Divorce Costs

There is a court fee for every divorce of £550.00 paid when you file your petition. The courts are able to reduce or waive this fee if your income is low. You’ll need to complete an application and provide evidence of your income.

If you instruct a solicitor to help you with your divorce, you will also need to pay his or her fees.  We charge a fixed fee to prepare divorce papers which includes dealing with the court, all the paperwork and getting the divorce finalised.  You can expect to pay upwards of £600.00 (plus VAT) in legal fees.

The difficulty is that every divorce is different, despite following a standard process.  Some divorce proceedings are complicated.  There may be difficulties with serving the court papers or about the evidence relied upon.  Sometimes there is more than one country in which a divorce can be issued.

You should also remember that the divorce is separate to financial matters. Divorce brings the marriage to an end but it ignores all the financial ties between you.  Getting a settlement agreed and made binding is dealt with separately to divorce and will incur its own costs.  It will be worth it though – you’ll end up with the certainty that any future inheritance or lottery win will remain your own!  Getting legal assistance can save you money and help you protect your assets.

Legal Aid is available for some people who need a divorce. 

There are two requirements: 

1. your savings and income need to be below a threshold set by the Legal Aid Agency; and 

2. you must provide evidence that you have suffered domestic abuse in the last two years.

You can check whether you are eligible using the legal aid checker.

If your income is below the threshold but you do not have evidence of domestic abuse, you will not be able to receive Legal Aid.