ES1 and ES2 Forms Explained: Case Summary and Asset Schedule

By Garry SteedmanPublished 16 September 2026Updated 25 September 20269 mins read9 sections

Part of: Financial Settlement after Divorce

Form ES1 is a short case summary and Form ES2 is a composite schedule of assets, liabilities and income. Together they are how the court, and both sides, see the state of a financial remedy case in England and Wales at a glance ahead of a hearing. Neither form replaces Form E. They come later in the process, using the information already disclosed in Form E, to give the judge a short overview instead of two lever-arch files of disclosure (Financial Remedies Guide 2026). They are also a key step towards a financial settlement after divorce.

If you’ve been told to file these forms and you can’t find anything about them on a firm’s website, that’s not unusual. They’re a comparatively recent, procedure-driven pair of forms that most explainer content skips. This guide covers England and Wales only.

Reviewed by: Iblal Iqbal, Partner & Family Law Strategist, Kabir Family Law

What is Form ES1 (the Case Summary)?

Form ES1, “Financial remedy summary of case” on GOV.UK, is a short document, typically only a few pages, that sets out:

• the hearing details, the parties and any legal advisers involved
• a brief chronology of the marriage/relationship and the proceedings so far
• the issues that remain in dispute between the parties
• costs already incurred and the costs estimated to the end of the case
• details of any open offers to settle that either of you has made
• the orders each of you wants at the hearing, with room for other key points in 80 words or fewer

Its purpose is practical: a judge dealing with a heavy financial remedies list needs to understand the shape of a case in minutes, not by reading the full bundle. This form is that summary. At the first appointment, it also covers the rule asking each side for a concise statement of issues and a chronology (FPR 2010, rule 9.14(5)).

What is Form ES2 (the Schedule of Assets and Liabilities)?

Form ES2, “Financial remedy summary of finances” on GOV.UK, is a composite schedule. It is a table listing every asset, liability, pension and income source in the case, with columns for each party’s figure. Where they differ (for example, a different valuation date or a disputed business value), both figures appear. You must clearly mark any item you don’t agree on, usually in yellow (Guide, paragraph 57). The ES2 template on GOV.UK is the revised July 2025 spreadsheet.

The word “composite” matters. Rather than each party filing a separate schedule of assets in their own format, ES2 puts both sets of figures on one table. That way, disagreements are visible immediately, instead of hiding across two separate documents.

How do the forms relate to your financial statement?

Form E, which you both file and exchange not less than 35 days before the first appointment under Family Procedure Rules 2010, rule 9.14, is the full financial statement. It covers bank statements, valuations, pension information, income and expenditure, and the narrative around all of it. It is long by design; its job is complete disclosure.

Both forms are downstream of that. They come later in the case, once Form E has set out the underlying figures. They then distil that disclosure into a short summary and a side-by-side figures table (ES2) that the court actually works from at hearings. If you’ve already read our guide to Form E, think of both forms as what you build from that disclosure once the case moves toward a hearing, not a separate disclosure exercise. Both rest on full and frank financial disclosure.

When are ES1 and ES2 filed?

The Financial Remedies Court’s Efficiency Statement (11 January 2022) introduced the standard templates courts expect to see. Since 13 March 2026, the Financial Remedies Guide 2026 has taken its place. It requires both forms before the first appointment, the FDR appointment and the final hearing (paragraphs 57, 65 and 74).

The deadline is fixed: the applicant must file them by 11am on the day before each of those hearings. Before a final hearing, the judge can direct a different date. So check the order made at your first appointment (or ask whoever is helping with your case) for the deadline that applies to you, rather than assuming a figure from a general guide.

Other deadlines come first. Each side files a questionnaire at least 14 days before the first appointment, and Form FM5 at least 7 days before. Our guide to your first family court hearing explains what happens on the day.

Do you have to complete ES1 and ES2 yourself?

There’s no bar on completing them yourself. In practice, though, they work far better when both sides prepare the ES2 figures together. That’s because the whole point of the composite table is to show where you agree and where you don’t, in one document. The Guide goes further: you must collaborate, and it calls competing documents unacceptable. The duty applies to people acting in person too.

If your case has any complexity, such as a business, pensions, or disputed valuations, the stakes are higher. Getting this table wrong or leaving it one-sided can mean the judge’s FDR indication rests on an inaccurate picture. That undermines the whole point of the hearing. It is worth getting advice from someone who deals with financial remedy cases regularly before your ES1 and ES2 go to the court.

What happens if the forms are late, missing or inaccurate?

Turning up to an FDR without an up-to-date ES2, or with figures that don’t match what you disclosed in Form E, can mean the hearing can’t do its job properly. The FDR is a meeting for discussion and negotiation, and both of you must attend in person (FPR 2010, rule 9.17). The judge relies on both forms to give an early indication of how a court might decide the case. An indication given on wrong or incomplete figures isn’t worth much to either side.

At the final hearing, the stakes rise. The Guide warns that advocates who fail to provide the forms, the chronology or the statement of issues without a reasonable excuse may face a sanction (paragraph 79). On the other hand, if you do reach agreement, the judge can turn it into a financial consent order.

Frequently asked questions

What is an ES1 form used for?

ES1 is the Case Summary in financial remedy proceedings: a short document covering the issues in dispute, a brief chronology, costs incurred and estimated, and any open settlement offers, so the court can understand the shape of the case quickly.

What is an ES2 form used for?

ES2 is the Schedule of Assets and Liabilities (and income): a single table showing both parties’ figures for every asset and liability side by side, so agreements and disagreements over value are visible at a glance.

Are ES1 and ES2 the same as a financial statement?

No. Form E is the full financial disclosure statement you file before the first appointment under FPR 9.14. Both summaries are shorter documents that you prepare later, using the figures you already disclosed in Form E, to summarise the case for each main hearing from the first appointment onward.

When do I need to file the forms?

By 11am on the day before each main hearing: the first appointment, the FDR and the final hearing. The applicant files them, after both of you work on them together. Before a final hearing the judge can set a different date, so check any order in your case for the date that applies to you.

What if my ex and I can’t agree the figures on ES2?

That’s expected and the form allows for it. ES2 has room to show both parties’ figures for the same asset side by side (for example, differing valuation dates or a disputed business value). You mark any unagreed item clearly, usually in yellow. So the disagreement itself is what the court sees.

Hearing coming up? Get advice before the forms are due

Getting your ES2 figures wrong in front of a judge at your FDR can cost you a settlement built on the right numbers instead of the wrong ones. If you’ve been asked to file ES1 and ES2, book a free initial consultation, where one of our specialists gives you initial advice tailored to your circumstances. You can also read more about financial settlement after divorce.

Expert Tip

The mistake we see most often is leaving the schedule until the week of the hearing. By then there is no time to agree anything, so the judge gets a page full of yellow. Start as soon as you have exchanged financial statements. Agree the easy figures first, and mark clearly anything still in dispute. A short, honest schedule gives the hearing a far better chance of being useful.

Garry Steedman, Family Law Consultant (Divorce, Children & TOLATA)