What is an attachment of earnings order?
It's a legal order that makes your employer deduct a set amount from your pay each payday and send it to the court, council or creditor until the debt is paid. Your employer must follow it; you can't opt out. The deductions show on your payslip.
It only works on earnings from an employer — wages, salary, overtime, bonuses, commission, sick pay and (for court orders) some workplace pensions. You can't be put on an attachment of earnings order if you're self-employed, and benefits such as Universal Credit aren't earnings (though separate benefit deductions can be made). Members of the armed forces have a different system.
Similar orders exist for other debts: magistrates' courts can attach earnings for unpaid fines, and the Child Maintenance Service uses a deduction from earnings order. The principles are similar, but the rules differ.
How a court AEO is made after a CCJ
A creditor can only apply once you've fallen behind with a county court judgment. The steps are:
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The creditor applies
They send form N337 to the court and pay a fee, which is added to your debt.
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You get a notice and a statement of means (form N56)
The court sends you a notice of the application and form N56 to fill in with your income, spending, dependants and employer. Return it by the date on the notice. You can pay the arrears or the whole debt instead, which stops the application.
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The court decides
A court officer uses your N56 to set a normal deduction rate (the amount to be taken each payday) and a protected earnings rate (the amount you must be left with). The order may be suspended — meaning it isn't sent to your employer as long as you pay the creditor directly at the rate set.
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Your employer starts deducting
Your employer gets the order and must start deductions — they have 7 days from receiving it before they can be liable for not complying.
If you think the order is wrong or unaffordable, you can ask the court to reconsider or vary it — see how to vary an order.
How are attachment of earnings deductions worked out?
For a court order, your employer takes the normal deduction rate each payday — unless that would leave you with less than your protected earnings rate, in which case they take only what's above it. Any shortfall is carried forward and taken on later paydays when your earnings allow.
- Net pay £1,600: £150 is deducted, leaving £1,450.
- Net pay £1,400: only £100 can be deducted (so you keep £1,300). The £50 shortfall is carried forward.
- Net pay £1,250: nothing is deducted; the £150 is carried forward.
The protected earnings rate is based on what you need for essential living costs, such as housing, food, bills and the needs of your dependants — which is why filling in form N56 accurately matters. "Net earnings" means pay after income tax, National Insurance and pension contributions.
Council tax attachment of earnings
Once a council has a liability order, it can send an attachment of earnings order straight to your employer, without a further court hearing. There's no protected earnings rate set by a judge: the deduction is a fixed percentage of your net pay from a table in the regulations, and it rises as your pay rises.
In England, for monthly pay, nothing is deducted up to £300, then 3%, 5%, 7% and 12% in bands, reaching 17% for net pay between £1,420 and £2,020, and 17% of the first £2,020 plus 50% of anything above that. Wales has used higher earnings bands since April 2022. The full weekly, monthly and daily tables are in Schedule 4 of the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992, and our council tax guide shows the England monthly table.
- The council can have up to two attachment of earnings orders running against you at the same time.
- You must tell the council in writing within 14 days if you leave your job or start a new one.
- You can't ask a court to vary the percentage — but you can ask the council to cancel the order and agree a payment plan instead, especially if the deductions leave you unable to pay priority bills.
DWP Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA)
A DEA lets the DWP recover benefit overpayments (and councils recover Housing Benefit overpayments) from your wages without going to court. It's usually used when you've stopped claiming benefits, haven't agreed a repayment plan, and are working.
The standard rates run from nothing on monthly net pay of £430 or less up to 20% of net pay above £2,240. In some cases the DWP can ask for higher rates (up to 40% of net pay). Your employer works out the deduction from the table on GOV.UK. If the deductions cause you hardship, contact DWP Debt Management, explain your situation with a budget, and ask for a lower rate or a voluntary repayment plan instead.
How to vary, suspend or stop an attachment of earnings order
Court orders (after a CCJ)
- Vary the order — if your circumstances change (lower pay, a new baby, higher rent), apply to the court on form N244 to change the normal deduction rate or the protected earnings rate. Include an up-to-date budget. A court fee may apply; you may qualify for help with fees.
- Suspend the order — you can ask the court to suspend it so that you pay the creditor directly at an agreed rate, which means your employer doesn't need to be involved. If you miss payments, the creditor can ask for it to be sent to your employer.
- Stop the order — it ends when the debt (plus costs) is paid off, and the court tells your employer. You can also ask the court to discharge it, for example if the creditor agrees, the judgment is set aside, or you enter a formal debt solution.
Council tax and DEA
These rates are fixed by law, so the court route doesn't apply. Contact the council (for council tax) or the DWP (for a DEA) and ask them to stop or reduce deductions in favour of a payment plan you can afford. A free debt adviser can make this request for you.
What happens if I change or lose my job?
For a court order, you must tell the court in writing within 7 days of leaving a job or starting a new one, including details of your new pay. Not doing so is a criminal offence. Your old employer must also tell the court within 10 days that you've left, and a new employer who knows about the order must tell the court within 7 days.
The order doesn't automatically follow you: the court has to redirect it to your new employer. Until it does, nothing is deducted — but the debt is still owed, and the creditor can take other action if you stop paying, so it's best to keep paying the creditor directly. For council tax, you must tell the council within 14 days. If you're made redundant or become self-employed, the order effectively stops working, so talk to the creditor about an arrangement.
Can you have more than one attachment of earnings order?
Yes. Your employer applies them in a set order of priority, and maintenance and some other orders come before ordinary debts. If you have several CCJ orders, you or a creditor can ask the court to combine them into a consolidated attachment of earnings order, with one deduction shared between creditors. If your total debts are £5,000 or less and you have at least one county court or High Court judgment, you can also apply for an administration order (form N92), making one payment to the court that covers all your debts.
A council can have up to two council tax orders at once. A DEA can't take your total deductions above 40% of your net pay.
Your employer's role — and will it affect your job?
Your employer has to follow the order: deduct the right amount, pass it on, give you a written statement of each deduction (usually on your payslip), and tell the court or council if you leave. They can be fined or taken to court if they don't comply. They can take £1 for their admin costs each time.
Your employer will know a debt is being collected, and payroll staff will see the order. They should treat this confidentially and you shouldn't be treated unfairly at work because of it. If you're worried about how your employer is treating you, get free advice from Acas or Citizens Advice.
The order itself isn't a separate entry on your credit file, but the CCJ behind a court order is — see how CCJs affect your credit file.
How to avoid an attachment of earnings order
- Respond to court claims within the deadline, and offer affordable instalments if you owe the money. See how long you have to respond.
- Keep to a CCJ's payment terms, or apply to vary them (form N245) before you fall behind.
- Contact the council early about council tax arrears and agree a plan before or soon after a liability order.
- Agree a repayment plan with the DWP for any overpayment so a DEA isn't needed.
- Get advice on your whole situation: a debt management plan can help with non-priority debts, while a Debt Relief Order, IVA or bankruptcy usually stop creditors enforcing included debts, including through new attachment of earnings orders.
In Scotland, the equivalent is an earnings arrestment, which works differently — get advice from a Scottish free debt service.
Deductions leaving you short? Get free advice
A free adviser can check the deductions are right, help you apply to change them and look at all your debts together.
Frequently asked questions
How much can be taken from my wages under an attachment of earnings order?
For a court order after a CCJ, the court sets a normal deduction rate and a protected earnings rate; your employer can't take you below the protected amount. Council tax orders and DWP Direct Earnings Attachments use fixed percentages of net pay set by law. Your employer can also take £1 per deduction for admin.
Can I stop an attachment of earnings order?
It ends when the debt is paid. For a court order, you can apply on form N244 to vary it, or ask for it to be suspended so you pay the creditor directly. For council tax or a DEA, ask the council or DWP to replace it with an affordable payment plan. A free debt adviser can help.
What happens to an attachment of earnings order if I change jobs?
For a court order, you must tell the court in writing within 7 days of leaving or starting a job, with details of your new earnings. The court then redirects the order to your new employer. For council tax, tell the council within 14 days. The debt is still owed in the meantime.
Can I get an attachment of earnings order if I'm self-employed?
No. Attachment of earnings only works on pay from an employer, including some workplace pensions. Creditors can use other enforcement against self-employed people, such as bailiffs or a charging order.
Will my employer find out about my debt?
Yes, your employer receives the order, so payroll staff will know a debt is being collected. They should keep it confidential. You can avoid this by keeping to a CCJ's terms, or by asking the court to suspend an order so you pay the creditor directly.
Can I have two attachment of earnings orders at once?
Yes. Councils can have up to two council tax orders at once, and you can have court orders for different CCJs. You can ask the court to consolidate several court orders into one, or apply for an administration order if your total debts are £5,000 or less and you have at least one judgment.