Section 1: Courts with power to attach earnings.

Attachment of Earnings Act 1971 · 1971 c.32

1(1)

The High Court may make an attachment of earnings order to secure payments under a High Court maintenance order.

1(1A)

The family court may make an attachment of earnings order to secure payments under a High Court or family court maintenance order.

1(2)

The county court may make an attachment of earnings order to secure—

(a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(b) the payment of a judgment debt, other than a debt of less than £5 or such other sum as may be prescribed by rules of court; or

(c) payments under an administration order.

1(3)

A magistrates’ court may make an attachment of earnings order to secure—

(a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(c) the payment of any sum required to be paid under regulations under section 23 or 24 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

1(4)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1(5)

Any power conferred by this Act to make an attachment of earnings order includes a power to make such an order to secure the discharge of liabilities arising before the coming into force of this Act.

About this text

This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.