What is left to you in an attachment.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between wage attachment and the P-Konto?

In a wage attachment the employer withholds the attachable part and transfers it to the creditor – the basis is the table on Section 850c ZPO. The P-Konto protects the credit balance in the account from account attachment: up to the exempt amount you can dispose of it, wherever the money comes from. Both can run at the same time; the P-Konto then protects what arrives after the wage attachment.

How do I get a P-Konto?

Any current account can be converted into an attachment protection account on request – the bank must do so within four business days (Section 850k ZPO). There may be only one P-Konto per person; the bank may not charge more for it than for the normal account. The basic exempt amount applies immediately; the increases need a certificate.

Who issues the certificate for the increased exempt amount?

Employers, the family benefits office, social benefit agencies, debt counselling centres, lawyers, tax advisers or the enforcement court (Section 903 ZPO). Free debt counselling is the simplest route. Without a certificate only the basic amount applies – even if you have children.

What happens to money above the exempt amount?

It is reserved for the creditor – but the bank may only pay it out in the following month (moratorium, Section 900 ZPO). Unused credit below the exempt amount can be saved up for up to three months (Section 899(2) ZPO). A back payment such as a Christmas bonus is therefore not lost, but needs to be planned in time.

Does the table also apply in Austria and Switzerland?

No. In Austria the subsistence minimum under the Enforcement Code applies (Section 291a EO, adjusted annually); in Switzerland the enforcement-law subsistence minimum, which the enforcement office calculates individually under the guidelines of the Conference of Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy Officials. This tool calculates exclusively under German law.