Get agreeable.
Make it official.
Around two thirds of divorces in England and Wales end with no financial order, often because it looks like a job for solicitors. It isn't. Agreeable walks you both through every decision in plain English, then drafts and files the consent order for a judge to approve.
Free to start. Invite your partner and agree the first thing today. £249 for both of you unlocks the rest.
Your financial picture
Sam & Jo · 14-year marriage · 2 children
Sam keeps the house with the children. Jo keeps the larger pension to balance it.
For couples who already agree. Or nearly do. If you are far apart, we say so and point you to a mediator or a solicitor instead of taking your money.
We explain and prepare. We don't advise. Agreeable is not a law firm and gives no legal advice. We set out the law, the process and what judges look for. What you agree is yours.
No solicitor is required. In England and Wales you can apply for the divorce and the consent order yourselves. We say when a fixed-fee check is worth having, and why.
Sources for all of this are on why no solicitor is needed.
The calendar
Two tracks, three documents, one gate
The divorce ends the marriage. It does not settle the money. That takes a second set of documents most people never file. Here is the whole thing in order, with the waits the law sets and the only two fees the court charges.
Old names you may still hear: the conditional order was the decree nisi, the final order the decree absolute.
- 1Divorce
Day 0
File the divorce application
What happens
Online on GOV.UK, by one of you or both together.
- No reason or blame needed.
- The court issues it in about 1 to 2 weeks.
- That date starts a 20 week wait set by law.
Online on GOV.UK, by one of you or both together.
- No reason or blame needed.
- The court issues it in about 1 to 2 weeks.
- That date starts a 20 week wait set by law.
Divorce applicationCourt fee £690 - 2Finances
Weeks 0 to 20
Agree the money, get the two documents ready
What happens
Use the wait to sort the money, so nothing is held up later.
- Ask every pension for its value on day one (public sector takes up to 12 weeks).
- Get the house valued, list savings and debts.
- Agree the split, then the consent order and D81 are drafted and signed, ready to file.
Use the wait to sort the money, so nothing is held up later.
- Ask every pension for its value on day one (public sector takes up to 12 weeks).
- Get the house valued, list savings and debts.
- Agree the split, then the consent order and D81 are drafted and signed, ready to file.
Consent order + D81 - 3Divorce
Week 20
Confirm you want to continue
What happens
At 20 weeks you log back in and click to carry on.
- No form, no fee.
- The court then grants a conditional order, its agreement in principle, typically 2 to 6 weeks later.
- You are still married, but the money paperwork can now be filed.
At 20 weeks you log back in and click to carry on.
- No form, no fee.
- The court then grants a conditional order, its agreement in principle, typically 2 to 6 weeks later.
- You are still married, but the money paperwork can now be filed.
Conditional orderNo court fee - 4Finances
Day the conditional order lands
File the consent order and D81
What happens
Two documents, both signed by both of you.
- Consent order: your money agreement in court wording.
- D81: a short statement of both your finances, before and after, so the judge can check it is fair.
- Cannot be filed a day before the conditional order.
- A judge reads them on paper, no hearing, typically 4 to 8 weeks.
Two documents, both signed by both of you.
- Consent order: your money agreement in court wording.
- D81: a short statement of both your finances, before and after, so the judge can check it is fair.
- Cannot be filed a day before the conditional order.
- A judge reads them on paper, no hearing, typically 4 to 8 weeks.
Court fee £62 - 5Finances
4 to 8 weeks after you file it
Consent order approved
What happens
The judge stamps it ("sealed").
- Agreed and approved, but it takes effect only on the final order.
- The clean break, ending all future claims between you, starts then too. Child maintenance is never part of it.
- A question from the judge adds 3 to 4 weeks.
The judge stamps it ("sealed").
- Agreed and approved, but it takes effect only on the final order.
- The clean break, ending all future claims between you, starts then too. Child maintenance is never part of it.
- A question from the judge adds 3 to 4 weeks.
- 6Divorce
Six weeks and a day after the conditional order
Apply for the final order
What happens
The order that actually ends the marriage.
- Not automatic: you log back in and apply.
- Earliest six weeks and a day after the conditional order, but wait for the approved consent order first.
- Granted in a day or two, emailed to you.
- About 7 to 9 months from start to here; pension shares and house transfers happen after.
The order that actually ends the marriage.
- Not automatic: you log back in and apply.
- Earliest six weeks and a day after the conditional order, but wait for the approved consent order first.
- Granted in a day or two, emailed to you.
- About 7 to 9 months from start to here; pension shares and house transfers happen after.
Final orderNo court fee
How long, all in
26 weeks minimum. Seven to nine months in practice.
The waits are set by law or by court workload, not by how organised you are. What you control is whether the money track adds time on top.
Done well, you sort the finances during the 20 week wait after the court issues your application, so nothing is held up while you wait for the conditional order. Leave the money until after it instead and you add the judge's review, typically 4 to 8 weeks (3 to 4 more if the judge has a question), because the final order then waits on the judge.
The documents
Three, not one
- Divorce application. Starts the divorce. Online, £690. The court then issues two decisions in turn: the conditional order (agreement in principle, you're still married) and the final order (the marriage ends).
- Consent order. The money agreement in court wording: house, pensions, savings, debts, maintenance, clean break.
- D81 statement. A short summary of both your finances before and after the order, so the judge can see it's fair without a hearing. Filed with the consent order, £62.
Divorce application ↗Consent order ↗Form D81 ↗Help with fees ↗
The two traps
Where it goes wrong
- Stopping after the divorce. The online form never asks about money, so two thirds of couples get the final order and leave every financial claim open, for life.
- Final order before the consent order. Once you're no longer spouses, pension death benefits and other protections fall away while the money is still unsettled. Finances first, final order last.
Bare minimum, done well
in court fees, both tracks: £690 for the divorce (the conditional and final orders are free) and £62 to file the consent order. Nothing else is compulsory.
- 26 weeks minimum, set by law
- No solicitor required for either track
- No hearing. A judge reads it on paper
What you'll decide
Five things, explained one at a time
Every divorce settlement comes down to the same five decisions. We take them in order, explain what the law says about each, and show you how the numbers change as you go.
The house
Sell it, one of you buys the other out, or the parent with the children stays until they're grown. We show you what each one means for the numbers.
The pensions
Often the biggest asset in the marriage and the one DIY orders forget. We ask for the values up front and explain how pensions can be shared or offset, and what a judge looks for.
Savings & debts
What's joint, what's yours, what you brought in. One list, both of you agree it's complete.
Income and the clean break
What each of you earns, so the judge can see you'll both manage, and the clean break clause that stops either of you coming back later.
The children
Child maintenance follows the government (CMS) formula and we calculate it for you. Where the children live goes in a separate parenting plan (a free Cafcass template), not in the court order and never filed, and we help you write it.
Then the paperwork writes itself
Your answers become the D81 and the consent order. You read them in plain English alongside the court wording before you sign.
How it works
Three steps. One judge. No hearing.
Build your financial picture
Answer plain questions about the house, pensions, savings, income and children. Both of you see the same picture. Takes about 40 minutes.
Agree the split, with the judge's checklist beside you
Try different outcomes and see what each one means. We flag the things that make a judge send an order back, before you sign it.
We draft and file it
Your consent order and D81 statement are drafted from your answers, checked, and filed with the court once your conditional order is granted.
What a judge checks
We flag it before the judge does
Judges approve the vast majority of consent orders. The ones that come back share a handful of patterns. As you build your picture, Agreeable checks for each of them and tells you, in a sentence, what the judge would ask and how couples usually answer it.
- One of you walks away with almost nothing after a long marriage
- The pension is left out of the deal entirely
- The parent the children live with is left without a home
- A side promise that isn't written into the order
- The numbers on the D81 don't add up to the order
A flag isn't a refusal. Unequal splits go through all the time when the D81 shows why. We help you write the why.
Pension gap offset against capital
Jo keeps the larger pension; Sam takes the house. The D81 says so.
Children housed
Sam keeps the home; the mortgage fits Sam's income alone.
A final-salary pension
Jo's NHS pension has a CEV of £164,000. An expert report is suggested before fixing the share.
Capital split 58 / 42
Within the range judges approve for a 14-year marriage. Reason given: Sam houses the children.
Clean break
Both have independent income; neither needs ongoing maintenance.
D81 reconciles
Before and after columns total the same assets.
What it costs
The judge doesn't care who drafted it
Once a judge has approved it, a consent order has the same legal effect whoever drafted it. What you pay for at the expensive end is help reaching the agreement in the first place. If you've already agreed, you don't need that.
Swipe sideways to see every option
| Agreeable | Do it yourself | Mediation service | Solicitor each | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost for both of you | £249, once | Court fees only | £120 to £200 an hour each, usually 2 to 4 sessions, plus drafting | Usually thousands each |
| Explains each decision | ||||
| Flags what judges send back | Partly | |||
| Drafts consent order and D81 | ||||
| Files it with the court | You do | |||
| Independent advice for you personally | Optional fixed fee | |||
| Helps if you don't agree |
Plus £752 in court fees whichever route you take, paid to the court, not to us: £690 when you apply for the divorce and £62 when you file the consent order. If you are on a low income you can apply for help with fees. How the tiers work
When we'll tell you to see a solicitor
Agreeable is for couples who agree and whose finances are straightforward. If either pension is large, if there's a business or property abroad, or if one of you hasn't had much to do with the money, we'll say so during the walkthrough and point you to a fixed-fee solicitor review before you sign anything. We'd rather lose the sale than file an order you shouldn't have signed.
FAQ
Honest answers
Do we need a solicitor at all?
No. In England and Wales you can do the divorce and the financial order yourselves. A judge approves the consent order, and the judge doesn't mind who drafted it. We do recommend a one-off solicitor check for the pension, or where one of you has had much less to do with the money. That is our Reviewed tier: a real solicitor checks the draft for a fixed fee.
What's the difference between the divorce and the consent order?
The divorce ends the marriage. It doesn't end financial claims between you. The consent order does that. It's the document that says who gets what and closes the door on future claims, and it's the part most couples skip because it looks hard. It isn't, once someone explains it.
Is this legal advice?
No, and we say so everywhere. We explain the law, the process, and what judges tend to look at. We don't tell you what to agree to. If you want someone to tell you whether your deal is a good one for you personally, that's a solicitor, and we'll connect you to one for a fixed fee.
What if we don't agree on everything?
Agreeable is for couples who agree, or nearly do. If you're stuck on one or two points, a family mediator is the right next step, and you can come back to us with the agreement. If you're far apart, you need solicitors, and we'll tell you that rather than take your money.
How long does it take?
A minimum of 26 weeks for the divorce itself, set by law. Most couples finish in seven to nine months. The financial order fits inside that window if you start it early. See the dated timeline on the how it works page.
Does this work in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
Not yet. The process and the law are different there. Agreeable covers England and Wales only.
Start with the picture. Pay only when you are ready to file.
About forty minutes, both of you, no card needed. See exactly what your agreement looks like on paper before you decide anything.