Is divorce expensive in the UK?

The divorce itself is not expensive. In England and Wales the court fee is around £600 (check gov.uk for the current figure), and if you apply online and agree everything, that can be the whole cost. What becomes expensive is the part people confuse with divorce: dividing money, property and pensions, and sorting out arrangements for children. Those are separate processes with separate costs, and they are where a few hundred pounds can become many thousands.

England and Wales

Since April 2022 divorce has been "no-fault". You no longer have to prove adultery or unreasonable behaviour. You state that the marriage has broken down and the other person cannot contest it. Applications can be made by one of you or jointly, online. The whole process takes a minimum of about six months because of built-in waiting periods.

Costs break down roughly like this:

• The application fee: around £600. People on low income or benefits can apply for help with fees.
• A solicitor to handle the divorce: optional. A fixed fee of a few hundred pounds to around £1,500 is common for an uncontested divorce.
• A financial order: separate from the divorce, and important. Without one, financial claims between you stay open indefinitely. A consent order (where you agree) has a modest court fee and solicitor costs for drafting. Where you cannot agree, contested financial proceedings can run into tens of thousands.
• Mediation: usually cheaper than court. The government's family mediation voucher scheme currently contributes up to £500 towards mediation where children are involved. Check gov.uk for whether it is still running.
• Child arrangements: separate again, and usually free to agree between yourselves. Court applications have their own fee.

The same applies to dissolving a civil partnership.

Scotland

Scotland has two routes. The simplified procedure is for couples with no children under 16, no financial claims to settle, and where you have lived apart for a year with consent or two years without. The fee is a few hundred pounds and you can do it yourself. The ordinary procedure is for everyone else and involves a solicitor. Costs vary but are generally lower than for a contested case in England. Scotland's rules on dividing matrimonial property are more fixed, which can make the financial side more predictable.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has not adopted no-fault divorce. You still need to show one of the five facts, and the process runs through the courts with a hearing. Costs are generally higher and the process slower. A solicitor's advice early is worth having.

Keeping the cost down

Agree what you can before you pay anyone. Use a solicitor for the things that matter, the financial order above all, rather than for every letter. Try mediation where it is safe. And where there is domestic abuse, say so: it changes what you are entitled to, including legal aid and an exemption from the requirement to consider mediation.

Mediation and "agreeing between yourselves" assume two people who can negotiate as equals. Where one partner controls the other, that is not the case, and a solicitor or domestic abuse service should know before any process starts.

What this might mean for you

The cost of divorce is one of the most common reasons people give for staying, and it is often smaller than feared. The member module Money, housing and the legal process goes through what tends to happen with money, housing and benefits step by step. If cost is one of several things holding you, What's really holding you helps you separate the practical blockers from the others.

This is general information, not legal advice. For your position, speak to a family solicitor (many offer a fixed-fee first meeting), Citizens Advice, or, if there is abuse, a domestic abuse service: National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247, Men's Advice Line 0808 801 0327.