Family court fees in 2026
Key facts
- Family court fees rose on 13 July 2026 following a Ministry of Justice announcement on 19 June 2026.
- As of 13 July 2026: divorce application £628, children application (C100) £270, contested financial order £321, consent order £62.
- The consent order fee (£62) is far lower than the contested financial order fee (£321); they are different fees for different applications.
- The Help with Fees scheme (form EX160 or online) can reduce a fee or remove it entirely for people on low incomes or certain benefits.
- Couples who agree through mediation avoid most of these fees; the consent order fee is usually the only one left for finances.
Every application to the family court in England and Wales carries a fee, set by the Ministry of Justice and published in a document called the EX50. The fees are the same whether your case is heard in the family court, the county court or the High Court. They changed on 13 July 2026, when an inflation-linked uplift announced on 19 June 2026 took effect, so figures you find on older pages and forums are now out of date.
This page sets out the current fees relevant to separation and divorce, explains the Help with Fees scheme for people who cannot afford them, and shows which fees you avoid altogether by reaching agreement instead of applying to court. It is part of our wider guide to how much family mediation costs.
The family court fees that matter when you separate
Four fees account for almost everything a separating couple might pay to the court. The table shows each fee before and after the 13 July 2026 change, taken from the EX50 fees list and the Ministry of Justice announcement.
| Application | Fee to 12 July 2026 | Fee from 13 July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Divorce, dissolution or nullity | £612 | £628 |
| Children application (C100: child arrangements, prohibited steps, specific issue) | £263 | £270 |
| Financial order, contested (Form A on notice) | £313 | £321 |
| Financial order by consent (consent order) | £60 | £62 |
The children application fee covers the C100 form, which is how you apply for a child arrangements order, a prohibited steps order or a specific issue order under section 8 of the Children Act 1989. Before you can make that application you normally need to have attended a MIAM, a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting; our guide to the C100 and the MIAM explains how the two connect.
What changed on 13 July 2026
On 19 June 2026 the Ministry of Justice announced increases to a long list of court and tribunal fees, most rising by 2.6 per cent in line with inflation, with effect from 13 July 2026. For separating families the practical effect is the final column above: divorce up from £612 to £628, children applications from £263 to £270, contested financial orders from £313 to £321, and financial orders by consent from £60 to £62.
Fee increases of this kind happen every year or two; the consent order fee, for example, had previously risen from £58 to £60 in April 2025. The safest habit is to check the current EX50 list on GOV.UK immediately before you apply, since the fee is taken at the point of application and an out-of-date cheque or payment can delay your case.
The law
Court fees are set by fees orders made under statutory powers and apply identically in the High Court, county court and family court. The published EX50 list is the authoritative schedule; a court cannot waive a fee informally, only through the Help with Fees remission scheme.
The £62 consent order fee is not the £321 financial order fee
These two fees cause more confusion than any others, because both involve “a financial order” and both use Form A. The difference is whether the application is contested. If you apply on notice, meaning you are asking the court to decide your finances because you do not agree, the fee is £321 and you enter full financial remedy proceedings. If you apply by consent, meaning you both sign an agreed order and ask the court to approve it, the application is treated as one made without notice and the fee is £62, as of 13 July 2026.
That £259 gap is the court fee system quietly rewarding agreement. Couples who settle their finances in mediation take the consent route: the mediator’s Memorandum of Understanding is turned into a draft order, usually by a solicitor, and filed with the £62 fee. Our guide to consent orders covers the process, and the official steps are on GOV.UK’s consent order guidance.
Help with Fees: paying less, or nothing
If paying a court fee would be a real hardship, the Help with Fees scheme can reduce it or remove it entirely. Eligibility depends on your savings, whether you receive certain means-tested benefits, and your monthly income, with allowances for a partner and children. Depending on where you fall, you may pay nothing, or a reduced amount.
You apply online at GOV.UK, Get help with court fees or by post using form EX160, ideally at the same time as your court application: you quote your Help with Fees reference number instead of paying. If you have already paid a fee and were eligible at the time, you can ask for a refund within three months.
Help with Fees applies to the fee only. It does not fund solicitors, mediation or anything else, so it sits alongside the other schemes rather than replacing them: legal aid can fund mediation itself for those who qualify, and the £500 mediation voucher helps with sessions in children cases regardless of income.
Which fees mediation lets you avoid
Court fees are only paid when someone applies to court, so a couple who reach agreement another way sidestep most of the list. Agree your child arrangements in mediation and there is no C100 to issue, so the £270 fee never arises; a written parenting plan needs no court approval at all. Agree your finances and you avoid the £321 contested fee and everything that follows it.
Two fees survive agreement. The divorce application fee of £628 applies to every divorce, however amicable, because only the court can legally end a marriage. And if you want your financial agreement to be binding and final, which for most divorcing couples is strongly advisable, you pay the £62 consent order fee. In other words, a fully mediated divorce typically involves £690 of court fees in total, against £1,219 or more for a couple who litigate both children and finances, before a penny of legal costs is counted. The full comparison is on our mediation vs court costs page.
When and how you pay
Fees are paid at the point of application. Divorce applications are made online through the GOV.UK service and paid by card; the C100 can be issued online or on paper; consent orders are filed with the fee once the divorce has reached the conditional order stage. If a solicitor files for you, the fee is usually passed on as a disbursement, an expense they pay on your behalf and add to your bill.
Keep the distinction between court fees and professional costs clear when budgeting. The fees on this page go to HM Courts and Tribunals Service and are fixed. What varies enormously is what you spend getting to the point of application, which is where choosing mediation over contested proceedings makes the difference measured in thousands rather than tens of pounds.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to apply for a divorce in 2026?
The court fee for a divorce, dissolution or nullity application is £628 as of 13 July 2026, following the fee increase that took effect on 13 July 2026. The fee is the same however straightforward the divorce is, and is paid when you submit the application, usually online.
What is the court fee for a C100 children application?
The fee for a children application under section 8 of the Children Act 1989, made on form C100 and covering child arrangements, prohibited steps and specific issue orders, is £270 as of 13 July 2026. In most cases you must attend a MIAM before the court will accept the application.
Why is a consent order only £62 when a financial order costs £321?
They are different applications. The £321 fee starts contested financial remedy proceedings where a judge will decide. The £62 fee, as of 13 July 2026, is for an agreed order filed by consent, treated as an application without notice. Couples who settle in mediation use the consent route and pay the lower fee.
Can I get family court fees waived?
Possibly. The Help with Fees scheme gives a full or partial fee remission based on your savings, benefits and monthly income. Apply online or with form EX160, ideally when you make the court application. If you were eligible when you paid a fee, you can claim a refund within three months.
Do I pay a court fee if we agree everything in mediation?
Only two can remain. The £628 divorce fee applies to every divorce, and making a financial agreement binding costs the £62 consent order fee, both as of 13 July 2026. Agreed child arrangements need no court application at all, so the £270 C100 fee is avoided entirely.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Family court fees (EX50), verifies the fee categories and that fees apply equally across the High Court, county court and family court (accessed July 2026).
- GOV.UK, Court and tribunal fees updates from July 2026, verifies the increases effective 13 July 2026, including divorce £628, children applications £270 and financial orders £321 (accessed July 2026).
- GOV.UK, Get help with court fees, verifies the Help with Fees eligibility basis, the EX160 form, online applications and the three-month refund window (accessed July 2026).
- GOV.UK, Apply for a consent order, verifies the process for making a financial agreement legally binding by consent (accessed July 2026).
- GOV.UK, Apply for a court order about your children, verifies the C100 application route for section 8 orders (accessed July 2026).
- Children Act 1989, section 8, verifies the orders covered by a children application (accessed July 2026).