Divorce is stressful and expensive. Even a non-contested divorce with no children and a simple financial settlement will have to pay the nearly £600 fee. And if you need to get a solicitor involved for any reason, you’re looking at a minimum of around £220 per hour.
According to one study, the average cost of divorce in the UK is £14,500. This includes legal fees and the lifestyle costs that come with moving house and uprooting your whole life. If you’re interested in keeping this number down, there may be steps you can take to reduce the cost of your divorce.
Keeping things amicable and being willing to compromise is one of the best ways to secure an affordable divorce. Here are some other tips for keeping the cost of divorce down.
Agree to split the charges
If the divorce is amicable, you can keep costs down by agreeing to split all of the fees down the middle. Typically it is the person filing for divorce that will pay the fees, so you will have to decide between you how to split the charges. Finding a fixed reduced-fee divorce service will help you to manage expectations on both sides of the divorce.
Be prepared to compromise
Separations are never easy and very rarely does anyone come out of it feeling like they have “won”. Instead, be prepared to compromise on things, even if it means you don’t get exactly what you want out of the divorce. If you prepare yourself to win some and lose some, you’ll be less likely to need to ask the courts to make decisions for you. Even if something feels unfair, being willing to compromise every now and then could have a significant impact on the outcome.
Try mediation
Even an amicable divorce can run into disputes. If you are struggling to agree for any reason, seek out mediation before you get the courts involved. This will cost less and is more likely to keep things on track. If you leave things for a judge to decide, you might find you’re unhappy with the outcome. Mediation is one of the best ways to settle the disagreements you are struggling with. It can also help to give some structure to the divorce agreement and help you to remember what really matters to you.
Stop using shared accounts
Splitting up your finances will be more complicated if you are still using shared accounts. Once you decide to divorce, stop using these shared accounts and agree to a maintenance amount, if required. This could form the basis of your financial settlement, so you’ll get an idea of how it can work. In an ideal world, you would keep your finances separate throughout the entire marriage, but hindsight can’t help to keep your divorce costs down.
Get organised
Keeping your financial records in order can make it easier to pick things apart. For example, if you have a private or workplace pension, this will need to be listed in your marital assets. But it can take months to get hold of the current value of your private or workplace pension. To avoid delays, gather this information as soon as you know you’re heading for divorce.
Wait for the no-fault divorce
In April 2022, the government will introduce no-fault divorce. This will allow couples to separate without placing blame or having to live apart for two years. At the moment, you have to qualify your separation and state your grounds for divorce. This could include adultery, unreasonable behaviour, or living apart for two years. To avoid having to live apart for two years, you could wait for the no-fault divorce to be introduced in April next year.
