How much does it cost to get a divorce?

Setting out the cost of the divorce procedure is a fairly straight forward issue but it is the additional issues alongside the actual divorce process such as resolving the financial matters and on occasion the arrangements for the children which can take a case from being relatively straight forward and in the normal costs parameters to a costly affair.

Whenever any separating party wishes to file a Petition with the Court this attracts a Court fee which currently stands at £550.00.  There are circumstances where some individuals on lower incomes may be eligible for a fee remission/reduction.  Initially most Solicitors now charge a “fixed fee” for the work undertaken in the divorce procedure so long as it is of a standard nature.  Our fee (at present as of 14 November 2019) is £700.00 plus VAT.  The fee is less if you are the Respondent in the Petition.

The other issues surrounding a marital breakdown such as what will be done with the matrimonial assets and what the arrangements will be for the children can be resolved in a number of ways and depending on how those matters are resolved will dictate the length of the process and the cost of the process.  The separating parties may be on extremely good terms and reach an agreement.  In those circumstances the costs of formalising those arrangements can be minimal.  It may be that Solicitor involvement is required to assist in the negotiations either through correspondence or through engaging in a process known as collaborative law where the parties and respective Solicitors agree not to go down the Court route and work as a team to assist the parties moving forward. There may be a preference to engage in Mediation to assist in resolving the issues and as a last resort, should all else fail, there is the Court process to resolve those issues.  Placing a figure on that side of the divorce is extremely difficult as each and every case is different and arguing every issue will mean the costs will increase.

Contact a member of our Family Law team for advice We have offices in York, Selby, Malton and Pickering.