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Your financial picture

Six short steps. Each one is a single decision, with what the law says beside it. Your split and the judge's checklist update as you go. Round numbers are fine for now.

Step 1 of 6

Who's agreeing

We'll use your first names so the picture reads like a conversation, not a form.

Why this matters

The length of the marriage is the first thing a judge looks at.

Your first nameTheir first nameYears married (include living together before)Children under 18Children you have together who are under 18, or 18 to 19 and still in school or college (not university). The count changes the child maintenance formula and what the court asks about housing.

What the law says

Why the length matters. For a marriage of around ten years or more, the starting point is equal sharing of everything built up during it. For shorter marriages, judges look more at what each of you brought in.

Cost and timeOnly £752 is compulsory. No solicitor needed. The rest depends on your choices

Divorce application
When you apply on GOV.UK · Paid to the court
Covers the conditional order (the court's agreement in principle) and the final order (the one that ends the marriage) too; both are free to apply for. Help with fees exists for low incomes.
£690
Issued in about 1 to 2 weeks
Filing the consent order (your money agreement in court wording) and D81 (the finances statement)
After the conditional order · Paid to the court
If the judge has a question, it adds 3 to 4 weeks.
£62
A judge typically takes 4 to 8 weeks
Replacement marriage certificate
Only if you need a copy · General Register Office
£12.50
The divorce itself
The 20 week wait runs from the day the court issues the application. You apply for the final order yourself; it is not automatic.
No other court fee
About 26 weeks minimum, 7 to 9 months is realistic
A solicitor
Nothing in this process needs a lawyer when you agree. Where a fixed-fee hour or an expert report is worth having, the relevant step says so and what it costs.
Not required
Everything else
Keeping the home, sharing a pension or selling up each bring their own third-party costs. They are listed on the step where the choice is made, and all of them together on the pricing page.
Depends on your choices

?How to actually do this3 practical notes

Count living together before the wedding

If you moved in together and then married without a gap, the court treats the whole period as the marriage. Eight years married after four years living together is a twelve-year relationship for these purposes.

Agree a separation date and write it down

Nothing legal hangs on it for a no-fault divorce, but valuations, pension figures and the D81 (the short statement of both your finances that goes to the judge with the order) all want a point in time. Pick the date one of you moved out or you agreed it was over, and use it everywhere.

Decide who files

Either of you can apply alone, or you can apply jointly on GOV.UK. Joint is simpler when you're agreed: both of you get the court emails and nobody has to be "served" (formally sent the papers).