Easy Online Divorce has designated 30 September as National Divorce Day — not because it is the busiest day for divorce, but because the company believes a national awareness day can do more good before the traditional January surge, when people still have time to understand their options and make considered decisions.
The designation follows new analysis by Easy Online Divorce of 364,420 no-fault divorce applications in England and Wales between 2023 and 2025, alongside 18,436 enquiries to its own service during the same three-year period.
The analysis revealed a clear second period of divorce activity after the summer holidays.
Average monthly divorce applications during September and October were just 5.1% below the traditional January to March peak, while enquiries to Easy Online Divorce increased 16.7% from August to September.
There is also specific historical evidence behind 30 September itself. On Monday 30 September 2019, 225 online divorce applications were made, around 63% above the average Monday at the time.
Together, the post-summer pattern, the historic activity on the date and the opportunity to help people before the New Year surge are why Easy Online Divorce has designated 30 September as National Divorce Day and will recognise the date annually.
James Brien, Founder & Managing Director of Easy Online Divorce, said:
“Divorce Day shouldn’t simply mark when the most people file. It should be when information can do the most good.
“January may be the bigger peak, but by then many people have already made their decision.
“If National Divorce Day is going to be useful, there is more value in having it earlier — when people still have time to understand their options, think about their finances and their children, and make considered decisions about what happens next.”
A second divorce season after summer
January has traditionally dominated the conversation around “Divorce Day”, but Easy Online Divorce’s analysis shows there is another significant period in the annual divorce calendar.
Across 2023 to 2025 there were:
- 29,995 divorce applications in August
- 30,985 in September
- 31,650 in October
That represents a 3.3% increase from August to September and a 5.5% increase from August to October.
January to March remains the strongest period overall, but the difference between the traditional New Year peak and the post-summer period is relatively small.
Across the three years analysed, average monthly divorce applications during September and October were only 5.1% lower than during January to March.
Easy Online Divorce also looked at when people first started contacting its own team for help.
Between 2023 and 2025, the company received 1,435 enquiries in August, rising to 1,675 in September.
That is an increase of 16.7%.
In 2025, September was Easy Online Divorce’s busiest enquiry month of the entire year, with 816 enquiries. That compared with 712 in August and 764 in October.
The pattern then changes as Christmas approaches.
Across the national data, average divorce applications during November and December were 21.1% lower than during September and October.
Easy Online Divorce enquiries followed an almost identical pattern, falling by 22.1% across the same comparison.
Taken together, the national and proprietary data point to September and October forming a distinct second period of divorce activity after the summer holidays.
Could the ‘Fresh Start Effect’ help explain September?
Behavioural science offers one possible explanation for why people who have already been considering a significant change may be more likely to act at certain points in the year.
Researchers Hengchen Dai, Katherine Milkman and Jason Riis identified what they called the Fresh Start Effect.
Their research found that people can become more motivated to pursue changes after significant points in time, known as “temporal landmarks”.
These can include the beginning of a new week, month or year, birthdays, holidays and the beginning of a new academic term.
September brings several of these landmarks together.
The summer holidays end. Children return to school. Normal working routines resume. A new month begins and autumn starts.
The Fresh Start Effect research did not examine divorce, so it cannot establish why divorce activity rises after summer.
However, it offers one possible explanation for why somebody who has already spent months considering a major life change may be more inclined to act when September arrives.
Brien said:
“January gets nearly all the attention when people talk about Divorce Day, but the figures show it isn’t the only time people act.
“There’s a clear second wave after the summer holidays, and what surprised me is just how close September and October are to the traditional New Year peak.
“By the time somebody contacts us, they’ve often been thinking about their marriage for months.
“Summer can give people time away from their usual routines and more time to reflect. Then September arrives, the children go back to school, work gets back to normal and people start dealing with things they may have been putting off.
“That doesn’t mean September causes divorce. It suggests it may be a natural point when people who have already been considering a major change decide it’s time to do something about it.”
Why 30 September is National Divorce Day
The wider data explains why September matters, but there is also evidence behind the specific date of 30 September.
Previously reported Ministry of Justice online divorce data showed that 225 divorce applications were made on Monday 30 September 2019, compared with an average Monday figure of 138.4.
That made 30 September around 63% busier than the average Monday, and it was reported at the time as the highest daily number recorded by the online divorce service since its launch.
But Easy Online Divorce does not believe National Divorce Day should simply be determined by whichever day records the most divorce applications.
The company believes an awareness day can have greater value before the traditional January surge — at a point when people may already be questioning their relationship but still have time to get informed before deciding what to do next.
That can mean understanding the divorce process, looking properly at finances, considering the effect on children, talking through options and deciding whether separation is actually the right next step.
Brien said:
“If someone reaches January having already decided their marriage is over, information at that point is still important — but the decision may already have been made.
“Holding National Divorce Day in September creates an earlier point for people to stop, understand where they stand and think about what they want their future to look like.
“For some people that will ultimately mean divorce. For others, it may not.”
The post-summer pattern, the historic activity recorded on 30 September and the opportunity to provide useful information before the traditional January surge are why Easy Online Divorce has designated 30 September as National Divorce Day.
The company will recognise National Divorce Day on 30 September each year.
National Divorce Day is not about celebrating divorce
Easy Online Divorce wants National Divorce Day to become more than a marker of when divorce activity rises.
The longer-term purpose is to encourage more open discussion about separation and reduce the shame that can still surround the end of a marriage.
Brien said:
“National Divorce Day isn’t about celebrating divorce. It’s about removing some of the shame around it.
“A marriage ending doesn’t automatically mean somebody has failed.
“People can separate with dignity, put their children first and build good lives afterwards.
“For some people, better information may confirm that divorce is the right decision. For others, it may help them realise they aren’t ready or that there are things they want to try first.
“The point is to help people make informed decisions about their future, not to push them in one direction or the other.”
Easy Online Divorce plans to use National Divorce Day on 30 September each year to publish information and research for people considering separation and divorce.
About the National Divorce Day analysis
The National Divorce Day analysis was carried out by Easy Online Divorce using HM Courts & Tribunals Service monthly management information for no-fault divorce applications in England and Wales.
Easy Online Divorce analysed the three complete calendar years from January 2023 to December 2025, covering 364,420 divorce applications.
2022 was excluded because the introduction of no-fault divorce in April that year temporarily disrupted the normal pattern of applications.
2026 was not included because the year was incomplete at the time the analysis was carried out.
HMCTS management information is operational data and may be revised or differ from quarterly official statistics because of differences in timing and methodology.
Easy Online Divorce also analysed 18,436 enquiries to its own service between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2025.
The company’s enquiry figures are proprietary business data and should not be treated as representative of everyone considering divorce in England and Wales. They are included as supporting evidence alongside the national HMCTS figures.
About Easy Online Divorce
Easy Online Divorce is an SRA-regulated legal services provider specialising in fixed-fee divorce and agreed financial orders for couples in England and Wales.
Founded by James Brien, Founder & Managing Director, Easy Online Divorce provides an online alternative to the traditional high-street solicitor model, helping couples deal with divorce and agreed financial arrangements for a fixed fee.
Easy Online Divorce is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under SRA number 8008631.
In September 2026, following its analysis of national divorce application data and its own enquiry data, Easy Online Divorce designated 30 September as National Divorce Day and committed to recognising the date annually.
