England and Wales · Civil enforcement
When must the debtor file the N56 attachment of earnings reply?
Under CPR 89.5(3), the debtor must file a completed N56 reply within eight days after service of the application notice and reply form.
- Period
- Eight days after service to file the completed N56
- Trigger
- Effective service of both the application notice and Form N56
- Rule
- CPR 89.5(1)–(6)
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 file the N56 attachment of earnings reply?
Under CPR 89.5(3), the debtor must file a completed N56 reply within eight days after service of the application notice and reply form.
Responsible actor. The debtor served with the attachment of earnings application and Form N56.
Effective service of both the application notice and Form N56.
The court serves the application notice and reply form. Establish service of the complete paragraph (1) documents before starting this filing period. An employer’s separate earnings-information notice does not start the debtor’s N56 clock.
The court serves the application notice and reply form. Establish service of the complete paragraph (1) documents before starting this filing period. An employer’s separate earnings-information notice does not start the debtor’s N56 clock.
CPR 89.5(1)–(6)How does this provision count time?
- Exclude the complete-service day and count eight calendar days. This within-period includes its final day. CPR 2.8(4) does not omit weekends inside an eight-day period.
- Filing is an act at the court office. Where the specified final day falls on an actual court-office closure, CPR 2.8(5) permits the act on the next day the court office is open. Establish that opening rather than assuming a national calendar proves it.
Exclude the complete-service day and count eight calendar days. This within-period includes its final day. CPR 2.8(4) does not omit weekends inside an eight-day period.
Filing is an act at the court office. Where the specified final day falls on an actual court-office closure, CPR 2.8(5) permits the act on the next day the court office is open. Establish that opening rather than assuming a national calendar proves it.
CPR 89.5(1)–(6)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
The debtor served with the attachment of earnings application and Form N56. The complete operative event occurred on Thursday, October 8, 2026. Exclude that day and include the 8th following calendar date, Friday, October 16, 2026. The required act and any notice recipient are established. Additional fictitious established facts. Actual completion office. Fictitious established civil court office. 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 served with the attachment of earnings application and Form N56. The complete operative event occurred on Thursday, October 8, 2026. Exclude that day and include the 8th following calendar date, Friday, October 16, 2026. The required act and any notice recipient are established. Additional fictitious established facts. Actual completion office. Fictitious established civil court office. 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 Thursday, October 8, 2026. Exclude that day and include the 8th 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 served with the attachment of earnings application and Form N56. The ordinary endpoint is Saturday, December 26, 2026. The fictitious established court office is closed on that endpoint and next opens December 29. For this court-office completion, CPR 2.8(5) permits December 29. Additional fictitious established facts. Actual completion office. Fictitious established civil court office. 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 endpoint is Saturday, December 26, 2026. The fictitious established court office is closed on that endpoint and next opens December 29. For this court-office completion, CPR 2.8(5) permits December 29. | Tuesday, December 29, 2026 |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | The debtor served with the attachment of earnings application and Form N56. The application notice was served but the N56 reply form was not supplied. Establish service of the complete rule 89.5(1) documents. Additional fictitious established facts. Actual completion office. Fictitious established civil court office. 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 application notice was served but the N56 reply form was not supplied. Establish service of the complete rule 89.5(1) documents. | Establish service of the complete rule 89.5(1) documents. |
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
- The court serves the application notice and reply form. Establish service of the complete paragraph (1) documents before starting this filing period. An employer’s separate earnings-information notice does not start the debtor’s N56 clock.
- Provision-specific counting and closure
- Exclude the complete-service day and count eight calendar days. This within-period includes its final day. CPR 2.8(4) does not omit weekends inside an eight-day period. Filing is an act at the court office. Where the specified final day falls on an actual court-office closure, CPR 2.8(5) permits the act on the next day the court office is open. Establish that opening rather than assuming a national calendar proves it.
- Required completion and separate procedural route
- The offence restriction in rule 89.5(5) has its own knowledge, service and unpaid-debt conditions. Missing the filing date does not by itself prove every condition for a prosecution or imprisonment.
- The court serves the application notice and reply form. Establish service of the complete paragraph (1) documents before starting this filing period. An employer’s separate earnings-information notice does not start the debtor’s N56 clock.
- CPR 89.6 permits an employer’s earnings statement within the period specified in that notice. It does not replace the debtor’s eight-day reply under rule 89.5.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
When must the debtor file the N56 attachment of earnings reply?
Does receiving only the application notice start the N56 reply period?
Rule 89.5(3) refers to service of the documents listed in paragraph (1), which includes the application notice and Form N56. Establish the complete service event.
CPR 89.5(1)–(3)Should the debtor send the completed N56 only to the creditor?
The debtor must file the completed reply form. The court officer then sends a copy to the creditor. Direct delivery only to the creditor is not the stated filing act.
CPR 89.5(3)–(4)Are weekends excluded from the eight-day reply count?
No short-period exclusion applies merely because the reply concerns earnings. CPR 2.8(4) applies to periods of five days or less. Actual final-day court closure is a separate test.
CPR 89.5(3); 2.8(4)–(5)Does the employer also have an automatic eight-day statement period?
No. Rule 89.6(2)(d) requires the employer’s statement within the period specified in the court notice. The eight-day N56 period belongs to the debtor.
CPR 89.5(3); 89.6(2)(d)Does a missed N56 deadline automatically permit offence proceedings?
Rule 89.5(5) restricts proceedings under the specified offences. It requires the stated personal-service or sufficient-knowledge condition and the unpaid-debt condition.
CPR 89.5(5)What must the creditor do if the remaining judgment money is paid?
The creditor must inform the court officer. That notification requirement is separate from completing the debtor’s reply form.
CPR 89.5(6)Official sources and review
Provisions used (12)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| CPR 89.5(1)–(6) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| CPR 2.8(2)–(5) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| CPR 6.26 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| CPR 89.5(1)–(3) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| CPR 89.5(3)–(4) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| CPR 89.5(3) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| CPR 2.8(4)–(5) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| CPR 89.6(2)(d) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| CPR 89.5(5) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| CPR 89.5(6) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| CPR 89.5(3); 2.8(4)–(5) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| CPR 89.5(3); 89.6(2)(d) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |