What is a divorce financial order guide

A divorce financial order is a document that makes your financial agreements legally binding.

It usually has a clause that ends any future claims you may have against each other in the future. This is often referred to as a clean-break clause within a financial order. If you are divorcing amicably then your financial order will be called a consent order.

If you can’t reach an agreement, then you can ask a judge to decide your finances, resulting in financial order. A lot of people believe that just getting divorced will end any financial relationship they have – but this isn’t true. To untie yourself financially from each other, you will need a consent order or financial order.

amicable’s guide to getting a financial consent order:

There are different documents required when applying for a divorce financial order...

The consent order itself (financial remedy order)

This is the document that says what will happen to your finances. The law does not have a defined formula for dividing assets in terms of financial orders. To make fair agreements, you must think about what the courts in England & Wales take into consideration: income, earning capacity and property as well as financial needs, obligations, and responsibilities.

The starting point is a 50/50 split . But if one of you has a greater need, for example, because you are housing the children or earn a lot less, then the split may different. Your consent order may have clauses that say things will happen in the future such as selling the family home once the children have grown up for example. It usually also contains a clean break clause, ending future claims.

Statement of Financial Information (Form D81)

This document goes to the court alongside your consent order and is a snapshot of your current finances (immediately before you divorce). Even if you split up a while ago, this form documents what you have immediately prior to the divorce, not at the point of separation.

The judge needs to see what you have now, as well as what you want to happen to your finances when you divorce so they can decide whether this is fair under the law.

You will both need to disclose your current finances, including your assets, debts, pension values and income. You need to do this even if you are leaving these things as they are. If you are worried that your ex may be hiding or moving assets, you should seek legal advice.

Notice of intention to proceed with an application for a financial order (Form A)

This is an administrative form that you will need to complete in order to file your consent order. There is a lot of confusion (even amongst professionals) on how you should complete this form so it’s best to get advice if you are not sure. Book a free 15-minute call with one of our experts to talk through your personal situation.

Pension Sharing Annex (P1)

If you are sharing a pension as part of your divorce financial order, you will also need to have a pension sharing annex. This lets the pension company know what percentage of a pension is being shared. If you are leaving your pensions as-is then you won’t need to bother with this document. We have written a full guide on divorce and pensions, should you want any further information.

Clean break consent order

If you’re divorcing and have no assets to split, then you might get a clean break consent order. The primary reason couples usually get a clean break consent order is to end future claims against each other for things like pensions, inheritance or lottery wins.

How to apply for a divorce financial order?

We’ve written a detailed guide on how to apply for a financial consent order, should you wish for more information about the process. You can apply for a financial consent order yourself, however, you should seek additional help if you are not familiar with the legal process. It’s important to note, once sealed by a judge the consent order is legally binding and valid unless you apply to the court for an amendment.

If you’re unsure about how to apply for a financial order, please book a call here with a divorce expert (our 15-minute advice calls are free).

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