If your creditor decides to go ahead with the order you will receive a ‘replying to an attachment of earnings application’ or a ‘N56’ form. This must be completed before the deadline and returned to the court. It is vital that you do not ignore this form. Failing to do so is a criminal offence, as is filling in the form with false information – meaning you could end up going to prison.
Fill in the form with the requested details; your nearest Citizens Advice can provide advice for filling it in. In doing this, you can tick a box indicating that you believe the order should be stopped due to your circumstances.
This is known as a ‘suspended attachment of earnings order’. To make this request you will need to provide your reasons for believing the DEA should be stopped. These may include 1) struggling to make payment of your bills and 2) leading to the loss of your job. Your creditors should be informed by you of any debt advice you are receiving, including your application for a suspended order, as well as your reasons for doing so.
If you find yourself without a job for a significant amount of time, you may need to fill in a form to ask the court to cancel the order. Simply call the courts to find out what you need to do.
Upon your request, the courts may allow a ‘consolidation attachment of earning order’ which would let you pay one monthly payment rather than paying creditors separately. Since your payment then goes through the court, this would end up costing you more.