Attachment of earnings for council tax: how much can they take, and can you stop it?
Once your council has a liability order, it can tell your employer to take council tax arrears straight from your wages. The amount is set by law. You cannot appeal it, but you can often get it replaced with something you can afford.
In short
- Your council can make an attachment of earnings order without going back to court, once it has a liability order.
- Your employer takes a set percentage of your take-home pay, from 0% to 17%, and half of anything over £2,020 a month in England.
- Your employer can also take £1 for each deduction. Two orders can run at the same time.
- You cannot appeal the percentage, but your council can cancel the order and accept a lower arrangement instead.
- It costs less than bailiffs: no enforcement fees are added.
What is an attachment of earnings order?
An attachment of earnings order tells your employer to take money from your wages each payday and send it to your council, until your council tax arrears are paid.
For most debts, a creditor has to go to the county court for one. Council tax is different. Once your council has a liability order from the magistrates’ court, it can make an attachment of earnings order itself, without any further hearing. That is why many people get no warning.
How much can they take?
The amount is a percentage of your net pay, meaning your pay after tax, National Insurance and pension contributions. In England, the rates are:
| Net monthly pay | Percentage taken |
|---|---|
| Up to £300 | 0% |
| £300.01 to £550 | 3% |
| £550.01 to £740 | 5% |
| £740.01 to £900 | 7% |
| £900.01 to £1,420 | 12% |
| £1,420.01 to £2,020 | 17% |
| Over £2,020 | 17% of the first £2,020, plus 50% of everything above it |
Weekly pay has its own table with the same percentages. Your employer can also take £1 for each deduction to cover its costs.
Wales has used its own table since April 2022, with higher pay thresholds, so less is usually taken there for the same pay.
Calculator
How much could be taken from your wages?
Uses the attachment of earnings rates for council tax in England. One order only: a second order for another year would take a second amount.
After tax, National Insurance and pension.
Taken each payday, about
£272
- Rate applied17%
- You would keep£1,328
Your employer can also take £1 each time to cover its costs. Wales uses its own table, and deductions there are generally lower for the same pay.
Leaves you short for rent or food? It can often be reduced.
Get free help nowAbove £2,020 a month, half of every extra pound is taken. Someone taking home £2,500 a month would lose £343.40 plus £240, a total of £583.40 a month.
Can there be more than one?
Yes. Your council can have two attachment of earnings orders in place at the same time, for example for two different years of arrears. Together, the deductions can be severe.
Why was there no warning?
Because the council does not need to go back to court. It sends the order to your employer, and a copy to you, but many people only find out from their payslip.
If your council asks you for your employer’s details, you have to give them.
Can you stop an attachment of earnings order?
You cannot appeal the percentage. It is fixed by law. But there are ways to stop or reduce it:
- Ask your council to cancel it and accept an arrangement. If the deductions leave you unable to pay rent or buy food, write to your council, set out your income and essential outgoings, and offer an amount you can afford. The council can cancel the order and accept a special payment arrangement instead.
- Check the order is right. Is it for the right person, the right amount, and based on your correct net pay? Employers sometimes use gross pay by mistake.
- Check the council tax is right. A discount, exemption or Council Tax Reduction you missed can reduce or clear the arrears. See Council Tax Reduction.
- A formal debt solution. A Debt Relief Order, IVA or bankruptcy stops deductions for the arrears it includes.
What if you change jobs?
The order is with your employer, so it stops when you leave. Your council will usually find out and make a new order with your new employer. Leaving a job does not end the debt.
Is it better than bailiffs?
In one important way, yes: no enforcement fees are added. With bailiffs, fees of £79, then £247, and more if goods are taken, are added to the debt. With an attachment of earnings, only the £1 employer charge is added.
If your council is threatening bailiffs and you are working, you can ask for an attachment of earnings instead.
If you are on benefits
If you are not working, your council can ask the Department for Work and Pensions to take a fixed amount from your benefits instead. For Universal Credit, it is 5% of your standard allowance. See liability orders for the details.
Attachment of earnings for other debts
Attachment of earnings orders are also used for court fines, child maintenance and County Court Judgments, under different rules and different rates. This guide is about council tax.
In Scotland, the equivalent is a wage arrestment, collected by sheriff officers under different rules:
Where are you with your council tax?
Choose the one that fits best and an adviser will call you back. Free, confidential, and no obligation.
- I have had a reminder or a final notice A letter from the council, but no court involvement yet
- I have had a court summons A hearing date at the magistrates court
- A liability order has been made The court has granted the council recovery powers
- Enforcement agents have contacted me A letter or a visit from a bailiff firm
- Money is being taken from my wages or benefits An attachment of earnings or a benefit deduction
- I am not sure, or something else
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