England and Wales · Civil enforcement
When must the debtor report leaving or starting employment?
While an attachment of earnings order is in force, section 15(1)(a) requires the debtor to notify the court in writing within seven days of each departure, employment or re-employment event.
- Period
- Not later than seven days from each employment event
- Trigger
- Actual leaving, becoming employed or becoming re-employed event
- Rule
- Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(a)–(b), (2)
Official Justice UK CPR text and legislation.gov.uk statutory XML retained on October 9, 2026. The retained source metadata and acquisition receipts identify each edition. No claim of later amendments or actual local court opening is made.
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When must the debtor report leaving or starting employment?
While an attachment of earnings order is in force, section 15(1)(a) requires the debtor to notify the court in writing within seven days of each departure, employment or re-employment event.
Responsible actor. The debtor subject to an attachment of earnings order in force.
Actual leaving, becoming employed or becoming re-employed event.
Each qualifying employment change has its own event and notification. Check that the attachment order remains in force and identify the correct court, including the fines-officer clarification in subsection (2).
Each qualifying employment change has its own event and notification. Check that the attachment order remains in force and identify the correct court, including the fines-officer clarification in subsection (2).
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(a)–(b), (2)How does this provision count time?
- The statutory period is seven days from the actual employment event. Preserve separate dates for multiple changes. An ordinary seven-day calculation excludes the event date and includes the seventh following date.
- This duty is statutory rather than a period specified by the CPR. The source does not itself state a court-office next-open-day extension. An unresolved closed final day must not be silently extended.
The statutory period is seven days from the actual employment event. Preserve separate dates for multiple changes. An ordinary seven-day calculation excludes the event date and includes the seventh following date.
This duty is statutory rather than a period specified by the CPR. The source does not itself state a court-office next-open-day extension. An unresolved closed final day must not be silently extended.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(a)–(b), (2)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
The debtor subject to an attachment of earnings order in force. The complete operative event occurred on Friday, October 9, 2026. Exclude that day and include the 7th following calendar date, Friday, October 16, 2026. The required act and any notice recipient are established. Additional fictitious established facts. Fictitious individually specified facts. The listed context makes the actual branch, actors, event history and completion facts explicit. Additional dates below are stated hypothetical facts rather than inferred client records.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | The debtor subject to an attachment of earnings order in force. The complete operative event occurred on Friday, October 9, 2026. Exclude that day and include the 7th following calendar date, Friday, October 16, 2026. The required act and any notice recipient are established. Additional fictitious established facts. Fictitious individually specified facts. The listed context makes the actual branch, actors, event history and completion facts explicit. Additional dates below are stated hypothetical facts rather than inferred client records. The complete operative event occurred on Friday, October 9, 2026. Exclude that day and include the 7th following calendar date, Friday, October 16, 2026. The required act and any notice recipient are established. | Friday, October 16, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | The debtor subject to an attachment of earnings order in force. The ordinary arithmetic reaches Monday, December 28, 2026. The required service, mixed-recipient or statutory act cannot receive an assumed universal CPR court-office carry. Additional fictitious established facts. Fictitious individually specified facts. The listed context makes the actual branch, actors, event history and completion facts explicit. Additional dates below are stated hypothetical facts rather than inferred client records. The ordinary arithmetic reaches Monday, December 28, 2026. The required service, mixed-recipient or statutory act cannot receive an assumed universal CPR court-office carry. | Resolve actual completion and final-day closure before calculating. |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | The debtor subject to an attachment of earnings order in force. The attachment order had already ceased to be in force when employment changed. Establish an attachment order in force for the section 15 duty. Additional fictitious established facts. Fictitious individually specified facts. The listed context makes the actual branch, actors, event history and completion facts explicit. Additional dates below are stated hypothetical facts rather than inferred client records. The attachment order had already ceased to be in force when employment changed. Establish an attachment order in force for the section 15 duty. | Establish an attachment order in force for the section 15 duty. |
Fictitious established facts. These examples do not establish eligibility, effective service, relief or a direction.
Try these dates in the calculatorWhich conditions and exceptions apply?
- Identified actor and operative event
- Each qualifying employment change has its own event and notification. Check that the attachment order remains in force and identify the correct court, including the fines-officer clarification in subsection (2).
- Provision-specific counting and closure
- The statutory period is seven days from the actual employment event. Preserve separate dates for multiple changes. An ordinary seven-day calculation excludes the event date and includes the seventh following date. This duty is statutory rather than a period specified by the CPR. The source does not itself state a court-office next-open-day extension. An unresolved closed final day must not be silently extended.
- Required completion and separate procedural route
- When becoming employed or re-employed, the debtor must include earnings and anticipated earnings under paragraph (b). Reporting only that a new job exists does not establish that complete notification.
- Each qualifying employment change has its own event and notification. Check that the attachment order remains in force and identify the correct court, including the fines-officer clarification in subsection (2).
- The employer’s notification uses the later of becoming the employer and acquiring the specified knowledge. The debtor cannot borrow that later-knowledge anchor for their own section 15(1)(a) duty.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
When must the debtor report leaving or starting employment?
Must the debtor report leaving a job as well as starting one?
Yes. Paragraph (a) covers every occasion of leaving employment, becoming employed or being re-employed while the order is in force.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(a)Does the debtor’s period wait until the new employer learns of the order?
No. The debtor’s event is their own employment change. The later-knowledge rule belongs to the employer’s separate paragraph (c) duty.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(a), (c)Is a telephone notification enough under section 15(1)(a)?
The provision expressly requires notification to the court in writing. Retain the actual written notification and its completion facts.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(a)What additional information accompanies notice of a new job?
The debtor must include particulars of earnings and anticipated earnings from the relevant employment when becoming employed or re-employed.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(b)Can several employment changes be treated as one later event?
No. Paragraph (a) refers to every occasion and a seven-day period in each case. Preserve each event rather than replacing earlier duties with the latest job.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(a)Which court receives notice where a fines officer made the order?
Subsection (2) says the paragraph (1)(a) reference means the court for which that order was made. Identify that court from the actual order.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(2)Official sources and review
Provisions used (5)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(a)–(b), (2) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(a) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(a), (c) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(b) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(2) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |