How much does a divorce cost?

Short answer

The court fee is £628, and a straightforward divorce can be done online for that alone. The real cost is the financial settlement: a consent order typically adds £1,000 to £3,000 in solicitor fees plus a £62 court fee, and contested proceedings run far higher.

Since April 2022 the only ground for divorce is irretrievable breakdown, no fault need be alleged, and the respondent cannot defend it. That has made the divorce itself largely administrative — and shifted almost all the cost onto the finances, which are dealt with entirely separately.

The unavoidable costs

£628 court fee for the divorce application, whether sole or joint. Help with Fees may be available on low income.
Consent order — around £1,000 to £3,000 in solicitor fees to draft, plus a court fee of £62 for a financial order by consent.
Mediation — roughly £100 to £200 per person per session if you use it, with legal aid available for those eligible.

Using a solicitor to run the divorce and negotiate finances typically costs somewhere between £1,500 and £20,000 or more depending on complexity. If financial proceedings become contested and reach a final hearing, total legal costs can run into tens of thousands per party. Legal aid for family law is largely limited to cases with evidence of domestic abuse or child protection concerns.

What you are paying for, and the timetable

The process itself is fixed by statute. The application is issued online; a sole respondent must acknowledge service within 14 days. At least 20 weeks after issue you may apply for the conditional order, and at least six weeks after that for the final order. In practice that means around six months minimum, often longer with court processing.

The one decision worth taking advice on is timing. Do not apply for the final order until the finances are resolved or an agreement is in place unless there is a positive reason to. The final order ends your status as a spouse, which can affect inheritance rights, pension death benefits and tax treatment — an expensive accident if a pension scheme pays a death benefit to a former spouse who is no longer one.

You are not required to use a solicitor: the HMCTS portal is designed for people acting for themselves, and many straightforward divorces are completed that way. The financial order is the part where paying for advice earns its keep, because an unsealed private agreement is not enforceable and leaves claims open indefinitely.

Read the full guide: No-Fault DivorceCovers eligibility, the process, deadlines, and next steps in depth.

Related guides

No-Fault Divorce

The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 fundamentally changed divorce law in England and Wales when it came into force in April 2022. For the first time, couples can end a marriage without having to allege fault — such as adultery or unreasonable behaviour — against each other. The process is now simpler, less adversarial, and can be completed jointly or by one spouse alone.

9 min

Consent Orders After Divorce

If you have reached a financial agreement with your former spouse after divorce, you should convert that agreement into a court-approved consent order. Without a court order, your financial claims remain open indefinitely — a former spouse could make a claim against you years or even decades later. A consent order provides legal finality.

6 min

Financial Settlement on Divorce

Sorting out finances is often the most complex and contentious part of a divorce. The family court can make a wide range of financial remedy orders — covering property, pensions, savings, and maintenance — based on the needs of both parties, their contributions, and the length of the marriage.