Consent Order

Getting divorced doesn’t automatically sort out your finances. Even years after your divorce, your ex could potentially make a claim against your property, savings, pension or future wealth.

A Consent Order makes your financial agreement legally binding once approved by the court. It records how you’ve agreed to divide your finances and includes a clean break, protecting you both from future financial claims once it takes effect.

In simple terms, it means you can both move on knowing your finances are properly sorted and your financial ties have been brought to an end.

Yes. In fact, we’d recommend getting started before your divorce is finalised.

We can review your financial agreement and prepare all the paperwork while your divorce is progressing.

Once you’ve received your Conditional Order, we can submit your Consent Order to the court for approval. It will normally become legally binding when your divorce is finalised.

That way, you can get your divorce and finances sorted without unnecessary delays.

Our Fully Managed Consent Order service costs £599, plus the £62 court fee.

For that fixed fee, you get much more than legal paperwork.

Before drafting your Consent Order, our experienced team reviews your financial agreement to identify anything the judge might question. If we spot a potential problem, we’ll discuss it with you before proceeding.

You’ll also receive:

• A dedicated case manager to answer your questions and keep you updated.
• Your Consent Order, including a financial clean break, professionally drafted by our legal team.
• Preparation of the required court documents, including Form D81 and Form A.
• Electronic signing, court submission and ongoing management of your application.

We handle the entire process for you, from reviewing your agreement through to receiving your court-approved Consent Order.

Our standard drafting time is four weeks from receiving your completed questionnaire and all the information we need. We can submit your consent order to the court once your Conditional Order of divorce has been granted. Court approval typically takes around four weeks, although court times vary.

Our £748 Fast Track service will prepare the documents within seven days of receiving all the required information.

To start the process, you will need to provide the following information using our easy to use online questionnaire:

• Details of your financial situation
• Total equity held in properties
• Total savings and investments
• Total liabilities (non-mortgage debt)
• The total total cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) of pensions
• Monthly income broken down into income from employment, benefits, child maintenance payments, pension or other sources.
• Any prior agreements or settlements made with your ex-partner and your planned financial settlement.

You cannot get a Consent Order without disclosing this information.

Usually not. Consent Order applications are generally considered on the paperwork, and we handle routine court correspondence for you. If the judge needs clarification or has concerns about the proposed arrangements, the court may ask questions, request further documents or, less commonly, require a hearing. We’ll explain any next steps if that happens.

Once your Consent Order takes effect, your financial settlement is legally binding and provides a clean break between you and your ex.

This means that if your circumstances change in the future — for example, you inherit money, receive a substantial pay rise or build up savings — your ex cannot simply reopen the settlement and claim a share.

The whole point of a Consent Order is to provide financial finality, so you can both move on knowing your financial ties have been brought to an end.

An order can be changed if both parties agree and the court approves the change. There are also exceptional circumstances in which a court can set aside an order, such as fraud, failure to disclose important financial information, a serious mistake or an unforeseen event that fundamentally undermines the original agreement.

Simply becoming wealthier or poorer after divorce is not enough to reopen a final clean-break settlement.

Yes, our service handles the entire process from start to finish. We manage all documentation, court submissions, and communications, ensuring that everything is completed accurately and efficiently.

Yes. Pensions are part of the financial settlement and must be disclosed to the court, even if you’ve agreed to keep your own pensions.

Our £599 Consent Order service can record that agreement and provide a financial clean break, so neither spouse has future financial claims against the other’s pension.

If you’ve agreed to share or transfer part of a pension to your spouse, you’ll need a Pension Sharing Order, which we offer as a separate service.

Before drafting your Consent Order, our experienced team reviews your financial information and proposed agreement, looking for anything the judge might question.

If we identify potential concerns, we’ll explain what we’ve spotted and discuss your options before proceeding.

The judge makes the final decision on whether to approve your agreement, but our review helps identify potential problems early, rather than leaving them to be raised by the court later.

We’ll explain what we’ve identified and discuss your options before drafting your Consent Order.

Sometimes it’s simply missing or unclear information. Other times, the financial division may need further explanation or reconsideration.

If additional work is required that isn’t included in your service, we’ll explain this and the cost before proceeding.

You are legally allowed to prepare and submit your own Consent Order, but that doesn’t mean the court will approve it.

A Consent Order is a legally binding court order, not simply a form to fill in. It must be drafted correctly, deal with your financial arrangements and satisfy the judge that the proposed settlement is fair.

Using a template or AI doesn’t guarantee that the legal wording is correct or that the court will approve your agreement.

Our £599 service includes an experienced review of your financial agreement before drafting. We identify potential problems, discuss anything that needs attention, prepare the necessary legal documents and manage the court application for you.

The important thing isn’t simply submitting a Consent Order. It’s getting one properly prepared for court approval.

Getting divorced doesn’t automatically stop your ex from making financial claims against you.

Even if you’ve already split everything and gone your separate ways, your ex could potentially come back years later and claim a share of your property, savings, pension or even money you’ve inherited since the divorce.

That’s why a Consent Order is so important. It makes your financial agreement legally binding and gives you both a clean break, protecting you from future financial claims once it takes effect.

Without one, your marriage might be over, but your financial ties might not be.

No, you need to make a separate application for a consent order. It is possible to get a divorce without a consent order, though this isn’t recommended because it leaves your finances without legally defined ownership.

Unless you buy a specific package that includes a divorce with a consent order, a consent order is never included in a fixed fee divorce, it is a separate service.

Yes, absolutely. Being on good terms and agreeing how to split everything is great, but it doesn’t stop either of you from making financial claims against the other in the future.

Things can change. One of you might inherit money, buy a new house or build up savings. Without a Consent Order, there’s still a risk of your ex coming back years later and making a financial claim.

A Consent Order makes your agreement legally binding and gives you both a clean break once it takes effect. That way, you can move on knowing your finances are properly sorted and neither of you can simply come back for more.

We recommend getting started around two months before you expect to receive your Conditional Order order of divorce.

We prepare your Consent Order within four weeks of receiving all the information we need, but gathering that information can take longer than you think. Pension valuations, known as Cash Equivalent Transfer Values (CETVs), can be particularly slow to obtain, sometimes taking several months.

Starting early gives you time to get everything together, answer any questions we might have and make any necessary changes to your agreement.

That way, your Consent Order can be ready for signing and submitted to the court as soon as you’ve received your Conditional Order, rather than having to wait weeks while you gather missing information.

No, you can’t. You must both agree, and your spouse must provide their financial information. You cannot apply for a consent order if your spouse is unwilling to provide financial disclosure or if they disagree with the financial settlement proposed.

No. Our standard £599 service communicates with one person, who supplies the information needed for the application. If your spouse would prefer to provide their information separately, our Respondent Questionnaire Service is available for an additional £95. Both parties must still provide accurate financial disclosure and agree to the terms of the order.

Yes, you do. A document known as a D81 Statement of Information must be completed and submitted to the court. This document shows your current financial position, and the court uses this information to decide if a consent order is fair.

The information needed is:

• Total equity held in properties
• Total savings and investments
• Total liabilities (not mortgage debt)
• The total value of pensions
• Monthly income broken down into income from employment, benefits, child maintenance payments, pension or other sources.

The court will not approve a consent order without this information.

Once you’ve both signed the statement of information and consent order and you have your conditional order, we can submit the consent order to the court for approval. An Easy Online Divorce drafted and submitted consent order typically takes around four weeks to approve.

Our standard Consent Order service costs £599 including VAT, plus the £62 court fee. This includes expert review before drafting, the Consent Order and supporting court documents, arrangements for signing and management of the court application.

Our Consent Orders always include a clean break. Pension sharing, complex cases and other services listed under ‘What’s Not Included’ cost extra where required.

Yes, you can get a consent order after a divorce. Although, the best practice is to finalise your financial arrangements before your final order or decree absolute. Just remember that ownership of any assets can be disputed at any point after the divorce unless you have a court-approved consent order in place. Some couples part on good terms, with agreements in place, only to find themselves in a very different situation when one of them meets a new partner.

A Consent Order makes your financial agreement legally binding once approved by the court. If your ex doesn’t stick to what they’ve agreed, the court has the power to enforce it. Our Consent Orders also include a clean break, preventing future financial claims once the order takes effect.

A separation agreement, on the other hand, is a written agreement between you and your ex, but it isn’t legally binding in the same way as a court-approved Consent Order.

A judge may take it into account if you divorce later, but isn’t obliged to follow it. So you could spend money having one prepared, only to find yourself arguing about the finances again when you divorce.

Separation agreements can be useful if you’re not ready to divorce but need to agree things like who stays in the house or who pays the bills.

But if you’re getting divorced and have already agreed how to split your finances, I’d skip the separation agreement and get a Consent Order instead.

The best place to start is by talking to each other. If you’re both willing to be open about your finances and make reasonable compromises, you may be able to reach an agreement yourselves.

You don’t automatically need two opposing solicitors just because you’re getting divorced.

In fact, bringing in two solicitors when you’re trying to reach an amicable agreement can sometimes make things harder. Each solicitor is there to argue their client’s position, which can turn relatively straightforward discussions into lengthy negotiations. Before you know it, you’re spending thousands in legal fees arguing over money that could have stayed between you.

If you need help working through the financial details, there are alternatives.

Our Guided Financial Agreement service (£799) includes separate calls with both of you to understand your circumstances, identify where you disagree and help you work towards an agreement. Mediation is another option.

Of course, there are situations where separate legal representation is necessary, particularly where there’s abuse, dishonesty or a serious imbalance between the parties.

But if you’re both willing to work together, why turn an agreed separation into a legal battle?

Once you’ve reached an agreement, our £599 Consent Order service can make it legally binding and give you both a clean break, without the cost of two opposing solicitors.

Generally, no. The court doesn’t give someone a bigger share of the money because their spouse had an affair, walked out of the marriage or was responsible for the relationship breaking down.

Divorce settlements aren’t about rewarding the innocent party or punishing the person who behaved badly.

There are exceptions, but they’re unusual. For example, if someone deliberately hides or wastes marital assets, or their behaviour has been so serious that it would be unfair for the court to ignore it, this can affect the financial settlement.

For most couples, what matters far more is what each person needs financially, what assets are available and whether the proposed settlement is fair.

Many spouses want to include child maintenance in a financial consent order to demonstrate proof of income to help them get a mortgage or a rental agreement.

Child maintenance can be included in a financial consent order, but it is only legally binding for 12 months. After this time, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has jurisdiction over enforcing child maintenance, including calculating the amount due. Decisions by the CMS override any agreement that you previously made between you.

Form A is the court form used to apply for a financial order as part of a divorce. When you’ve agreed how to split your finances, it’s submitted alongside your Consent Order so the judge can consider approving your agreement.

Form A1 is used for certain other financial applications, mainly involving maintenance payments or changes to existing maintenance arrangements.

You don’t need to worry about which form to use. Our £599 Consent Order service includes preparing the correct application form, along with your Consent Order and Form D81, and submitting everything to the court for you.

Not necessarily. Even if you’ve both agreed how to split your finances, the judge still needs to be satisfied that your agreement is fair.

That’s why your dedicated case manager reviews your financial arrangements before we start drafting. We’ll look for anything the judge might question and discuss any potential problems with you before proceeding.

Although no one can guarantee court approval, our review process is designed to identify issues early and give your agreement the best chance of being approved first time.

Before drafting your Consent Order, your dedicated case manager reviews your financial agreement to identify anything the judge might question.

Occasionally, a judge may ask for more information or changes. If that happens, we’ll explain what’s needed and help you address it.

Although the final decision rests with the judge, our review process is designed to identify potential problems early and give your agreement the best chance of being approved first time.

Form D81 is a financial information form that helps the judge decide whether your Consent Order is fair.

It gives the court a picture of both your financial positions, including your property, savings, pensions, debts and income. It also shows what each of you will have after your agreed settlement.

The judge uses this information to assess whether your agreement is reasonable before deciding whether to approve it.

You don’t need to worry about preparing the D81 yourself. We’ll prepare it as part of our £599 Consent Order service, using the financial information you provide.

Yes, essentially. Both are financial Consent Orders approved by the court, and both provide a clean break to prevent future financial claims between you and your ex.

The difference is simply what needs to be included in the order.

Our £399 Clean Break Order service is designed for couples who have no assets to divide and no children under 18. It provides a financial clean break without needing to deal with property transfers, lump-sum payments or other financial arrangements.

If you have assets to divide, such as a house, savings or investments, you’ll need our £599 Consent Order service. This records how you’ve agreed to divide everything and includes a clean break so you can both move on without future financial claims.

If you’re dividing a pension, we also offer a separate Pension Sharing Consent Order service.

All of our services are professionally prepared and submitted to the court for approval.

A financial order is a court-approved order that deals with money, property, pensions and future financial claims after divorce. Consent orders, clean break orders and pension sharing orders are all types of financial order used in different circumstances.

You can read our full guide to financial orders here.