If you are thinking about divorce, one of the first things you are probably worrying about is cost.
And rightly so.
Most people assume divorce means traditional solicitors, hourly rates, letters back and forth, and a legal bill that keeps climbing every time somebody picks up the phone. For a lot of people, that is exactly what happens. What should have been a straightforward process turns into something far more expensive than it needed to be.
The good news is that divorce does not have to cost a fortune.
If your case is suitable, there is a better alternative. At Easy Online Divorce, our Fully Managed Online Divorce service costs £299, and because we are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, no shortcuts are taken and the legal outcome is the same. The difference is that you get a properly managed service, fixed fees, and a much better customer experience than the traditional solicitor route.
That said, it is important to understand what you are actually paying for.
The divorce itself is the part that legally ends the marriage. But that does not automatically sort out the finances. If you want the finances dealt with properly, whether through a clean break order, consent order or pension sharing order, that is usually a separate stage and a separate cost.
So when people ask “how much does a divorce cost?”, the real answer is this:
the cost of ending the marriage
the cost of dealing with the finances
and the cost of conflict, which is usually where traditional solicitors become eye-wateringly expensive
In this article, we break all of that down properly, show you what the real costs look like in 2026, and explain how to avoid spending far more than you need to.
How much does a divorce cost in the UK?
The court fee for a divorce application in England and Wales is currently £612. That is the fee charged by the court to process the divorce itself.
But the real total cost depends on the route you take.
A standard divorce through traditional solicitors is likely to cost at least £750 plus the £612 court fee, taking the starting point to £1,362.
By comparison, our Fully Managed Online Divorce service costs £299 plus the £612 court fee, making the starting cost £911.
That means a straightforward divorce through Easy Online Divorce can start £451 cheaper than the traditional solicitor route.
And that is before you even get into the cost of dealing with the finances, which is where many people end up spending far more than they expected.
Before the no-fault divorce law came into force in April 2022, the process could involve arguments about blame. The law is now designed to make divorce simpler, but simpler does not always mean cheaper if you take the wrong route or fail to deal with the finances properly afterwards.
Reaching an agreement
One of the biggest factors affecting the cost of divorce is whether you and your ex can reach agreement.
If you are both broadly on the same page, the process is usually cheaper, quicker and far less stressful. That is because you avoid the endless back-and-forth that makes traditional solicitors so expensive.
Once both people have their own traditional solicitor, costs start multiplying. You are no longer paying for one process. You are paying for two professionals, two sets of letters, two sets of calls, two sets of opinions, and very often two people gradually moving further apart rather than closer together.
That is why agreement matters so much.
If you are trying to stay constructive, our Amicable Divorce for Couples service is often a much better alternative than each of you instructing separate opposing traditional solicitors. It can save money, reduce conflict, and keep the focus where it should be: getting things sorted properly and moving on.
Custody agreements
If you have children, you will also need to agree arrangements around them.
That may include where the children live, how time is shared, and how they are financially supported.
It is important to be clear here: child arrangements are separate from the divorce itself. The divorce application ends the marriage. It does not decide arrangements for your children.
In most cases, the court expects parents to try to agree arrangements between themselves informally. If you can do that, it costs nothing. There is no need to pay for a formal court order just for the sake of it.
The point at which child arrangements start becoming expensive is when there is a real dispute, usually around contact or access. If one parent is stopping the other from seeing the children, or there is serious disagreement about what should happen, that is when people may end up needing mediation, legal advice, or a court application.
And once matters reach that stage, costs can rise quickly.
So for most couples, child arrangements do not add to the cost of divorce because they are agreed informally. It is only when there is conflict around access or ongoing disagreement that the legal bill starts to grow.
Mediation
Mediation can be a good option where you are struggling to agree but want to avoid the cost and stress of court.
A mediator does not take sides. Their role is to help both of you work through the issues and try to reach agreement.
When it works, mediation can save a lot of money and stop a difficult situation becoming even more hostile.
It is not right for every case, but where both people are willing to engage, it is often a far better option than immediately turning to opposing traditional solicitors and starting a legal tug of war.
Costs of mediation
Mediation is not free, but it is usually much cheaper than contested court proceedings.
As a rough guide, mediation is often around £125 per person, per hour, although this can vary depending on the mediator and the type of case.
There is also a family mediation voucher worth up to £500 in eligible cases, and the scheme remains available. That voucher can help with the cost of mediation sessions for couples trying to reach agreement.
For many couples, mediation is the middle ground between trying to sort everything out alone and paying traditional solicitors to argue it out for you.
Whether you use an online divorce service or traditional high street solicitors
This is where the cost difference really starts to show.
Traditional high street solicitors usually charge for their time. That means calls, emails, letters, drafting, reviewing documents, chasing updates and dealing with avoidable arguments all add to the bill.
By contrast, a fixed-fee online divorce service gives you clarity from the start.
That does not mean a lower-quality service. Easy Online Divorce is regulated by the SRA, which means proper professional standards still apply. No shortcuts are taken. The legal outcome is the same. What changes is the way the service is delivered and the way the costs are controlled.
That is the key point.
You are not getting a lesser service because it is online. You are getting the same legal outcome through a model designed to be more efficient, more transparent and less expensive than the traditional high street solicitor route.
And cost is only part of the picture. The experience matters too. Most people do not want to feel ignored, confused or left chasing updates during their divorce. They want clear communication, a straightforward process and the confidence that things are being handled properly. You can read what our clients say in our Trustpilot reviews.
Financial settlements
This is the part of divorce that catches people out.
The divorce itself legally ends the marriage. It does not automatically sort out the finances. That means you can be divorced, but still financially tied to your ex if nothing has been put in place to deal with the financial claims properly.
That is why the real cost of divorce is often more than just the divorce application fee. For many people, there is also a second stage: making sure the financial side is properly dealt with and approved by the court.
If you do nothing, financial claims can remain open. That means one person could potentially try to make a claim against the other in future, even after the divorce has been finalised. This is exactly why sorting out the finances matters.
If you have reached an agreement, the next question is what type of financial order you need.
What is a clean break order?
A clean break order is used where both people want to end financial ties completely, so neither person can make future financial claims against the other.
This is often the right option where there are no assets to divide, or where everything has already been dealt with and both people simply want finality and protection going forward.
Traditional solicitors will often charge around £1,500 for this.
Our Clean Break Order service costs £399, and the court fee for an agreed financial order application is £60.
That means the comparison looks like this:
Traditional solicitors: around £1,500
Easy Online Divorce: £459 total
What is a consent order?
A consent order is used where you and your ex have agreed how the finances should be divided and want that agreement made legally binding by the court.
This is the most common option where there are assets, savings, property, debts or other financial arrangements that need to be recorded properly.
Traditional solicitors will often charge around £2,000 for this.
Our Consent Order service costs £499, plus the £60 court fee.
That means the comparison looks like this:
Traditional solicitors: around £2,000
Easy Online Divorce: £559 total
What is a pension sharing order?
A pension sharing order is used where one person’s pension is being divided as part of the financial settlement.
Pensions are often one of the biggest assets in a marriage, which is why this needs to be handled carefully and drafted properly.
Traditional solicitors will often charge around £3,000 for this.
Our Pension Sharing Consent Order service costs £599, plus the £60 court fee.
That means the comparison looks like this:
Traditional solicitors: around £3,000
Easy Online Divorce: £659 total
The key point is this: if you only pay for the divorce and ignore the finances, you may save money in the short term but leave yourself exposed in the long term. For many people, the smarter approach is not just getting divorced, but making sure the financial ties are dealt with properly at the same time.
Get started with the Online Divorce Service that suits you best
If you are worried about the cost of divorce, the worst thing you can do is assume your only option is to pay traditional solicitors and hope the bill does not spiral.
There is a better way.
If you simply need the marriage ended, our Fully Managed Online Divorce service gives you a fixed-fee, SRA regulated alternative to the traditional solicitor route.
If you are divorcing as a couple and want to keep things constructive, our Amicable Divorce for Couples service can be a far better alternative than paying two separate opposing traditional solicitors and watching both the cost and the conflict rise together.
If you also need the finances dealt with properly, whether that means a clean break order, consent order or pension sharing order, it makes sense to budget for that from the start rather than treating it as an afterthought.
At Easy Online Divorce, we believe the process should be clear, affordable and properly managed. You are not getting a watered-down version of divorce because the service is online. You are getting the same legal outcome through a model designed to be more efficient, more transparent and much easier to deal with.
Key Takeaways
The court fee for a divorce application in England and Wales is £612.
A divorce ends the marriage, but it does not automatically deal with the finances.
That means the real cost of divorce is often the cost of ending the marriage plus the cost of dealing with the financial ties properly.
A standard divorce through traditional solicitors is likely to start from £750 plus the court fee, while our Fully Managed Online Divorce service costs £299 plus the court fee.
Traditional solicitors may charge around £1,500 for a clean break order, £2,000 for a consent order and £3,000 for a pension sharing order.
Our fixed-fee services are £399 for a Clean Break Order, £499 for a Consent Order and £599 for a Pension Sharing Consent Order, with the £60 court fee payable on top for an agreed financial order application.
Easy Online Divorce is regulated by the SRA, so no shortcuts are taken and the work is handled properly.
Cost of divorce FAQs
Can you get divorced without using traditional high street solicitors?
Yes, you can use an online divorce service instead of traditional high street solicitors. This can be a much more cost-effective way to deal with the process, especially where matters are straightforward and both parties are trying to keep things constructive.
Why is divorce through traditional high street solicitors so expensive?
Traditional high street solicitors usually charge for their time. That means calls, emails, letters, drafting and ongoing negotiations can all add to the bill. The longer the process goes on, the more expensive it usually becomes.
Is the court fee included in the price of your service?
No. The court fee is separate and is paid to the court. Our service fees cover the work we do. If you qualify for Help with Fees, you may not have to pay the court fee at all.
Do I need to sort out the finances as well as the divorce?
In most cases, yes. Divorce ends the marriage, but it does not automatically deal with the financial ties between you. If you want proper protection, the financial side usually needs to be dealt with separately.
Is an online divorce service really cheaper than traditional high street solicitors?
Yes, for example, our Fully Managed Online Divorce service costs £299, whereas a standard divorce through traditional high street solicitors is likely to start from around £750 plus the court fee.
