{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/attachment-of-earnings-act-1971/section-1",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/attachment-of-earnings-act-1971/section-1.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1971/32",
  "legislation_title": "Attachment of Earnings Act 1971",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/attachment-of-earnings-act-1971",
  "path": "section/1",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "1",
  "heading": "Courts with power to attach earnings.",
  "text": "(1) The High Court may make an attachment of earnings order to secure payments under a High Court maintenance order.\n(1A) The family court may make an attachment of earnings order to secure payments under a High Court or family court maintenance order.\n(2) The county court may make an attachment of earnings order to secure—\n(a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(b) the payment of a judgment debt, other than a debt of less than £5 or such other sum as may be prescribed by rules of court; or\n(c) payments under an administration order.\n(3) A magistrates’ court may make an attachment of earnings order to secure—\n(a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(c) the payment of any sum required to be paid under regulations under section 23 or 24 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.\n(4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(5) Any power conferred by this Act to make an attachment of earnings order includes a power to make such an order to secure the discharge of liabilities arising before the coming into force of this Act.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 1(1A) inserted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 10 para. 21(2); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(d) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 1(2) substituted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 25(2)(a); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "S. 1(2)(a) omitted (22.4.2014) by virtue of Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 10 para. 21(3); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(d) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in s. 1(2)(b) substituted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 25(2)(b); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "S. 1(3)(a) omitted (22.4.2014) by virtue of Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 10 para. 21(4); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(d) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "S. 1(3)(b) omitted (3.7.2006) by virtue of The Collection of Fines (Final Scheme) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/1737), art. 35(a)(ii)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Words in s. 1(3)(c) substituted (1.4.2013) by Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10), s. 151(1), Sch. 5 para. 6; S.I. 2013/453, art. 3(h) (with S.I. 2013/534, art. 6)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "S. 1(4) omitted (3.7.2006) by virtue of The Collection of Fines (Final Scheme) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/1737), art. 35(b)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/32/section/1",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:50:08.042823+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}