Key Takeaways
- The court fee to apply for a divorce in England and Wales is £628, and it is the same whether or not you both agree. It rose from £612 on 13 July 2026.
- Agreeing on everything does not remove the court fee, but it keeps legal costs low because you avoid contested hearings.
- Ending the marriage and settling your finances are two separate steps. To make a financial agreement binding you need a consent order, which carries a £62 court fee.
- You can apply jointly or as a sole applicant, and the minimum timeline is around 26 weeks even when nothing is disputed.
Divorce has a reputation for costing a fortune. Most of us have heard the stories about legal bills running well into five figures, so if you and your partner are splitting up on reasonable terms, it feels a little unfair to be bracing yourself for the same scary numbers. You two have actually managed to agree on things. Surely that counts for something.
It does. Here is the reassuring part. Most of what makes a divorce expensive is the fighting, not the divorce itself. When you both agree on how to split things, you skip the stage that racks up the legal fees. The court fee is the one thing you cannot avoid, because that is fixed and everyone pays the same whether their split is friendly or bitter.
So it helps to know exactly what you are paying for and where the money actually goes. Below we break down the real cost of an agreed divorce in 2026, including one step that people often forget and that can come back to bite them years down the line. If you would rather talk it through with someone first, Osbourne Pinner offers a free 30-minute consultation with a family law solicitor.
The short answer
For an uncontested divorce where you both agree, budget for the £628 court fee as your baseline. If you handle the paperwork yourselves and have nothing to argue over, that single fee can be close to your total outlay. Most couples spend a bit more once they add a solicitor to run the process and a consent order to lock in the settlement, but the numbers stay modest next to a contested case that drags through court.
The court fee is £628, and agreeing does not change it
Everyone who applies for a divorce in England and Wales pays the same court fee. As of 13 July 2026 that fee is £628, up from £612. You can see the current figure on the GOV.UK divorce application page. It makes no difference whether you apply on your own or together, or whether your split is friendly or bitter. The fee covers the whole process, from the first application to the final order.
If you are on a low income or receive certain benefits, you may be able to get help with court fees, which can reduce or wipe out the amount you pay. For a joint application, both of you have to qualify. If one of you does not, the full fee applies.
What “both parties agree” actually means
Since April 2022, no-fault divorce means neither of you has to prove the other did anything wrong. You simply confirm the marriage has broken down irretrievably. The divorce itself cannot be contested except on narrow legal grounds such as jurisdiction, so in practice nearly every divorce is now uncontested.
Agreeing on the divorce is the easy bit. The costs that move up and down are tied to two other questions: how you divide your money and property, and what happens with any children. Couples who settle those between themselves avoid the fees that pile up when disputes end in court.
Apply as a couple or on your own
When you both agree, you can apply together as joint applicants or one of you can apply as the sole applicant. A joint application suits couples who are on good terms and want to share the process from start to finish. A sole application can be simpler if one of you would rather take charge of the paperwork, and it works just as well for an amicable split. The court fee is identical either way, so choose whichever feels less stressful.
Solicitor fees for an agreed divorce
You are not required to use a solicitor. Many people still want one to handle the forms, keep to the deadlines and check nothing has been missed. For a straightforward agreed divorce, plenty of firms offer a fixed-fee divorce service so you know the cost upfront. As a rough guide, a fixed fee for an uncontested divorce tends to sit somewhere around £500 to £1,000 plus VAT, and it usually sits on top of the £628 court fee rather than including it. If your case needs more than the basics, for example advice on pensions or a more involved settlement, some firms move to an hourly rate, often in the £200 to £350 range. Always check what a quote actually covers before you sign up.
At Osbourne Pinner our family law team can run the whole process for you or simply review your paperwork before you file. When you both agree, the work is predictable, so the cost is too.
The financial consent order is the cost that matters most
Here is the part that catches people out. Your divorce ends the marriage. It does not end your financial ties. Without a court order, your ex could bring a financial claim against you long after the final order, even if you shook hands on everything at the time. The way to shut that door is a financial consent order.
A consent order records how you have agreed to divide assets, pensions, property and any maintenance. Once a judge approves it, it is legally binding. The court fee to apply for one is £62, and on top of that a solicitor will usually charge somewhere between £300 and £1,500 plus VAT to draft it, depending on how involved your finances are. It is money well spent, because a judge can reject an order that looks unfair or leaves things unclear.
If your finances are more involved, for example you have a pension to share or a home to transfer, it is worth reading our guide to a fixed-fee financial settlement before you agree anything. Small decisions made early can be hard to undo once the order is sealed.
Other costs worth budgeting for
- A certified copy of your marriage certificate if you cannot find the original, which costs around £11 from the register office.
- A certified translation of your marriage certificate if it is not in English.
- Legal advice on the financial settlement, which is where most of the value lies when there are assets, pensions or a property involved.
- Costs linked to children if arrangements are not agreed, though many parents settle these without ever going near a court.
- A process server if you do not know where your ex is living, which usually runs from £150 to £300, or more again if they are abroad and the papers have to be served overseas.
So what does an agreed divorce cost in total?
For the very simplest case, where you do the paperwork yourselves, you are looking at the £628 court fee plus £62 for a consent order, so around £690 all in. Add a fixed-fee solicitor to run the divorce and draft a proper consent order and most amicable couples land somewhere in the region of £1,500 to £2,500 in total. Compare that with a contested case, where fees can climb into five figures once hearings and disputes take over, and the value of agreeing becomes obvious. The recent Aviva research put the wider cost of divorce, once you factor in things like moving home, at over £14,000, so keeping the legal side lean matters.
How to keep the cost down
The single biggest saving is staying out of court over money and children. Every hearing adds fees and legal time. Agree the settlement between yourselves, then have a solicitor turn it into a consent order, and you get the protection of a court order without the price of a fight. It also helps to apply jointly if you are on good terms, file online, and get your paperwork right first time so you avoid the delays that quietly push the cost up.
Speak to a Divorce Solicitor About an Agreed Divorce
An agreed divorce is the cheapest and least stressful route, but skipping the financial consent order can leave you exposed to claims long after the marriage has ended. Getting the paperwork right the first time protects what you have both agreed.
At Osbourne Pinner, our divorce solicitors can handle your agreed divorce from start to finish, draft your financial consent order and make sure nothing is left open. Whether you are applying jointly or on your own, we can keep the process clear and manageable.
Please note that this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. We always recommend speaking to a qualified solicitor for advice tailored to your specific circumstances.
We offer a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your situation. You can speak with us via video call or visit our offices in Harrow, Canary Wharf, Piccadilly Circus or Manchester. To arrange your consultation, call 0203 983 5080, email [email protected] or complete the form below.
