Council Tax - Attachment of Earnings

May

Can anyone advise as to what i should do?
I recieved a letter from the COuncil in March stating the amount that was still owing. This was due to my partner being out of work last year, claiming council tax benefit and being denied of it.

SO i paid the amount and was told by the council that there would be no further action. To my embarrassment, last week my boss called me into his office to advise that the council had got in touch with a court summons and ordering my employer to deduct so much from my wages each month the pay the outstanding amount - WHICH I HAD PAID!

So, even though i have proof of payment from my bank statements, this is on my work record and could go against any future promotions.

SO what should i do about this so called court summons (of which the council did not notify me of) and the attachment of earnings order?

Do i approach the council to find out what's going on or do i need to contact the Courts?

Savvy_Sue

I think start with the Council, but maybe go to CAB or Shelter first - and quickly!

I presume your employer is intending to implement the payments? I think it is worth them phoning the council as well, because although it is a court order they may be able to persuade the council that you're not going anywhere, and that paying what is requested would cause you unreasonable difficulty, and negotiate a lower payment schedule.

I know we did this for one of my colleagues, although in that case she did actually owe the money!

The good news is that the court will repay you once the matter is settled ...

vicki98_2

Hi there,

we owed a substantial amount of council tax last year. they passed this through the courts and got an attachment of earnings (for a ridiculous amount) which was to come out of my OH's wages. Luckily, his employers loaned him the outstanding amount so we could pay off the arrears (it was about £400).
Once this was paid we thought that would be the end of it however because this happened at the start of the financial year (2005) we had lost our right to pay CT in instalments for the following 12 months, so another attachment of earnings was passed for the CT amount for the whole of the year.

This may have happened in your case with this happening to you at the same time as the new CT bills are issued. I hope it hasn't and I'm barking up the wrong tree but check all your documents & ring the council to check what it is that they are asking for. It may be that their records aren't yet showing your payment - or that they haven't bothered to check - as I can't understand how they can demand payment for whats already been paid. Like I said, when it happened to us and we paid the arrears in full AFTER the attachement of earnings & that would have been the end of the matter had the whole thing not clashed with the new tax year

Angel_Advisor

Sorry to sound glum but the Council will have written to you on several occasions before it gets to Attachment of Earnings stage. At every point along the way you can make a payment arrangement. Did you tell them your partner was out of work? You may have been able to get some help via benefits. Have you paid anything or made any arrangements with them? If you have a history of non payment or broken arrangements, attachment is usually a last option.
Once the notification of Attachment of Earnings goes to your Employer, he is bound by law, to enforce it, otherwise he can be fined. Sometimes, you or your employer can ask the Council to have the Attachment returned to them and an arrangement can be made but this is only done in extreme circumstances. Get some advice from CAB or speak directly to the Council. Alternatively, write to them with a breakdown of your financial incomings & outgoings (a financial statement). The council can issue with one of their own Financial Statements. If by deducting money from your salary puts you in extreme circumstances, they can be lenient and accept an arrangement.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!! Let us know how you get on.