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Court forms · Form A

Form A on divorce, step by step

Form A is the form that starts a request for a financial order when you divorce or end a civil partnership[1]. The current edition is 05.26[1]. If you want the court to decide, the fee is £321[2]; if you have agreed and want a consent order, it is £62[3]. For a contested application you usually need a MIAM first[4].

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Last reviewed Sources checked

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Fee if the court decides[2]
Fee for a consent order[3]
Current edition[1]
Until the first appointment[5]

01/ At a glance

Form A at a glance

Start an application for a financial order (money, property, pensions and maintenance) in divorce, dissolution, nullity or judicial separation proceedings, whether the court is to decide or you are asking for a consent order.

Current edition
Form A (05.26)[1]
Court fee
£321 from 13 July 2026[2]
Download Form A (PDF, GOV.UK)

Always take the form from its GOV.UK page: an old edition can be returned.

02/ What it is for

What Form A is used for

Form A is used for financial provision on divorce or dissolution: a financial order, or another financial remedy[9]. GOV.UK calls asking the court to decide the "contested" route, also known as an "ancillary relief order"[10]. A financial order sets out how you divide assets such as pensions, property, savings and investments, and can include maintenance, including child maintenance[10].

The same form is used when you have already agreed: you tick the consent order box and attach the draft order and Form D81[9]. Which route you are on changes the fee, the MIAM rules and where the form goes[2][3][4][11].

If you cannot agree how to divide your finances, you can ask the court to make a financial order, which usually takes longer and costs more than agreeing[12]. You need a MIAM first unless an exemption applies[4]. The fee is £321[2], and the case goes through a first appointment, a financial dispute resolution appointment and, if you still cannot agree, a final hearing[10].

03/ Timing

When you can apply

You can apply for a financial order when you apply for your divorce or dissolution, or at any time after that[12]. GOV.UK says it is usually simpler to apply after the conditional order (decree nisi), because the court typically cannot make a financial order before it, and before the final order (decree absolute), because applying after it may have financial consequences, particularly for pensions[10]. The financial order only takes effect once the final order is made[10].

One date matters more than most: if you remarry or form a new civil partnership after the divorce, you cannot then apply for maintenance, a lump sum or a property adjustment order against your former spouse[16].

04/ What you can ask for

The orders you tick on Form A

On the first pages you tick the kind of application and one or more of these orders[9]:

  • Maintenance pending suit: payments from the date of the divorce application until the case is decided[17].
  • A lump sum order: one or more payments of a set amount, which can be paid by instalments[18].
  • A property adjustment order: for example transferring a property or ordering its sale; you give the address and any mortgage lender[9][19].
  • A settlement or transfer of property for the benefit of the children[9].
  • A periodical payments order together with other financial provision: regular maintenance alongside capital orders[9].
  • A pension sharing order or a pension compensation sharing order[9].

Pensions can only be shared by a court order, so if either of you wants a share of a pension, you will need an order even if you agree everything else[20].

05/ The MIAM part

The MIAM sections: 2, 3 and 4

Form A says it is a legal requirement to attend a MIAM before applying, unless a valid exemption applies; the requirement does not apply to a consent order[4]. The other party is expected to attend the same MIAM or a separate one[4].

Section 2 asks whether you attended a MIAM and, if not, whether you are claiming an exemption; if the answer to both is no, the form says you cannot make the application[21]. Section 3 is where you claim an exemption: 3a domestic abuse, 3b urgency, 3c previous attendance at a MIAM or other non-court process, and 3d other exemptions[21]. Where an exemption needs evidence, such as domestic abuse or previous attendance, it goes in with the form, and if the court decides an exemption is not valid you will be asked to attend a MIAM before the application goes further[4].

Section 4 is signed by the mediator who ran your MIAM[21]. It must be a mediator holding current Family Mediation Council accreditation, who enters their FMC registration number and records whether you alone or both of you attended and why mediation is not going ahead[4]. See MIAM exemptions for the full list.

Time it. A MIAM counts for an application made within 4 months of it[8]. If the court decides a claimed exemption is not valid, it will ask you to attend a MIAM before the application goes further[4].

06/ Section by section

What each part of Form A asks

All applicants complete sections 1 and 2 and sign section 5; the form says leaving a question blank, rather than saying it does not apply, could delay the case[22][11].

Form A (05.26), part by part
PartWhat it covers
Opening pageYour name, the respondent's name, a Help with Fees reference, and whether your combined net assets (excluding pensions) are under the express procedure limit
Nature of applicationWhether you have a conditional or final order, the orders you want, and whether it is a consent order
Section 1Further details: property and mortgage lenders, child maintenance, and each child
Service detailsYour address for documents (or Form C8 to keep it private) and the respondent's address
Section 2Whether you attended a MIAM or are claiming an exemption
Section 3MIAM exemptions (3a to 3d) and evidence you cannot provide
Section 4The mediator confirms your MIAM and signs
Section 5Statement of truth
Section 6Checklist

From the 05.26 form[9][22][21][11]. "The respondent" is the form's word for your ex-partner[22].

The express procedure question

The first page asks whether, to the best of your knowledge, your and your ex-partner's total net assets together, excluding pensions, are less than £250,000[22]. The answer decides whether an application in a pilot court area can go into the express financial remedy procedure[22].

Keeping your address private

If you do not want your ex-partner to know your address, leave it blank and fill in Form C8, and make sure nothing you send with the form reveals it[22]. If you are not safe now, see domestic abuse support.

Section 5: statement of truth

The form warns that proceedings for contempt of court may be brought against anyone who makes a false statement in it without an honest belief in its truth[22].

07/ The fee

The Form A fee and Help with Fees

The fee for a financial order application that is not by consent is £321, in force since 13 July 2026[2]. An application for a consent order in existing proceedings is £62[3]. If you pay by card, Form A says the court will contact you within 28 days after you submit the application[22].

Help with Fees can reduce or cover a court fee if you are on a low income or benefits[23]. You can apply online or on form EX160; on a joint application, both of you must qualify or the full fee is payable[22]. Every family court fee is on family court fees.

Court fee · fee 5.4

£321

in force from 13 July 2026

Fees 5.4 and 5.1 of the Family Proceedings Fees Order 2008 as amended, in force since 13 July 2026[2][3]. Help with Fees can reduce or cover them on a low income or benefits[23].

Estimate only. Beta service. Always check with official government websites. Check Help with Fees on GOV.UK.

08/ Sending it

Where to send Form A

Form A says a consent application linked to an existing divorce, where financial proceedings have not already started, goes to HMCTS Financial Remedy, PO Box 12746, Harlow CM20 9QZ[11]. Every case that is not by consent goes to the financial remedy centre nearest to the applicant[11].

Once the application is issued, a court officer serves it on your ex-partner and tells you both the date of the first appointment within 4 days, unless you tell the court you want to serve it yourself[5].

09/ After you apply

What happens after Form A

These are the steps in the Family Procedure Rules for a case the court is asked to decide; your notice gives the actual dates[5]. GOV.UK says there can be several months between appointments[10].

  1. The court fixes the first appointment, and a court officer serves the application on your ex-partner and gives you both the date[5].

10/ Getting help

Help with Form A

Court staff can help with procedure but cannot give legal advice, and Form A recommends legal advice when drafting a consent order[11]. Legal aid is not available for most financial disputes; the main exception is if you are, or are at risk of being, a victim of domestic abuse, including financial abuse[25]. You may be able to get legal aid for mediation and for legal advice alongside it, depending on your income and assets[25].

Before any of this, you each need to be open about your money: the pre-application protocol expects full and honest financial disclosure, using Form E as a guide[26]. See financial disclosure and how the court weighs a financial settlement in divorce. Miam can help you set out what you own, owe and need before a MIAM.

11/ Questions

Frequently asked questions

What is Form A in a divorce?

Form A is the form that starts a request for a financial order in divorce or dissolution proceedings[1]. It is used both when you want the court to decide and when you are asking for a consent order[9].

How much does Form A cost?

The fee is £321 if the court is to decide, in force since 13 July 2026[2]. For a consent order it is £62[3]. Help with Fees can reduce or cover it on a low income or benefits[23].

Do I need a MIAM before Form A?

Yes, unless an exemption applies or you are applying for a consent order[4]. The mediator signs section 4, and exemptions are claimed in section 3[21].

When can I send Form A?

With your divorce application or at any time after[12]. GOV.UK says it is usually simpler after the conditional order and before the final order[10].

Where do I send Form A?

A contested application goes to the financial remedy centre nearest to you; a consent application linked to an existing divorce goes to HMCTS Financial Remedy at the Harlow PO box[11].

What happens after I send Form A?

The court fixes a first appointment 12 to 16 weeks after filing, and you each exchange Form E at least 35 days before it[5][24]. An FDR appointment and, if needed, a final hearing follow[10].

Is Form A the same as Form A1?

No. Form A1 is used for an application for maintenance (periodical payments) only, or to vary or end a maintenance order only[9].

12/ Sources

Sources we checked

  1. Form A: notice of intention to proceed with an application for a financial order — HMCTS, GOV.UK · Form A (05.26), PDF — HMCTS
  2. The Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2026 (SI 2026/642), Schedule 3 — legislation.gov.uk
  3. The Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2026 (SI 2026/642), Schedule 3 — legislation.gov.uk
  4. Form A (05.26): MIAM sections and guidance, PDF — HMCTS
  5. Family Procedure Rules, Part 9, rules 9.12–9.17 — justice.gov.uk
  6. FMC MIAM Standards (Aug 2022) PDF
  7. GOV.UK — mediation · FPR r3.9
  8. FPR Part 3, r3.8(1)(d)
  9. Form A (05.26): nature of application, PDF — HMCTS
  10. Get the court to decide (Money and property when you divorce or separate) — GOV.UK
  11. Form A (05.26): what you do next, PDF — HMCTS
  12. Get the court to decide (Money and property when you divorce or separate) — GOV.UK
  13. Money and property when you divorce or separate (printable guide) — GOV.UK
  14. Form D81 (04.25): what to return, PDF — HMCTS
  15. Family Procedure Rules, Part 9, rules 9.7, 9.9B, 9.18 and 9.19 — justice.gov.uk
  16. Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, section 28 — legislation.gov.uk
  17. Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, section 22 — legislation.gov.uk
  18. Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, section 23 — legislation.gov.uk
  19. Sorting out Finances on Divorce: court powers and FAQs (March 2024) — Family Justice Council
  20. Sorting out Finances on Divorce: consent orders (March 2024) — Family Justice Council
  21. Form A (05.26), PDF — HMCTS · Form A: notice of intention to proceed with a financial order — GOV.UK
  22. Form A (05.26): notes and fees, PDF — HMCTS
  23. GOV.UK — Get help with court fees
  24. Family Procedure Rules, Part 9, rules 9.14–9.15 — justice.gov.uk
  25. Sorting out Finances on Divorce: financial help (March 2024) — Family Justice Council
  26. Practice Direction 9A and pre-application protocol — justice.gov.uk

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