance, ACAS early conciliation, or opening negotiations directly with your employer.
Days.Resolution
A negotiated settlement, bonus or pay resolved alongside exit terms, or tribunal or court proceedings, whichever route best protects you.
Resolved.What Clients Say About Working With David
David was a great help with a challenging work matter. He got to the heart of the matter quickly, showed understanding for my situation and achieved the best possible outcome in a very short space of time. Highly trustworthy, experienced and skilled."
Outstanding from start to finish. Extremely responsive and dedicated to providing personalised, thoughtful counsel tailored to my needs. Always candid and forthright, I felt confident I was receiving expert, high-quality, well-considered advice.
Exemplary service. Advice was given in a timely manner, precise and straightforward. I would heartily recommend David's services.
David was very efficient, clear & concise at all times and provided good advice, along with regular updates and follow ups. Thoroughly recommended.
Bonus and Pay Disputes, Answered
The questions David is asked most often before clients pick up the phone.
View full FAQ →Yes, if your contract or bonus policy contains a clear clawback or repayment clause, for example where you leave shortly after receiving the bonus, or where performance targets are later found not to have been met. Any deduction from your wages to recover a bonus requires prior written agreement under Employment Rights Act 1996 s.13, and a disproportionate clawback term may be unenforceable as a penalty clause. Check the exact wording before you repay anything.
An unlawful deduction from wages claim must be started within three months less one day of the deduction, or of the last in a series of deductions (Employment Rights Act 1996 s.23). A tribunal breach of contract claim runs three months less one day from the effective date of termination. ACAS early conciliation stops the clock while it lasts, extending the deadline under Employment Tribunals Act 1996 s.207B. Breach of contract claims brought through the County Court allow considerably longer, typically up to six years.
In most cases, yes. Employment Rights Act 1996 s.14(1) allows an employer to make deductions from wages to recover an accidental overpayment of wages or expenses. If the amount is large, has built up over a long period, or you dispute what is owed, the employer should still handle repayment fairly and discuss a reasonable way for the money to be repaid. Take advice before agreeing a repayment plan if the figures or circumstances are disputed.
There is no fixed statutory deadline for correcting a payroll mistake, but County Court claims to recover money owed generally must be brought within six years. In practice, payroll errors are far easier to resolve the sooner they are raised, and prompt written communication avoids later disputes over how much is actually owed.
Receiving an accidental overpayment is not, by itself, a criminal offence. In most cases, your employer can seek to recover the money, including through deductions permitted by Employment Rights Act 1996 s.14(1) while you remain employed or, where appropriate, through a civil claim. If you notice an overpayment, raise it promptly, check the figures and agree any repayment arrangement in writing.