WRC dismissed a Ryanair cabin crew worker's wage deduction claim, finding the deductions were contractually justified.

The Complainant had worked as cabin crew, through an agency from August 2022 and directly for Ryanair from January 2023, until his employment ended in June 2025 after resigning. He had claimed approximately €2,300 - €2,360 under the Payment of Wages Act 1991. This comprised wages for five days allegedly worked but unpaid in May 2025, reimbursement of an unlawful €1,058.44 deduction, correction of an annual-leave clawback and correction of a sick-pay deduction. He had argued that annual leave should have been recouped at €30.84 rather than €71.36 and that sick-pay deductions should have been limited to one day under the Sick Leave Act 2022. He had denied owing the Respondent the €718.07 overpayment and had maintained that its payroll records were fundamentally flawed. 

The Respondent maintained that no unlawful deduction had occurred and that the Complainant had been overpaid. It had produced his contract, May - July 2025 payslips, and three detailed reconciliations. His May salary and allowances had been paid. The €411.05 company sick pay had been paid mistakenly because a disciplinary investigation excluded him from the discretionary scheme, while his statutory entitlement of five sick days, worth €335.51, had already been paid. He had taken 15 days’ annual leave but accrued only 8.3 days, leaving 6.7 days to recoup at a rate including fixed pay and the concurrent leave allowance. The disputed €1,058.44 had been an accounting entry recording the net final-pay overpayment rather than a deduction. After offsetting a later sector payment, €718.07 remained due from him. The contract had expressly authorised deductions for money owed, termination-related leave adjustments and the applicable sick-pay arrangements, with notice supplied through payslips and correspondence.

The Adjudicating Officer dismissed the complaint as unfounded. Applying Marek Balans v Tesco Ireland Ltd, the Officer had first determined what wages were properly payable under the contract and considered whether any shortfall constituted an unlawful deduction. The Respondent’s contract, payslips and three explanations had accounted for every disputed amount. The sick-pay recoupment had been contractually authorised, statutory sick pay had already been discharged, the annual-leave rate included fixed pay and leave allowance. The €1,058.44 represented an accounting entry rather than a deduction. Conversely, the Complainant had not addressed the calculations, explained his entitlement to July salary after his employment ended, or reconciled changes in the amount claimed. The evidence established an overpayment; namely, with the €718.07 outstanding.

Employers should:

1. Ensure employment contracts clearly and expressly authorise deductions for overpayments, excess annual leave, final-pay adjustments and recoverable sums. Any discretionary sick-pay scheme should state whether entitlement is suspended during disciplinary investigations. Before deducting money, confirm that the relevant contractual term existed and remained operative when the deduction arose.
2. Ensure any payroll disputes are answered with a clear reconciliation connecting contractual provisions, accrued entitlements, payments, deductions and later adjustments. Calculations should show dates, gross and net figures, daily rates and the treatment of allowances. Written notice should be given before or with each deduction.
3. Respond patiently and specifically to repeated objections, because contemporary explanations may become decisive evidence. Payroll should be checked independently before litigation, where the employer asserts that an employee owes money. Recovery proceedings should be considered separately from defending a WRC complaint. 
   

The full case can be found here.