How Much Does Divorce Cost?

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At Simpson Millar, a Fixed Fee Divorce costs £600 including VAT.

Anyone who works for the NHS, Police, Fire Service or the Armed Forces can get a 10% discount on all of our divorce fee options. This includes our Fixed Fees, as well as a free initial 30 minute telephone call with a Divorce Solicitor.

Divorce can be mentally draining, but that doesn’t mean it has to be financially draining too. Our Fixed Fee Divorce option means that there will be no hidden costs to surprise you during the divorce process.

You can apply for a Fixed Fee Divorce in England or Wales if:

  • You and your partner both want a divorce and you’ve agreed who will take the lead; or
  • Your partner agrees to divorce after an initial letter from us and the grounds for divorce itself; and
  • You both live in England and Wales; and
  • You’ve agreed who will pay for the divorce

If you apply for a Fixed Fee Divorce but need any additional work from us, such as settling a dispute, we will always tell you beforehand so you know exactly how much it will cost. We pride ourselves on being open and transparent about our Divorce Solicitor fees.

What’s Included in the Fixed Fee Divorce?

When you get a Fixed Fee Divorce with Simpson Millar, it covers the cost of all the legal work involved in applying for your divorce.

This includes the legal advice that one of our Divorce Solicitors or Lawyers will provide you with about the divorce process. We will explain what will happen at each stage of your divorce so you know exactly what to expect.

When going through the divorce process there are 3 applications that you’ll need to make if you’re the Petitioner (the spouse who applies for divorce). These include:

  • The Divorce Application
  • A Decree Nisi
  • A Decree Absolute

Our Fixed Fee Divorce includes the costs of completing these applications for you and sending them to Court. These can be quite long forms and it’s important that their filled in correctly otherwise your divorce will take longer. Our Divorce Solicitors are experts at dealing with divorce papers and can take this burden off of your shoulders.

We can usually prepare the paperwork within a matter of days too, so you’ll have peace of mind that the divorce process will be completed as quickly as possible.

We will keep and provide you with copies of all the important documents, for safekeeping, should you ever need them. This is also covered when you get a Fixed Fee Divorce with us. 

What’s Not Included in the Fixed Fee Divorce?

Our Fixed Fee Divorce does not include the Court fee of £550. This fee covers the administration process that the Court will need to do on their end, so is a separate payment to the £600 you pay for the help of a Divorce Solicitor to get divorced. In some cases the Court fee can be reduced or avoided completely, so ask one of our Divorce Solicitors if this is an option for you.

Some divorce cases are over more quickly than others. This is often when you can agree with your ex-partner about who will pay for the divorce and how you will divide your assets. However, we understand that some divorces can be more complex and it’s not always easy to agree.

One of our Divorce Solicitors can help you settle a dispute about who pays for the divorce and help you solve any financial issues. However, this isn’t included in our Fixed Fee Divorce as it will take more time and legal work.

If your ex objects to the divorce, or it becomes contested (defended), then things become much more complicated and will cost more than the Fixed Fee Divorce rate.

If you and your ex-partner have children, the next step in your divorce might be to deal with child arrangements. Our Family Law Solicitors can advise you on child arrangements, however this isn’t included in the Fixed Fee Divorce process and is dealt with separately.

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Who Pays for the Divorce Costs?

You and your partner will need to come to an agreement about who will apply for, and therefore pay, for the divorce costs. The person applying for the divorce is called the Petitioner and the person responding is called the Respondent.

While the Petitioner is required to pay the upfront costs, it might be the case that you both agree to share the divorce costs between you. This is quite common for separating couples, as it can reduce conflict between you and reduce the additional costs of having a Divorce Solicitor intervene.

If you cannot agree on how to pay the divorce fees and need help from a Divorce Solicitor to decide who will pay for your divorce, a Fixed Fee Divorce might not be right for you.

If your situation is quite complex and you feel that you need to discuss your divorce in more detail, an initial consultation with an expert Divorce Solicitor will cost £252. This could determine if a Fixed Fee Divorce is the right option for you.

Will I Need to Pay More to Settle Finances in My Divorce?

Yes – if you want to a get a Financial Order then it will cost more.

If you can agree amicably with your partner about how your assets will be shared then you should still apply to the Court for a Financial Order for the Judge to make your agreements legal binding and so you can acheive a clean financial break from your ex-partner.

If you can agree on how to divide your assets and want to make it legally binding, we can off a Fixed Fee Consent Order so you know exactly how much it will cost to cut the financial ties between you and your ex-partner.

A Fixed Fee Consent Order will cost £900. The Court Fee is £50, so the overall costs are £950.

Remember that if you agree to share the costs of your divorce fees, then it will work out cheaper for both of you.

If you and your ex-partner cannot come to an agreement and require a Divorce Solicitor to negotiate with your former partner about financial issues, we can help you. But this service is not covered by the Fixed Fee Consent Order cost. If you need additional help from us, or if you have complex finances such as assets overseas, then a Fixed Fee Consent Order might not be the right option for you.

Our Divorce Solicitors are highly experienced in handling complicated and simple divorces, and will always be upfront about the costs of any divorce fees you may need to pay.

All of the costs listed above include VAT and the total costs for hourly rates of our Divorce Solicitors.

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