Discovering a DEA table on your payslip can be worrying, but you should be given sufficient notice of a direct earnings attachment on your wages. If you have a DEA, this guide is designed to help you understand what it means so you can work out how much money will be deducted and prepare financially.
What is a direct earnings attachment (DEA)?
A direct earnings attachment (DEA) is a method used by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and some local authorities to recover benefits arrears and tax credits overpayments from a debtor's wages.
DWP debt can happen for many reasons. For example, the DWP may have failed to update a change you reported on time, you waited too long to report a change, or the wrong details were added to your original application.
A DEA is one of the many ways money can be taken from a person's wages to repay a debt. Other ways include an attachment of earnings order (often used after a CCJ payment is missed) and a deductions from earnings order (typically used for child maintenance debts).
However, unlike an attachment of earnings order, you don't need a court order for a direct earnings attachment. Instead, your employer is simply instructed by the DWP to make deductions.
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Check my eligibilityWhat is a DEA table on payslip?
A DEA table on your payslip is a summary of a direct earnings attachment that has been issued against you by the DWP or your local council. It essentially means that the DWP is already in place and a deduction has been made from your latest payslip.
The DEA table will likely include a note explaining the charges and whether a standard or higher rate has been applied. It may also state how much each deduction will be and whether any administrative costs have also been taken.
You should receive a letter before any money is taken to inform you that DEA deductions will soon be taking place. This should also give you time to make any necessary adjustments to your budget.
What counts as earnings for a DEA?
If you have several different sources of income, it can be difficult to know which are classed as earnings and which are excluded for a DEA. The following types of income can be deducted for a DEA:
- Your normal wages or salary
- Salary compensation payments
- Performance-based payments (e.g. bonuses or commission)
- Overtime pay
- Payments in lieu of notice
- Workplace pensions
The following income types are not subject to DEA deductions:
- Guaranteed minimum pension
- Benefits, allowances, or tax credit paid by the DWP, HMRC, or a local authority
- Regular pay and allowances received as a member of HM Special Forces
- Earnings from a trust or business ownership
- Child maintenance payments
- Student loan repayments
- Statutory maternity or paternity pay
- Statutory adoption pay
If you're self-employed, a DEA cannot be applied as an employer is required to make deductions from your wages. If you’re in debt to DWP but you're self-employed, they will usually use a different recovery method to collect the debt, such as changing your tax code to increase how much tax you pay.
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How does the DEA process work?
There is a set process the DWP must follow when they issue you with a DEA. We've outlined the steps below:
Receive notification of the DEA
The DWP will send your employer a letter to notify them of their decision to issue you a DEA. It must be set up for the first deduction that falls on or after 22 days from the date they were informed.
Your payroll department should inform you by writing on or before your next payday or, if that's not possible, no later than the following payday.
Work out deductions
Your payroll department will then work out how much money to deduct.
To do this, they will calculate your earnings after income tax, national insurance and workplace pension contributions. Once they have a figure, they will apply a percentage-based deduction based on your take-home pay.
Check for other deductions or orders
A DEA is classed as a non-priority deduction, which means that any other deductions or orders you have may take precedence, cancelling out the DEA.
For example, if you have student loan repayments, a deduction from earnings order, an attachment of earnings order, or earnings arrestment, they will be implemented before a DEA.
Make deductions
Each pay period, a set amount will be deducted from your wages and paid to the debt management department of the DWP (known as DWP Debt Management). This will be a percentage of your net earnings and is worked out using a sliding scale.
The money must be paid by the 19th of the following month. Your employer can pay by bank transfer (BACS) or send a cheque in the post.
How much can be deducted by DWP Debt Management per pay period?
If you've received a DEA, it's important to check that the amount taken from your wages is correct. You should be told how much will be deducted in advance, and it should be rounded to the nearest whole penny.
Here's a brief guide to DEA deductions at a standard rate, which applies to most DEAs and ranges from 3% to a maximum of 20%:
| Employee's weekly pay | Employee's monthly pay | Deduction amount |
| £100 or less | £430 or less | Nothing to deduct |
| £100.01 to £160 | £430.01 to £690 | 3% |
| £160.01 to £220 | £690.01 to £950 | 5% |
| £220.01 to £270 | £950.01 to £1,160 | 7% |
| £270.01 to £375 | £1,160.01 to £1,615 | 11% |
| £375.01 to £520 | £1,615.01 to £2,240 | 15% |
| More than £520 | More than £2,240 | 20% |
In some circumstances, your employer may be asked to make deductions at a higher rate. This usually happens when a benefits overpayment has occurred due to fraud and is capped at a maximum of 40%:
| Employee's weekly pay | Employee's monthly pay | Deduction amount |
| £100 or less | £430 or less | 5% |
| £100.01 to £160 | £430.01 to £690 | 6% |
| £160.01 to £220 | £690.01 to £950 | 10% |
| £220.01 to £270 | £950.01 to £1,160 | 14% |
| £270.01 to £375 | £1,160.01 to £1,615 | 22% |
| £375.01 to £520 | £1,615.01 to £2,240 | 30% |
| More than £520 | More than £2,240 | 40% |
Regardless of which rate is applied, regulations state that you must always be left with at least 60% of your net earnings after all other deductions and orders have been applied. Your employer can also choose to deduct an administration cost of £1 per pay period if they wish.
You have the right to make a formal request for a written breakdown of how your deduction amount was calculated, and your employer must submit a response within 28 days.
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Can I challenge a DEA?
You may be able to challenge the DEA if it would leave you in financial hardship, the amount you owe doesn't match how much is being deducted, or you believe you shouldn't have received a DEA in the first place.
One of the ways you can do this is to contact the DWP and ask if you can set up a payment plan instead. When you get in touch, you must state how much you can reasonably afford to pay towards the debt each month and attach a budget form as proof. If you successfully negotiate a repayment plan, the DEA will not be enforced.
If you don't believe you were overpaid benefits and the amount you received was correct for your circumstances at the time, you can raise a complaint with the DWP. If you don't receive a response or you're not satisfied with the response provided, you can escalate it to the relevant third-party organisation, such as the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).
Can my employer refuse to comply with a DEA?
Once your employer receives a DEA request, they have a legal duty to enforce it as per the DWP's instructions. Failure to do so can lead to the company being asked to pay a £1,000 fine for non-compliance as well as personal liability to repay the missed deductions themselves.
If your old employer received a DEA request after you left, they must inform the DWP within 10 days so they can contact your new employer.
There are typically only two situations in which an employer is not obliged to enforce a DEA: if the company qualifies as a micro-business with 10 or fewer employees, or if it is a new business that has started trading in the last few months.
What happens if I leave my place of employment during a DEA?
If you leave your job while you have a DEA, the payments will temporarily stop, but the debt is not written off. Instead, your new employer will become responsible for deducting your payments from where you left off.
Your previous employer will likely inform the DWP that you have left, but you should still contact them yourself to pass on details about your new employer's name and address, your expected earnings, and how they can get in touch with their payroll department. This can help you avoid delayed or missed payments and ensure you remain compliant with the DWP.
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Conclusion
Noticing a DEA table on your payslip can be confusing, but knowing what it means can help you understand why you have received one and what your next steps should be.
If you've noticed a DEA table on your payslip and you don't know what it means or where it came from, don't hesitate to reach out for free debt advice from a debt help company or charity.
No matter your debt level, you will never be left with less than 60% of your net earnings when you have a DEA. This is known as your protected earnings limit, and is there to ensure you're still able to afford your essential costs while you're repaying the DWP.
