FE17 form: reply to an attachment of earnings application
Form FE17 is the form for replying to an application for an attachment of earnings order. It asks about your employment, your income and outgoings, your other debts and any offer of payment.
Fill in the FE17 form with Wren
How Wren helps with the FE17
Official forms are written for lawyers. With Wren you do not have to decode this one on your own, and you still follow the court’s procedure.
- Plain questions, one at a timeEach part of the FE17 becomes short questions in everyday words. Answer at your own pace and come back to it.
- Help beside each questionWhat the question is asking and what the official guidance says about it, in plain English.
- The official form, filled inYour answers go into the official FE17. You check it, sign it and send it yourself. Nothing goes to the court for you.
- What comes next, kept with your caseWhat usually happens after you send it, with the dates worked out from the published rules.
Time and money
- On your own
- A day or more
- With Wren
- About an hour for most forms
- Solicitor for this form
- £740 to £1,2403 to 5 hours
A solicitor’s time for the FE17 can run to £1,240. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes about an hour for most forms rather than a day or more.
Times and hours are Wren’s estimates for a typical case, not quotes. Solicitor costs are those hours at £247 an hour, the courts’ guideline rate for a solicitor with over four years’ experience, outside London (GOV.UK, Solicitors' guideline hourly rates (in effect from 1 January 2026)). The guideline runs from £200 to £295 an hour outside London depending on experience, firms set their own rates, and VAT is added on top.
Key facts
- Official title
- Reply to an attachment of earnings application (family court): Form FE17
- Edition
- 04.17 (2 pages).Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Time limit
- The reply is to be filed within 8 days of being served with the notice and the form (FPR 39.6).Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Who sees it
- The court sends a copy of the reply to the person who applied (FPR 39.6).Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Your employer
- The court may also ask your employer for a statement of your earnings (FPR 39.7).Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who uses the FE17
The person the application is made against (the debtor). The court serves the form with notice of the application.
When it is used
Once you have been served with notice of the application. The reply is to be filed within 8 days of service (FPR 39.6).
Before you start
- Your recent payslips or other evidence of income, including benefits.
- Your regular household bills and other outgoings.
- Details of other court orders and debts, and any arrears.
How to fill in the FE17
Open each part for what it asks and how to answer it. In Wren, each part is a few plain questions, and your answers fill in the form.
Page 1: about you and your work
Your details, your dependants, your employment or self-employment, and any bank and savings accounts.
Page 2: income, outgoings and offer
Your income and expenses, priority debts, other court orders and credit debts, and any offer of payment. You sign the statement of truth at the end.
Prepare your FE17 with Wren Family
Wren Family turns official forms into short, plain-English questions you can answer at your own pace. You check everything before you send it: nothing goes to the court for you.
Get startedFree for 14 days, no card. Then £19.99 a month, with your money back within 14 days if it’s not right.
What happens after you send it
The court considers your reply at the hearing and decides whether to make an attachment of earnings order and for how much. FPR 39.6(3) refers to section 23 of the Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, which makes failing to reply an offence.
Common mistakes
- Missing the 8-day time limit.
- Leaving out regular outgoings, so your income looks larger than it is.
- Not mentioning other court orders or priority debts.
Common questions
What if I cannot afford what the order says?
The form lets you set out your finances and make an offer of payment. The court decides what to order.
Will my employer be told?
The court may ask your employer for a statement of your earnings (FPR 39.7), and if an order is made it is sent to your employer to take the payments.
Where these facts come from
These are the official rules and pages this page is based on. They are listed so you can check a detail for yourself; you do not need them to use Wren. They are outside Wren and open in a new tab.