Examples of Direct Earnings Attachment in practice
Example 1 - A weekly paid earner with no prior attachment orders
A person with net earnings of £385.00 per week will have a deduction of £57.75 per week (in accordance with the deduction rates table at 15%)
Example 2 - A weekly paid earner with an existing attachment order for child maintenance
A person with net earnings of £250 per week with an existing attachment order of £60 per week for child maintenance will have a deduction of £17.50 (in accordance with the deduction table at 7%)
Example 3 - A monthly paid earner with existing priority attachment orders
A person with net earnings of £1620.00 per month should have a DEA deduction of £243.00 (in accordance with the deduction table at 15%). However, this deduction in addition to the existing deductions of say £486.00 would breach the protected earnings limit of 60%. The maximum deduction we can make in this instance would be £162.00
Calculation
Earnings x 40% = £648.00 (maximum amount for total deductions). Existing priority attachment order(s) in place = £486.00
DEA deduction is £243.00
£648.00 – £486.00 = £162.00 (maximum amount available for the DEA deduction)
Therefore, although the deduction rates table states that a deduction of £243.00 should be taken, the protected earnings limit means that the amount will be restricted to £162.00