Change how much you pay

You can apply to get the payments reduced if you cannot afford them. Download and fill in form N244 and send it to the court that issued the court order. You have to do this within 14 days of getting the order. You can also apply if the order has been in place for some time and your circumstances change. Pay off the debt more quickly Speak to the person or company you owe the money to if you want to pay more. They might either: take extra payments directly agree to put the order on hold so you can pay more directly to them The court will tell you if your debt is put on hold.

Check how much you owe

Contact the Centralised Attachment of Earning Payments ( CAPS ) office to check how much you still owe. They can also send you a history of the payments you’ve made. You’ll need to give your case number when you call. CAPS office caps@justice.gov.uk Telephone: 0300 123 1058 Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm Find out about call charges

Report a change in your circumstances

You must report any changes in your circumstances if you’re paying off a debt through your wages. Change your name or address If you need to change your name or address, tell: the Centralised Attachment of Earning Payments ( CAPS ) office the court who issued the court order your creditor CAPS office caps@justice.gov.uk Telephone: 0300 123 1058 Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm Find out about call charges If you change or lose your job Tell the CAPS office your new employer’s details or that you’ve lost your job. Download and fill in form N56 in full, and send it to the court who issued the court order.

When you’ve paid off the debt

The Centralised Attachment of Earning Payments ( CAPS ) office will send you a ‘notice of discharge’ when the debt has been paid off. Your employer and creditor will also get a copy. Your employer will then stop making deductions from your wages. If you think you’ve overpaid Ask the CAPS office to check if you’ve overpaid. You’ll need to give your case number when you call. You’ll get a refund if you’ve overpaid. CAPS office caps@justice.gov.uk Telephone: 0300 123 1058 Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm Find out about call charges

Having debt repayments taken from your wages

When repayments can be taken

You can have debt repayments taken out of your wages if you owe someone money from either:

unpaid maintenance payments
county court judgment (CCJ)

The person you owe money is called a ‘creditor’.

You can also have benefit overpayments taken from your wages by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or your local council.

How you’re told

You and your employer will get a document (called an ‘attachment of earnings order’) from the court. This will tell you:

how much you owe
how much your employer takes from your wages - you can apply to get this changed if you cannot afford it
when and how the payments have to be made

You and your employer can be fined if they do not follow the order. You cannot ask them to ignore it.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Having debt repayments taken from your wages

When repayments can be taken

How you’re told

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Having debt repayments taken from your wages

When repayments can be taken

How you’re told

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