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Section 19: Procedure on applications.

Attachment of Earnings Act 1971 · 1971 c. 32View on legislation.gov.uk

Subject to rules of court made by virtue of the following subsection, an application to a magistrates’ court for an attachment of earnings order, or an order discharging or varying an attachment of earnings order, shall be made by complaint.

Rules of court may make provision excluding subsection (1) in the case of such an application as is referred to in section 9(3)(b) of this Act.

An application to a magistrates’ court for a determination under section 16 of this Act shall be made by complaint.

For the purposes of section 51 of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980(which provides for the issue of a summons directed to the person against whom an order may be made in pursuance of a complaint)—

the power to make an order in pursuance of a complaint by the debtor for an attachment of earnings order, or the discharge or variation of such an order, shall be deemed to be a power to make an order against the person to whom payment under the relevant adjudication is required to be made (whether directly or through an officer of any court); and
the power to make an attachment of earnings order, or an order discharging or varying an attachment of earnings order, in pursuance of a complaint by any other person (including a complaint in proceedings to which section 3(4)(b) of this Act applies) shall be deemed to be a power to make an order against the debtor.

A complaint for an attachment of earnings order may be heard notwithstanding that it was not made within the six months allowed by section 127(1) of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980.

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This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

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