England and Wales · Civil enforcement
When must a new employer notify the attachment of earnings court?
Section 15(1)(c) requires written notification within seven days of becoming the debtor’s employer or acquiring the specified knowledge, whichever is later.
- Period
- Seven days from the later established employment or knowledge event
- Trigger
- Later of actual employment commencement and acquiring knowledge that the order is in force and which court made it or for which court it was made
- Rule
- Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(c)
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 a new employer notify the attachment of earnings court?
Section 15(1)(c) requires written notification within seven days of becoming the debtor’s employer or acquiring the specified knowledge, whichever is later.
Responsible actor. The person who becomes the debtor’s employer and has the required order-and-court knowledge.
Later of actual employment commencement and acquiring knowledge that the order is in force and which court made it or for which court it was made.
Two facts are mandatory. Establish when the person became the employer and when they knew both that the attachment order was in force and the relevant court. Receipt of unrelated payroll information is not necessarily the required knowledge.
Two facts are mandatory. Establish when the person became the employer and when they knew both that the attachment order was in force and the relevant court. Receipt of unrelated payroll information is not necessarily the required knowledge.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(c)How does this provision count time?
- Compare the two actual event dates before counting seven days. A model supplied only one date cannot establish the statutory later-of anchor. The ordinary endpoint includes the seventh following calendar date.
- The statutory text does not create a general next-open-court-day extension. A materially closed endpoint needs separately supported completion facts rather than a borrowed CPR rollover.
Compare the two actual event dates before counting seven days. A model supplied only one date cannot establish the statutory later-of anchor. The ordinary endpoint includes the seventh following calendar date.
The statutory text does not create a general next-open-court-day extension. A materially closed endpoint needs separately supported completion facts rather than a borrowed CPR rollover.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(c)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
The person who becomes the debtor’s employer and has the required order-and-court knowledge. 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. Debtor employment started. Friday, October 9, 2026. Employer acquired required order-and-court knowledge. Friday, October 9, 2026. 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 person who becomes the debtor’s employer and has the required order-and-court knowledge. 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. Debtor employment started. Friday, October 9, 2026. Employer acquired required order-and-court knowledge. Friday, October 9, 2026. 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 person who becomes the debtor’s employer and has the required order-and-court knowledge. 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. Debtor employment started. Monday, December 21, 2026. Employer acquired required order-and-court knowledge. Monday, December 21, 2026. 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 person who becomes the debtor’s employer and has the required order-and-court knowledge. Employment began on October 9, but the employer acquired the required order-and-court knowledge on October 14. The later established event is October 14. Seven following dates end October 21. Additional fictitious established facts. Debtor employment started. Friday, October 9, 2026. Employer acquired required order-and-court knowledge. Wednesday, October 14, 2026. 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. Employment began on October 9, but the employer acquired the required order-and-court knowledge on October 14. The later established event is October 14. Seven following dates end October 21. | Wednesday, October 21, 2026 |
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
- Two facts are mandatory. Establish when the person became the employer and when they knew both that the attachment order was in force and the relevant court. Receipt of unrelated payroll information is not necessarily the required knowledge.
- Provision-specific counting and closure
- Compare the two actual event dates before counting seven days. A model supplied only one date cannot establish the statutory later-of anchor. The ordinary endpoint includes the seventh following calendar date. The statutory text does not create a general next-open-court-day extension. A materially closed endpoint needs separately supported completion facts rather than a borrowed CPR rollover.
- Required completion and separate procedural route
- The written notification must say that the person is the debtor’s employer and include a statement of earnings and anticipated earnings. Knowledge that an order once existed is insufficient if its current force or court remains unknown.
- Two facts are mandatory. Establish when the person became the employer and when they knew both that the attachment order was in force and the relevant court. Receipt of unrelated payroll information is not necessarily the required knowledge.
- This is the new employer’s duty. The debtor has a separate seven-day duty for every employment change under paragraph (a). Neither notification discharges the other actor’s obligation.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
When must a new employer notify the attachment of earnings court?
Does employment commencement always start the employer’s seven days?
No. Paragraph (c) uses the later of becoming the employer and acquiring the required knowledge. Both events must be established.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(c)What knowledge does the employer need before the second event is complete?
The employer must know that the order is in force and by which court it was made, or for which court where a fines officer made it.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(c)What if the employer knows the order details before employment begins?
Employment commencement is then the later event, assuming the specified knowledge remains established. The period does not expire before the person becomes the debtor’s employer.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(c)What must the employer include in the written notification?
The notification must state that the person is the debtor’s employer and include earnings and anticipated earnings. A bare acknowledgement of the order omits the stated content.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(c)Does the debtor’s notification remove the employer’s duty?
The statute separately assigns the debtor’s paragraph (a) duty and employer’s paragraph (c) duty. Establish each actor’s notification.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(a)–(c)Can the later event be inferred from the date an order was made?
No. Making the order does not establish when this employer acquired the required knowledge. Retain actual employment and knowledge evidence.
Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(c)Official sources and review
Provisions used (2)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, s 15(1)(c) | 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 |