Document Types

To help you keep track of the various document types you’re likely to encounter, we’ve created a handy glossary for you to refer to.

48 Hour Opt Out (WTD)

An employee can choose to work more than 48 hours a week on average if they’re over 18. This is called 'opting out'. The employer can ask an employee to opt out, but the employee can't be sacked or treated unfairly for refusing to do so.

Attachment of Earnings (AoE)

An Attachment of Earnings is a legal process in civil litigation by which a person's wages or other earnings are taken to pay for a debt. 

Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA) 

A Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA) is a legal process by which an employer may be asked to deduct benefit overpayments from an employee’s pay. This is dependent on whether the employee owes the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). 

Council Tax Attachment of Earnings 

A Council Tax Attachment of Earnings is a legal document that is sent to an employer, directing them to take money from an employee wage and submit it as payment to the employee’s outstanding Council Tax bill.

Doctor’s Certificate 

A written statement from a physician or another medically qualified health care provider which attests to the result of a medical examination of a patient. It can serve as a sick note or evidence of a health condition.

Maternity Certificate (MAT B1) 

A Mat B1 form, also known as the Maternity Certificate, is a form from the government providing medical evidence of pregnancy and the baby's due date. It is filled in by the pregnant person’s doctor or midwife and issued after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Maternity Letter 

A Maternity leave letter informs an employer of intended maternity leave that is to be taken at the end of an employee’s pregnancy. The letter also ensures that the relevant parties understand the dates of the employee’s absence and how their workload will be managed during the period of leave.

Maternity Risk Assessment (MRA)

A Maternity Risk Assessment (MRA) Is a form completed by an employer to identify the risks posed to new and expectant mothers in your workplace.

Paternity

An employer is required to keep records for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), in relation to an employee’s paternity leave. This includes:

• The date Statutory Paternity Pay started
• The paternity payments the employer has made (including dates)
• The payments the employer reclaimed
• Any weeks the employer did not pay and why
• If the employee has adopted, a letter from the adoption agency or a matching certificate

An employer is required to keep these records for 3 years from the end of the tax year they relate to (for example by using form SPP2 or the employer keeping their own records).

Paternity Pay and Leave SC3 Form

A paternity Pay and Leave SC3 form is for an employee that has become a birth parent and needs to apply to their employer for SPP and Leave.

Statement of Earnings

A Statement of Earnings or otherwise known as L17: statement of earnings is a statement of an employee’s earnings, including overtime, bonus or commission, for the previous 3 months. The employer must complete the Statement of Earnings and set all earnings out in gross, i.e. before tax.

Work Permit

A Work Permit Is granted to a specific person for a specific role within a specific company, and the permit holder must be able to accommodate and support themselves and any dependents without recourse to public funds. The application for a Work Permit must be made by the sponsoring company.

Top Tip

Keep your document tagging consistent, as this enables you and your organisation to track and find documents with ease. Additionally, it ensures that when using H.R.insights Employee Exceptions report, the report is accurately finding documentation that has not been submitted.