How Much Does a Financial Order Cost?

Part of: Financial Settlement after Divorce

How much does a financial order cost? The court fee is £321, or £62 if you both agree and apply by consent. On top of that sits the price of any help you choose to pay for. This page sets out both, so you can budget before you start. Our financial settlement after divorce specialists assist and advise at every stage. Everything here covers the law of England and Wales.

Reviewed by: Garry Steedman, Family Law Consultant (Divorce, Children & TOLATA), Kabir Family Law

How much does a financial order cost in England and Wales?

Two separate bills make up the answer. First comes the court fee, which is fixed and published. Then comes whatever you spend on advice. How much a financial order costs in total therefore depends far more on you than on the court.

So how much is a financial order in practice? Couples who settle early often pay the £62 consent fee, plus any help they choose with the wording. Couples who argue through several hearings pay £321 and a great deal more besides. In other words, the gap between the cheapest and the dearest route is enormous. GOV.UK says getting the court to decide usually takes longer and is more expensive than agreeing (GOV.UK).

When is a financial order worth the cost?

A financial order is the court order that divides money and property when a marriage or civil partnership ends. It deals with the home, savings, pensions and maintenance. Without one, an agreement about money is not legally binding: GOV.UK says you need a consent order to make it binding (GOV.UK). That is why many people treat the fee as money well spent. You are likely to need one if:

• You have agreed everything and want a judge to make it binding.
• You own a home together and must decide who keeps it.
• One of you has a pension worth sharing.
• Talks have stalled, so a judge needs to decide instead.
• You suspect your ex-partner is hiding assets.

What is the court fee for a consent order, and for a contested case?

• £321 for an application for a financial order, other than by consent.
• £62 for an application by consent for a financial order.
• £195 for most other applications made on notice during the case, where no other fee is specified.
• £628 for the separate divorce or dissolution application, if you have not already paid it.
• £0 under Help with Fees, if your income and savings are low enough.

These figures come from the family court fees list, EX50 (GOV.UK, EX50). Fees change, so check the current figure before you send your form. The fees themselves sit in the Family Proceedings Fees Order 2008 (legislation.gov.uk).

What drives the total cost of a financial order up or down?

GOV.UK says legal adviser fees vary with experience and where you live, and that your total depends on how many financial dispute resolution appointments you need and whether there is a final hearing. In practice, these are the things that move the figure:

• How far apart you are. Agreement is cheap, but a contested hearing is not.
• How complex your assets are. A business, a farm or a crypto wallet takes longer to value.
• Whether pensions are in play. An expert’s pension report adds a separate fee.
• How quickly you both disclose. Chasing missing paperwork costs money every single time.
• Whether you try mediation first. An agreed outcome usually means one application on paper and no hearing.

Nobody can price this to the penny at the start. Still, once a specialist has seen your rough figures, the likely range for how much a financial order costs becomes far clearer.

Consent order cost checklist: are you ready to apply?

• Have you both disclosed income, capital and pensions in full?
• Do you agree who keeps the home, and on what terms?
• Does a pension need a formal valuation first?
• Have you attended a mediation information meeting, or does an exemption apply?
• Do you qualify for Help with Fees?
• Do you know which application you need, by consent or not?

Answer yes to most of these and your bill stays modest. Answer no to several and it climbs quickly.

The calls a checklist cannot make for you

A list can show you what is missing. However, it cannot tell you whether a proposed split is fair for your family, whether a clean break suits you, or whether a dispute is worth what it will cost to contest. Those are judgement calls, and they depend on your whole situation. Book a free initial consultation, where one of our specialists gives you initial advice on the route that fits you.

How does the application work, step by step?

1. Negotiate or mediate. Many couples settle at this stage, and this is where the savings are. Before you ask a court to decide, you must usually attend a mediation information meeting first (Children and Families Act 2014, section 10).
2. Apply. If you agree, you send a consent application and pay £62. If not, you send Form A and pay £321.
3. Disclose. In a contested case you each complete Form E, the financial statement, and exchange it at least 35 days before the first appointment.
4. First appointment. The court fixes it 12 to 16 weeks after you apply and sets a timetable for the next steps (rule 9.12).
5. Settle or decide. A judge helps you negotiate at a financial dispute resolution appointment. If you still disagree, a judge decides the outcome after a final hearing.

A consent application usually needs no hearing. Before every hearing in a contested case, each of you must file an estimate of your costs so far (rule 9.27). Because time and money move together, the timetable matters as much as the fee. Our guide to financial settlement after divorce sets out a typical timeline.

How do our specialists assist and advise on financial order costs?

Our specialists explain which route fits your situation, and what each route is likely to cost you. They talk you through the information a judge will want, help you prepare for the first appointment, and set out the realistic range of outcomes. They also say plainly when a dispute is not worth the money. We assist and advise; we never promise a particular result.

What can go wrong, and what does it add to your bill?

• Applying before you agree. You pay £321 instead of £62, and the case takes longer.
• Incomplete disclosure. Missing information means more requests and more work, so the bill grows.
• Leaving it too late. GOV.UK warns that asking for approval after your final order may have financial consequences, particularly for pensions. Once approved, the order is binding, as our guide to a sealed consent order explains.
• Conduct in the case. Under rule 28.3 a judge can still order one party to pay the other’s costs, for example for ignoring court orders or skipping a mediation meeting without good reason.
• No order at all. Your agreement is not legally binding, so the question of money between you stays open.

Each of these mistakes raises the cost of a financial order. Our guide to the costs of unreasonable conduct explains when a judge departs from the usual rule. For a wider view of what family cases cost, read our guide to family law costs.

What does the free initial consultation cover?

A free initial consultation is a conversation with a specialist, who gives you initial advice tailored to your circumstances. It does not include drafting or reviewing documents. Have rough figures to hand for your home, your savings, your pensions and your income, plus a note of anything you have already settled between you.

Frequently asked questions about the cost of a financial order

Can I write my own financial order?

Yes, you can set out the terms yourselves, and many couples do. A judge still has to approve them, and if the judge does not think the terms are fair, they can ask you to change them. Many people therefore ask a specialist to put the wording into the form the court expects. That cuts the risk of the judge sending it back, which costs you time.

How much does a consent order cost?

The court fee for a consent order is £62, which covers the application by consent for a financial order. On top of that you may pay someone to help with the wording, and that figure varies widely. The consent order fee is low because a judge is simply approving terms you have already settled. A straightforward financial consent order is therefore the cheapest way to make an agreement binding.

How much does professional help with a financial order cost?

There is no fixed figure. GOV.UK says legal adviser fees vary depending on their experience and where you live. In a contested case, the total also depends on how many dispute resolution appointments you need and whether there is a final hearing. Ask any adviser for a written estimate before you commit.

Do you need professional help to get a financial order?

No rule says you must have it. The forms are public, and you can file them yourself. Even so, the order is legally binding once a judge approves it, and mistakes are hard to undo afterwards. Many people want a specialist to weigh the plan against their circumstances before they commit to it.

How long does a financial order take from start to finish?

By consent, there is usually no hearing, and GOV.UK says agreeing is usually quicker than asking a court to decide. In a contested case, the first appointment alone comes 12 to 16 weeks after you apply, and a financial dispute resolution appointment and a final hearing may follow. Timing drives the cost of a financial order, because every extra hearing adds to the bill. Settling early is usually the cheapest route.

What happens if you cannot afford the court fee?

Help with Fees may cover some or all of it. GOV.UK asks about your income, your savings and any benefits you already receive. You apply online, or on form EX160, at the same time as your court application. If the scheme covers you in full, the court fee costs you nothing.

Who pays when you and your ex-partner disagree?

In financial remedy cases the starting point is that each of you pays your own way. A judge can depart from that because of how one of you behaves in the case, for example by ignoring court orders or the court’s rules (Family Procedure Rules 2010, rule 28.3). The judge also looks at any open offer to settle, and at the financial effect a costs order would have on you both.

Worried about the cost of a financial order? Speak to a specialist before you apply

Knowing how much a financial order costs is the first step towards deciding what to do next. Book a free initial consultation, where one of our specialists gives you initial advice on your options before you send any form or pay any fee. You can also call 0330 094 5880, or return to our guide to financial settlement after divorce.

General information about the law in England and Wales, not advice on your circumstances.

Expert Tip

We are commonly asked whether it is worth applying at all when there is very little money to divide. It usually is. The fee is £62 by consent, and until a judge approves your agreement it is not legally binding. Timing matters too: GOV.UK says asking for approval after your final order may have financial consequences, particularly for pensions. Sorting it now costs far less than putting it right later.

Iblal Iqbal, Partner & Family Law Strategist