{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/public-authorities-fraud-error-and-recovery-act-2025/section-20",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/public-authorities-fraud-error-and-recovery-act-2025/section-20.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2025/28",
  "legislation_title": "Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/public-authorities-fraud-error-and-recovery-act-2025",
  "path": "section/20",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "20",
  "heading": "Joint accounts",
  "text": "(1) Before making a direct deduction order in respect of a joint account, the Minister must make an assessment of the liable person’s beneficial interest in the amounts which are or may be in the account from time to time.\n(2) The Minister must presume that the liable person’s beneficial interest entitles them to the following share in the amounts which are or may be in the account from time to time—\n1 N where “N” is the number of account holders.\n(3) But the presumption does not apply where the Minister has reason to believe that the liable person’s beneficial interest is different from the presumed share.\n(4) In making an assessment under subsection (1), the Minister must have regard to—\n(a) the bank statements obtained for the account under section 19, and\n(b) any responses to a notice under section 21.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 20 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 109(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I2",
      "text": "S. 20 in force at 1.4.2026 by S.I. 2026/371, reg. 2(a)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/28/section/20",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-31T10:27:04.329230+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."
}