Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA) Deductions and COVID-19

On 03 April 2020, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) advised that employers should not make DEA deductions from an employee’s pay for the three months April, May and June 2020.  This was a temporary benefit debt repayments cessation in response to COVID-19. 

Although the Employer Guide was not amended, the page where this is housed on Gov.UK has been updated with the following statement:

Employers should have contacted their software supplier / payroll provider about this.  Disabling DEA calculation functionality may not have been possible, therefore, they may have had to be suspended.

On 07 July 2020, the DWP issued an update saying ‘Employers should continue to not make deductions from an employees pay for until told to so again by DWP.’  The above guidance has been changed to:

Welcome news.  This is an obvious recognition that employees' financial position may have changed dramatically over the last few months.  Indeed, they may not even be in employment any longer.

Employers should continue ceasing the DEA until they are advised to restart it by the DWP.

I do not see that Fine Collection and Enforcement Service have made a similar announcement regarding the temporary suspension of the Northern Ireland’s equivalent Collection Orders.  Indeed, although they say that they are ‘continuing to review enforcement services’, online payment facilities remain unaffected and it is business as usual.