The cost of divorce: what the data shows
Key facts
- The divorce application fee is £628 as of 13 July 2026.
- A MIAM typically costs around £138, and a joint mediation session around £216 per person.
- A financial consent order costs £62 to submit; a children application (C100) costs £270 and a financial application (Form A) costs £321.
- Financial remedy applications rose 11% in early 2026, so more couples are formalising their finances even as divorces dip.
- Help with Fees can reduce or remove court fees for those on low incomes or benefits. This page is general information, not financial advice.
The true cost of a divorce is rarely just the court fee. It depends on how you resolve the money and the arrangements for children, and whether you use mediation, solicitors, or a contested court case. This page sets out the fixed fees from official sources, shows how mediation compares, and explains where the big differences arise. For a fuller breakdown, see our guides to how much family mediation costs and mediation versus court costs.
These figures are general information to help you plan, not financial or legal advice. Court fees are fixed and published, but mediation and solicitor costs vary by provider, region and how contested a case becomes, so treat the ranges below as a guide rather than a quote.
This page is part of our family mediation statistics hub, where every figure is dated and sourced.
The fixed court fees
Some costs are set by the government and are the same wherever you are. These are published in the court fees schedule and apply whether or not you use a solicitor.
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Divorce application | £628 (as of 13 July 2026) | Same whether or not you use a solicitor |
| Financial consent order | £62 | To make a financial agreement binding |
| Children application (C100) | £270 | Only if you cannot agree and apply to court |
| Financial application (Form A) | £321 | Only if finances go to court |
The divorce fee is the same whether you do it yourself or instruct a solicitor, so paying a lawyer to submit the application does not change that £628. Help with Fees, using form EX160, can reduce or remove court fees if you are on a low income or certain benefits. Note the difference between the £62 fee to lodge a consent order, which makes an agreement binding, and the £321 Form A fee for a contested financial application, which you only pay if finances go to a hearing.
These fees are worth reading carefully, because they are often confused. The divorce fee pays only for ending the marriage. It does nothing about money or children. The £62 consent order fee is what most amicable couples pay to make their financial agreement legally binding, and it is tiny compared with the fees for contested applications. The C100 and Form A fees, at £270 and £321, only arise if you cannot agree and have to ask a court to decide, which is exactly the outcome mediation is designed to avoid.
The mediation costs
Mediation has its own, much smaller, set of costs. A MIAM is the first meeting, and joint sessions follow if the case is suitable.
| Mediation cost | Typical amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MIAM | Around £138 | First meeting; may be free with legal aid |
| Joint mediation session | Around £216 per person | A case often needs three to five sessions |
| Voucher contribution | Up to £500 per family | For cases involving children, not means tested |
A case resolved in a few sessions can cost each person a few hundred pounds in total, and the £500 voucher may cover much of it where children are involved. If either person qualifies for legal aid, the MIAM and first joint session can be free for both. That is a very different order of cost from a contested court case.
How many sessions a case needs is the main thing that moves the mediation total, so it is worth setting expectations. A single issue, such as a holiday schedule, might be settled in one or two joint sessions. A full financial split with a house, pensions and ongoing support usually takes three to five. Each session is a known, fixed cost, which makes budgeting far easier than an open-ended court case whose final bill depends on how many hearings it takes to reach a decision.
The variable costs: how you resolve things
The bigger numbers come from how you sort out the money and the arrangements for children. Here mediation and court diverge sharply, and it is the choice of route, not the divorce fee, that drives the total.
| Route | Typical cost per person | Source |
|---|---|---|
| MIAM and a few mediation sessions | A few hundred pounds, often less with the voucher | Provider pricing |
| Solicitor-led negotiation | Often one to three thousand pounds | Widely reported |
| Contested court case with solicitors | Several thousand pounds each, sometimes far more | Widely reported |
A case resolved in mediation can cost each person a few hundred pounds. A contested court battle with solicitors runs into thousands each. That gap, set against average court delays of around 35 weeks, is the core case for trying mediation first.
The cost and the time are linked, which is easy to miss. A contested case is expensive largely because it is slow: months of correspondence, several hearings, and the preparation each one demands all add hours to the bill. A faster route is usually a cheaper one for the same reason. This is why the comparison is not really mediation against court on price alone, but a quick, contained process against a long, open-ended one, with the cost following from the difference in time.
More couples are formalising finances
The latest data shows a clear trend: even as divorce applications dipped, the work of dividing money grew. Financial remedy applications rose 11% in January to March 2026, and nearly three quarters were uncontested.
| Financial remedy (Jan to Mar 2026) | Figure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Applications | 12,646 | Up 11% |
| Disposal events | 12,764 | Up 12% |
| Uncontested share | 73% | – |
| Contested share | 27% | – |
Most financial applications being uncontested points to people reaching agreement first and then asking the court to approve it, exactly what a consent order does for £62. Mediation is a common route to that agreement, recorded in an open financial statement and a Memorandum of Understanding, then turned into a binding order.
The rise in financial applications while divorces themselves dip is a telling detail. It suggests more couples are recognising that a divorce alone leaves their finances legally unresolved, and are taking the extra step to tie them up properly with a court order. That is a sensible move, because without a financial order the door to future claims can stay open for years. The cheap and quick way to close it is to agree the terms, often in mediation, and pay the £62 to have them approved, rather than to litigate.
Court fees are set by statutory instrument and reviewed periodically, which is why the divorce fee rose from £612 to £628 on 13 July 2026. Help with Fees is a separate statutory scheme that can remit fees for those on low incomes or qualifying benefits, so the headline fee is not always what you pay.
Not financial advice
These figures are general information to help you plan, not financial or legal advice. Provider fees vary by region, solicitor costs depend heavily on how contested a case becomes, and court fees can change. Check current fees on gov.uk and get advice on your own situation before making decisions.
A couple divorcing amicably wanted to keep costs down. They paid the divorce fee, attended a MIAM, and used the £500 voucher to fund most of three joint sessions on their finances. They agreed how to split the house and pensions, and paid £62 to lodge a consent order. Their total outlay was the divorce fee plus a modest top-up on the mediation, a fraction of what a contested financial remedy hearing with solicitors would have cost.
Where solicitor costs come from
The part of the total that varies most is legal costs, and it helps to understand what drives them. Solicitors usually charge by the hour or by fixed stages, so the more contested a case becomes, the more it costs. A couple who agree the substance and only need a solicitor to check and lodge a consent order pay relatively little. A couple who fight through several court hearings, with statements, disclosure disputes and a contested final hearing, can each run up thousands of pounds, sometimes far more where a barrister is involved.
This is the single biggest reason mediation tends to be cheaper. By resolving the substance in a handful of sessions, it removes most of the hours a contested case would generate. The solicitor’s role shrinks to advice and drafting, which is a much smaller bill. It is not that lawyers are expensive for no reason; it is that a contested court process simply requires far more of their time.
Help with Fees in detail
The fixed court fees are not always what you pay. Help with Fees is a statutory scheme that can reduce or remove them for people on low incomes or certain benefits. Eligibility depends on your income, your savings and whether you receive qualifying benefits, and you apply using form EX160.
| Help with Fees | Detail |
|---|---|
| What it covers | Court fees such as the divorce fee, consent order fee, C100 or Form A |
| Who qualifies | People on low incomes or certain benefits, subject to a savings limit |
| How to apply | Using form EX160, before or at the time you pay the fee |
| Effect | Fees can be reduced in part or removed in full |
Because Help with Fees can remove the largest single fee, the divorce fee, it is worth checking before you assume the headline cost applies to you. A mediator or the court can point you to the form.
A worked example of the total
Bringing the pieces together shows how the route drives the total far more than the fees do. Consider a couple divorcing with a house and pensions to divide and children to make arrangements for. If they agree through mediation, their outlay might be the divorce fee, a MIAM, a few joint sessions largely covered by the £500 voucher, and £62 to lodge a consent order. If instead they contest both the finances and the children in court, they add a £321 Form A fee, a £270 C100 fee, and potentially thousands each in legal costs, spread over the better part of a year.
Putting the total together
Add it up and the pattern is clear. The divorce fee is fixed. What varies, often by thousands of pounds, is how you resolve the finances and the children. A mediated route, with a consent order to make it binding, keeps that variable cost low, while a contested court case pushes it high. With financial applications rising and most of them uncontested, more couples are choosing to agree first and use the court only to approve the result. See our family court statistics hub and divorce statistics page for the wider picture.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to get divorced in England and Wales?
The court fee for the divorce itself is £628 as of 13 July 2026. Sorting out finances and children can add much more, depending on the route you take.
Is the divorce fee changing in 2026?
Yes. The divorce application fee rose from £612 to £628 on 13 July 2026. Court fees are set by statutory instrument and reviewed periodically.
How much does a consent order cost?
The court fee to submit a financial consent order is £62. A solicitor may charge separately to draft it, though a mediated agreement can keep that drafting cost down.
How much does mediation cost?
A MIAM is typically around £138 and a joint session around £216 per person, with cases often needing three to five sessions. The £500 voucher and legal aid can reduce or remove this.
Is mediation cheaper than court?
Usually far cheaper. A few mediation sessions cost each person a few hundred pounds, often reduced by the £500 voucher, whereas a contested court case with solicitors runs into thousands each.
What are the court fees for children and financial applications?
A children application on form C100 costs £270, and a financial application on Form A costs £321. You only pay these if you cannot agree and apply to court.
Can I get help paying court fees?
Yes. Help with Fees, using form EX160, can reduce or remove court fees for people on low incomes or certain benefits. It is a separate statutory scheme from the fees themselves.