Oct 2021
8
Easily Manage Attachment of Earnings Orders with BrightPay
What is an attachment of earnings order?
As an employer, you can be directed to deduct money from an employee’s pay. You will receive a formal notice, referred to as an attachment of earnings order, typically from a court, but can also be from the DWP Debt Management or from the Child Maintenance Group.
The order instructs an employer to divert money directly from an employee’s wages to pay back an outstanding debt. The order is issued because it is believed that the employee has failed or is likely to fail to pay the sums through other means. The money is sent to the court that made the order which is then forwarded to the employee’s creditor. Attachments can be issued for a number of reasons including unpaid fines and child support.
Deduct an attachment of earnings order using BrightPay
BrightPay Payroll has the facility to process a variety of attachment of earnings orders. This includes:
- Council Tax Attachment of Earnings Order
- Civil Judgment Debt Attachment of Earnings Order
- Child Support Deductions from Earnings Order
- View BrightPay’s full list of attachment of earning orders here
Fast and easy deductions:
BrightPay payroll software allows customers to easily add attachment of earnings to an employee’s payslip. In the employee’s profile, under ‘Additions and Deductions’, the user can choose from the different attachment orders available. Once selected, the description and relevant dates are added along with the amounts and status.
An AEO can either be a priority order or a non-priority order, which impacts the way deductions are calculated. If an employee has more than one order, priority orders will need to be deducted first. In BrightPay, tick the ‘priority’ box if the order is a priority order. The priority orders will be deducted in the order the employee received them.
Once it is set-up, BrightPay will continue to apply the Attachment Order on the employee’s payslip from the relevant period. To see how to apply an Attachment of Earnings Order click here.
What happens if you don’t comply?
Although attachment of earnings can be issued by different authorities, these authorities have the power to impose a fine. An employer that does not comply may be liable to a fine in the magistrate’s court, in the county court, or in the High Court. The employer must also notify the authority when the employee is no longer in its employment, or risk paying a fine.
Find out more about BrightPay Payroll:
BrightPay Payroll makes processing payroll quick and easy. Its comprehensive functionality, covering AEOs to auto-enrolment and CIS, provides a complete solution to your payroll needs. To learn more about BrightPay’s features and how they can benefit your business, book a free demo today.
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