Microsoft had laid off 1,400 workers last month, the first of 5,000 jobs Microsoft has said it plans to cut over the next 18 months. If that's not bad enough news for those who were laid off, the company has now issued letters to many of its laid off staff claiming that they goofed up on the accounting front , overpaid them and are now asking to mail the over paid amount back to Microsoft or get a tax surcharge.