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Asda has confirmed that 53,000 employees were underpaid following technical issues with a major IT system migration, affecting calculations for holiday and sick pay, according to The Telegraph.
It is understood that 33,000 current staff and 20,000 former employees were impacted between February 2024 and May 2025. The issues arose during a project known as Project Future.
Executive chairman Allan Leighton told The Telegraph that the company discovered the errors after reviewing systems following the £1bn IT overhaul. The project aimed to separate Asda from former owner Walmart.
The upgrade suffered multiple delays and glitches before its completion in September 2024. Asda previously attributed a 2.8% decline in quarterly sales to the disrupted transition.
More than 80% of affected staff are owed less than £19. Asda confirmed it would repay all missing wages plus interest and would not recover any previous overpayments.
While the company had attempted to claw back overpaid wages in March 2024, it has now reversed this decision to ensure all staff members are treated equally.
Leighton told The Telegraph: “Today, most importantly, we are putting it right for those colleagues affected, with interest.”
James Goodman, chief people officer at Asda, told Retail Sector: “No Asda colleague will be worse off financially. Whether you currently work with us or have worked with us, we are paying back every penny owed with 12% interest.
“Any colleague who has been overpaid will be allowed to keep the money and we are repaying the money that was recovered in March 2024 because of issues caused by the switchover to Project Future. We’ve also taken the steps to ensure nothing like this can happen again, validated by external experts.”
