New Court Fees July 2026: What Changed and What It Costs Now

Published 22 August 2026  ·  7 min read  ·  Court Process

Court fees are one of those things most people only look up once — usually when they're about to pay them. So if you've been planning your divorce finances based on figures you read online six months ago, there's a good chance you're working with outdated numbers.

On 13 July 2026, HMCTS revised its fee schedule across a range of family court proceedings. This post sets out the current fees, what they mean if you're in the process of getting a consent order, and how to make sure you're paying the right amount.

What Changed on 13 July 2026

The July 2026 revision was a broad upward adjustment across HMCTS's family court fee schedule, published in the updated EX50A guidance (Ministry of Justice). The stated rationale, as with previous increases, was to bring fee income closer to the actual cost of running court services.

For divorcing couples dealing with financial settlements, three fees are most relevant:

Which Fee Applies to You?

The key date is 13 July 2026 — the date your application was received by the court, not the date you prepared the documents or paid a platform fee.

• Applied before 13 July 2026: You paid the previous rate. No top-up is required.
• Applying on or after 13 July 2026: The fee is £62. This applies whether you're submitting by post to the HMCTS PO Box or filing online.

Why Did Fees Go Up?

HMCTS fee revisions are a recurring feature of UK family court administration, set by statutory instrument and applied uniformly across England and Wales — there is no regional variation.

The rationale is cost recovery: court fees are intended to offset the expense of processing applications and judicial time. As those operational costs rise, HMCTS periodically revises the schedule upward. For applicants, there is no opt-out — the fee is mandatory for all applications.

What this means in practice: if you've been working from figures on an older guide or website, there's a real chance those numbers are out of date. The current fees are those published in the HMCTS EX50A schedule effective 13 July 2026, and reproduced in the table above.

The Full Picture: What a Consent Order Costs in 2026

The court fee is only one component of the total cost. Here's the complete breakdown depending on how you proceed:

The £62 court fee applies equally to everyone — DIY applicants, platform users, and solicitor clients alike. For a full breakdown of what drives the total cost, see our guide to how much a consent order costs in 2026.

Help With Fees: Can You Get a Reduction?

If you're on a low income or receiving certain benefits, you may be eligible to pay a reduced court fee or no fee at all. HMCTS operates a Help with Fees scheme (application form EX160) for qualifying applicants.

You are likely eligible to apply if you receive:

• Universal Credit (subject to income and savings thresholds — check eligibility at GOV.UK)
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit (with no other taxable income)

Eligibility is also means-tested — if you don't receive a qualifying benefit but have a low annual income and modest savings, you may still qualify for a partial reduction. Income and savings thresholds are subject to change; use the official Help with Fees eligibility checker at GOV.UK to confirm your status before submitting. The EX160 form is available at GOV.UK and should be submitted alongside your application — do not pay the court fee separately if you're applying for help.

Does the Fee Increase Affect Pending Applications?

If you prepared your documents before 13 July 2026 but have not yet submitted them to the court, the fee due is £62 — the current rate at the date of submission. Document preparation date is irrelevant; what matters is when the court receives and processes your application.

If you prepared a cheque or postal order at a previous rate but haven't yet sent it, you will need to replace it with one for £62. Submitting the wrong fee amount is one of the more common — and entirely avoidable — reasons applications are returned without being processed.

What About the Divorce Application Fee?

The fee to start a divorce (or dissolution of a civil partnership) is £628 as of 13 July 2026. This is a separate fee from the consent order court fee and is paid at the beginning of the divorce process — not when you apply for the consent order.

If you have already submitted your divorce application and paid the fee, the increase does not affect you retrospectively. The new £628 fee applies only to applications submitted on or after 13 July 2026.

For couples in the middle of the process — divorce underway, consent order not yet filed — the relevant fee for the consent order stage is £62.

Contested Financial Proceedings: A Steeper Increase

If your financial proceedings are contested (meaning you and your former spouse cannot agree and are asking the court to decide), the relevant fee is for a Form A application. The current fee is £321 as of 13 July 2026.

Contested financial proceedings are substantially more expensive than agreed ones — not just because of the higher court fee, but because they require multiple hearings, full financial disclosure, and significant legal representation. If you and your former spouse are close to an agreement, the financial incentive to reach one before filing is considerable.

Frequently Asked Questions