An attachment of earnings order (AEO) is a court instruction telling your employer to take money straight from your pay to clear a debt, such as unpaid fines, council tax or a county court judgment. It comes from the Attachment of Earnings Act 1971. A deduction from earnings order (DEO) does the same for child maintenance but is set by the Child Maintenance Service under section 31 of the Child Support Act 1991, not by a court.
AEO or DEO: what is the difference?
| Feature | AEO | DEO |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets it | A court | Child Maintenance Service |
| Typical debt | Fines, council tax, judgment debts | Child maintenance arrears or ongoing payments |
| Governing law | Attachment of Earnings Act 1971 | Child Support Act 1991 |
How much can be taken, and what is protected?
Your employer must leave you a minimum, called protected earnings. For a child-maintenance DEO you must keep at least 60% of your net earnings each pay period, and any shortfall rolls to the next payday. For a court AEO the protected rate is stated in the order itself. Your employer may also take £1 from your pay as an admin charge each time a deduction is made.
Why has this appeared on my payslip?
An earnings order shows as a separate deduction after tax and National Insurance, so it comes out of your net pay, not your gross. Your employer is legally required to act on it once served and to show it as an itemised line, which is part of what a payslip must show by law. You should also have had notice from the court or the Child Maintenance Service before the first deduction.
What if I think the order is wrong?
Raise it with the body that issued the order, the court or the Child Maintenance Service, not your employer. Your employer cannot change or pause a valid order on your say-so and risks a penalty if it ignores one. Acting quickly matters because the deduction continues, and any amount you dispute keeps coming out until the issuing body amends or cancels the order.
Primary sources
- Make a deduction from an employee’s pay: attachment of earnings — gov.uk — Employer duties, protected earnings and the £1 admin charge
- Attachment of Earnings Act 1971 — legislation.gov.uk — The court power behind an AEO
- Child Support Act 1991, section 31 — legislation.gov.uk — The power to make a deduction from earnings order
- Child maintenance: how to make deductions (employer guide) — gov.uk — The 60% protected-earnings rule for a DEO
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