How much does it cost to get a divorce in the UK?

 

Getting a divorce in the UK is often viewed as an expensive process. In reality, the costs involved with a divorce are very much dependent on the complexity of your relationship and whether there are a large number of assets to be divided, and whether there are any children involved. 

 

Above all, the complexity and costliness of your divorce are down to whether you can agree on different factors such as the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, the child arrangements, and the division of your assets. 

 

The costs of dividing your assets are ultimately dependent upon whether you and your partner agree on how the assets should be split. 

 

When we talk about “assets” we mean everything that you own that is of financial value such as cash savings, property, businesses, or pensions. When you get married, your assets become shared property between you and your spouse. 

 

If you both agree on how the assets should be split, for instance, you want them to be divided equally between you, then you do not need to involve the court in this decision. You can seek mediation if you need some support when coming to these decisions. It is a good idea to ask a solicitor to draft a Consent Order which makes the agreement on the division of assets legally binding. A Consent Order costs £53.

 

If you are unable to come to this agreement on your own perhaps because the relationship is hostile and communication is difficult, you may want to seek help from the court. It will cost £275 to ask the court to put a Financial Order in place that legally enforces how your assets will be allocated.

 

You do not only have to consider the cost of dividing assets but also the cost of losing certain assets. If you have a pre-nuptial agreement in place, some assets such as your business or future assets such as inheritance may be protected. 

 

 

If you have children and you cannot decide on the child arrangements such as who supports the children and who will see the children, you may need to apply for a child arrangements order. This costs £232.

 

 

You may decide to instruct a solicitor to handle your divorce. The fees can vary and some solicitors can provide a fixed fee for simple divorce cases.

 

 

Many ex-couples find that mediation is beneficial in helping them come to decision about dividing assets or child arrangements. In addition, the court likes to see that couples have attended mediation sessions to settle issues before actually going to a court hearing. Mediation fees can vary depending on the location, however, they can cost around £120 per session.

 

 

Extra costs that people often forget about can include things like fees for living in alternative accommodation whilst selling a property, accountant fees, conveyancing fees, or solicitors costs when making a new Will.