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Form FE17 UK: Reply to Attachment of Earnings

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Written by Brad Askew Solicitor (non-practising)
Brad is on the roll of solicitors of England & Wales but does not hold a practising certificate and does not provide legal advice.
Updated June 2026 · England & Wales
If you have received an attachment of earnings application through the Family Court, Form FE17 is how you reply. It is the document the court uses to gather a full picture of your finances before deciding whether to order your employer to deduct money from your wages and pay it to the person you owe. Completing it properly matters. The figures you provide shape any deduction the court may impose, and a thin or inaccurate reply can lead to a larger deduction than your household can realistically afford. This guide walks through what the form asks for, how each section fits together, and the practical points worth thinking about before you send it back. It is written for people dealing with family-related debts such as maintenance arrears, but the structure applies more broadly to attachment of earnings replies in the Family Court.

What this document is

Form FE17 is the official reply form used in the Family Court when a creditor has applied for an attachment of earnings order against you. An attachment of earnings order is a method of enforcement: the court directs your employer to take a set amount from your pay each payday and send it to the person or body you owe.

In the Family Court, the money owed is typically linked to maintenance, child support arrears, or other family finance orders, though similar mechanisms are used elsewhere for rent arrears, council tax, utility debts, and benefit overpayments. The form itself runs to eleven numbered sections.

It asks for your personal and family circumstances, your job and employer, your bank position, everything coming in, everything going out, any priority arrears, other court orders against you, and finally the monthly payment you are offering. The court uses this information to work out what you can genuinely afford before setting the deduction rate.

How to use this document

  1. Gather your paperwork before you start. Pull together recent payslips, bank statements, your tenancy or mortgage statement, council tax bill, utility bills, and any letters about debts or arrears. Having these to hand means the figures you enter on FE17 reflect reality rather than estimates, which is important because the court will rely on what you write.
  2. Fill in your personal and household details accurately. Boxes 1 and 2 cover you, your marital status, your address, and anyone who depends on you financially. Include children, a partner, or relatives you support. Leaving dependants off this section understates your outgoings and can lead to a deduction that squeezes your household harder than necessary.
  3. Set out your employment and income clearly. Box 3 asks about your job, employer, and any secondary work. Box 5 covers all money coming in: wages, tax credits, Universal Credit, pensions, maintenance received, and help from family. Be thorough. If income varies, use a realistic average rather than a best or worst month, and keep a note of how you calculated it.
  4. List every outgoing, including priority debts. Box 6 covers regular expenses like rent or mortgage, council tax, energy, water, phone, food, travel, and children's costs. Box 7 is specifically for arrears on priority items such as rent, council tax, or fuel. Box 8 covers other court orders. Missing items here can make your offer look unrealistic and may be challenged.
  5. Make a payment offer you can actually sustain. The final section asks what you propose to pay. Base this on income minus outgoings, and only offer what you can genuinely keep up with month after month. An offer that collapses within weeks causes more problems than a modest but realistic figure the court and creditor can rely on.

Common questions

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Common questions

Q What happens if I ignore Form FE17?
Failing to reply can lead to the court making an attachment of earnings order based only on the information the creditor has provided, which may not reflect your real circumstances. You could end up with a deduction rate that is harder to live with than one set after full disclosure. The court can also take further steps if you do not engage, so it is almost always better to complete and return the form within the time stated on the paperwork.
Q Will my employer find out about the debt?
Yes. If the court makes an attachment of earnings order, it is sent to your employer, who is legally required to make the deductions from your pay and forward them. Your employer will therefore know that a court-ordered deduction is in place, though they do not normally receive a detailed breakdown of the debt itself. This is one reason many people try to agree a payment arrangement directly with the creditor before the matter reaches this stage.
Q How is the deduction amount decided?
The court looks at the figures you provide on FE17, including income, outgoings, dependants, and existing debts, and works out what it considers a reasonable amount you can part with each pay period while still meeting essential costs. This is sometimes called the protected earnings rate. The fuller and more accurate your reply, the more likely the deduction will reflect what your household can actually manage.
Q Can I offer to pay by instalments instead?
Yes. Box 11 of the form invites you to propose a monthly payment. If you would rather pay voluntarily than have deductions taken at source, put forward a figure you can sustain long term and explain your reasoning in the accompanying boxes. The court and the creditor are not bound to accept, but a credible, affordable offer backed by honest figures stands a much better chance than silence or an unrealistically low proposal.
Q What counts as a priority debt on FE17?
Priority debts are the ones that carry the most serious consequences if left unpaid, such as rent, mortgage, council tax, water charges, gas, and electricity. These are listed separately in Box 7 because falling behind on them can lead to eviction, disconnection, or enforcement action in their own right. Flagging them helps the court understand the pressures on your budget when it decides what deduction is realistic.
Q Do I need a solicitor to complete this form?
Not necessarily. FE17 is designed to be completed by the person named in the application, and the questions are written in plain language. That said, if the debt is large, disputed, or bound up with a wider family dispute, some people find it useful to talk through their position with someone who understands how the court approaches these replies before sending the form off.
Q Can the figures I enter be checked?
Yes. You are expected to give truthful information, and supporting documents such as payslips or bills may be requested. Knowingly providing false figures on a court form is a serious matter and can have consequences beyond the immediate application. It is always better to disclose your real position, including anything awkward, than to try to shape the numbers to produce a particular outcome.
If you're dealing with this kind of situation, speak to an experienced legal adviser who can walk you through it — from £89.

Sources

This guide is based on primary UK law and official guidance.

Brad Askew, Solicitor (non-practising)

Written & reviewed by

Brad Askew Solicitor (non-practising)

Brad is on the roll of solicitors of England & Wales but does not hold a practising certificate and does not provide legal advice. LegalDocuments.co.uk is not a law firm and does not provide regulated legal advice.

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Legal disclaimer
This article is for general information only. It is a tool to help you find your way — not legal advice, and not a substitute for speaking to a qualified adviser about your situation.