A shocking payroll error pays employee 330 times his salary—and the court says he can keep it

Jordan Park

October 20, 2025

Imagine checking your bank balance just after payday, expecting your usual humble sum, only to discover enough money to buy a small flat—or, say, a large share of Patagonia. Welcome to one of those rare payroll errors that employees fantasize about, and accountants have nightmares over. This isn’t a tale from fantasyland, but from Chile, where one lucky (or perhaps unlucky) employee was paid a staggering 330 times his monthly salary—and the courts say he can keep it.

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An Ordinary Day, an Extraordinary Bank Balance

Each month, many of us have a ritual: refresh the banking app, check the figures (maybe with fingers crossed), and confirm that the salary has cleared. Sometimes, we even daydream about a slip-up in payroll resulting in more than our due—a fleeting, impossible wish. For one distribution assistant at Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos, a large player in Chile’s agri-food industry, this wild hope became real on May 30, 2022. Instead of his routine transfer, he woke up to a transfer of 165 million Chilean pesos, not the expected 500,000.

That colossal sum translated to 172,000 euros, a massive leap from his regular 522 euros. If numbers make your head spin, think of it like finding your annual salary multiplied hundreds of times, just waiting for you to click ‘refresh’ in disbelief.

The Unexpected Windfall: What Happened Next?

Now, before you imagine this employee racing off in a new sports car, the story takes a human twist. As reported by Maud Descamps on “Bonjour ! La Matinale TF1,” the surprised assistant initially did the right thing and called his employer to let them know about the error. But the plot thickens: after that phone call, he vanished from sight for several days. No dramatic capers—just radio silence. His next communication? A resignation letter, sent via his lawyer. And that was it—no further contact.

Faced with a disappearing employee and a gaping hole in their finances, the company turned to the courts, demanding that the massive overpayment be returned. Months passed in legal limbo—a tense waiting game for both sides.

The Court’s Decision and the Employer’s Response

The big twist came on September 8, 2025, when, after months of suspense, the Chilean justice system ruled in the former employee’s favor. It announced he was under no obligation to return the overpaid funds to his previous employer. The dream scenario for employees—but the stuff of executive stress for payroll offices everywhere.

165 million Chilean pesos paid instead of 500,000
Original monthly wage: 522 euros
Employee informed his employer, disappeared, then resigned
September 8, 2025: court rules the overpayment need not be repaid

Unsurprisingly, Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos—known as Cial—didn’t take the news lying down. As relayed by Le Figaro and confirmed by the company’s own top brass in a conversation with Chilean newspaper Diario Financiero, Cial plans to exhaust every legal channel, including an appeal for nullification of the judgment. Their aim: to revise the outcome and recover what they see as a monumental mistake.

Could This Happen Anywhere Else?

Before anyone gets ideas about switching countries or setting up fantasy payroll errors in their own company, Maud Descamps offers a reality check. Such a scenario is virtually impossible in France. The reason? French law is much stricter when it comes to payroll blunders. Employers have up to three years to react and recover any mistaken payment—a window that should discourage any dreams of disappearing with a jackpot.

So here’s the honest truth: payroll miracles might be fun to daydream about during a coffee break, but they’re exceedingly rare. Most of us will have to make do with what’s on our pay slip—and keep hoping that if such luck ever knocks, we’ll at least have the sense (and the nerve) to do what’s right. Or, at the very least, keep our employer on speed dial.

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A shocking payroll error pays employee 330 times his salary—and the court says he can keep it

An Ordinary Day, an Extraordinary Bank Balance

The Unexpected Windfall: What Happened Next?

The Court’s Decision and the Employer’s Response

Could This Happen Anywhere Else?

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