How much does a divorce cost?

In England and Wales, a divorce can either be ‘uncontested’ or ‘contested’ and the type of the divorce will directly affect the overall costs of the divorce.

In order to be granted a divorce, the court must be satisfied that the marriage has ‘irretrievably broken down’ and there are 5 reasons that can used to demonstrate that which are:

– Adultery
– Unreasonable behaviour
– Desertion
– 2 years separation (with consent)
– 5 years separation (consent not required)

Your divorce will be uncontested, if the respondent agrees that the marriage has irretrievably broken down.

In this instance, the costs are likely to be limited to the Court fee (£550) and solicitors fees. We are able to offer a fixed fee divorce in circumstance where the divorce is not contested and there is no dispute as to the costs.

A contested divorce however, can be very expensive. If the respondent wants to defend a divorce, saying that it should not go ahead. Costs for a contested divorce are usually charged on an hourly rate basis and are often expensive proceedings. There is also the risk that the court could order the unsuccessful party to pay the other parties costs.