Adele hit some tax trouble after accidentally paying herself $5 million too much

Most of us get overpaid by a few dollars, not a few million dollars. Photo / Supplied

Adele has been ordered to pay back £2.5 million (NZ $5 million) to the taxman.

The Hello hit maker - who is reportedly set to sign a staggering £90 million (NZ $180 million) record contract with Sony Music - overpaid herself the eye-watering sum and accountants spotted her "embarrassing" mistake.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "This is embarrassing. Adele likes to portray herself as a woman of the people so an incident like this which brings attention to her ¬massive wealth isn't good."

Adele is paid dividends through the companies she has set up called Melted Stone Ltd and Melted Publishing and reportedly banked £7 million last year, which is way over what is permitted in line with strict tax rules.

The star - who worth is worth £88 million - fully cooperated with HMRC and the blunder has now been "resolved".

A representative for Adele explained: "All relevant disclosures have been made in the ¬company accounts. As clearly stated within the report, the position has been resolved."

Meanwhile, friends of the London-born songstress insist she is "incredibly generous" when it comes to splashing out on her loved ones.

Adele doesn't like to draw attention to the fact that she's super rich...too late. Photo / AP

A source said: "Adele will pay for holidays. She treated [childhood friend] Laura Dockrill and her boyfriend to a private yacht charter when they were in Santorini recently.

"She also paid for 20 friends on a week-long hen do in Ibiza last year - renting out a £2 million villa.

"She's even paid off one mate's mortgage and bought another of her oldest friends a £60,000 car when hers got written off."

As well as treating her friends, the 28-year-old singer - who has three-year-old son Angelo with boyfriend Simon Konecki - loves to splash the cash for her family.

The source added to Heat magazine: "Adele isn't one of those celebrities who loves to splash out on designer clothes. But she definitely enjoys having money and spending it on making her and her loved ones' lives comfortable.