If you’ve been overpaid benefits or had tax credit overpayments, the amount you have to pay back may be taken directly from your wages through a direct earnings attachment (DEA).
There’s no court order for a direct earnings attachment. Your employer will be sent details of how much to take from your pay. Payments are made directly by the employer to the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP).
The DWP should write to you before starting the direct earnings attachment, and you may be able to avoid the DEA by agreeing to pay the debt in instalments instead.