Form D81 Explained: What It Is and How to Fill It In

If you're applying for a Consent Order after divorce, you'll need to submit Form D81 alongside your Draft Consent Order. It's officially called the "Statement of Information for a Consent Order" and it's governed by Rule 9.26 of the Family Procedure Rules 2010.

In plain English: it's a financial summary that gives the judge enough information to decide whether your proposed settlement is fair.

Why Does the Court Need Form D81?

When a judge reviews your Consent Order, they're not just rubber-stamping it. They have a legal duty to satisfy themselves that the arrangement is fair to both parties — and, if there are children, that their welfare has been considered.

Form D81 gives the judge a snapshot of both parties' financial lives: what you earn, what you own, what you owe, and what pensions you have. Without this context, the judge can't assess whether the proposed order is reasonable.

If Form D81 is incomplete or the figures don't add up, the judge will send everything back for corrections. This is the single most common reason Consent Orders are delayed.

Section by Section: What You Need to Provide

Section 1: About You and Your Former Spouse

Basic personal details for both parties: full names, dates of birth, addresses, and occupations. You'll also need the date of your marriage and the date you separated.

Tip: Use your legal name as it appears on your marriage certificate, not nicknames or shortened versions.

Section 2: Income

Annual gross income (before tax) for both parties. If you're employed, this is your salary as shown on your P60 or payslip. If you're self-employed, use your most recent tax return figures.

Include all sources of income: employment, self-employment, rental income, benefits, and investment returns.

Section 3: Property and Land

Details of every property owned by either or both of you. For each property, you need:

— The address
— Estimated current market value (a Zoopla estimate is usually sufficient)
— Outstanding mortgage balance
— Who owns it (sole or joint)
— What you've agreed to do with it (sell, transfer, keep)

Tip: The judge cares about equity — the value minus the mortgage. If your house is worth £300,000 with a £200,000 mortgage, the equity is £100,000.

Section 4: Savings and Investments

All bank accounts, ISAs, premium bonds, shares, cryptocurrency, and other financial assets. For each one: the institution name, approximate balance, and who it belongs to.

Don't hide anything. Form D81 is a declaration of financial truth. Deliberately concealing assets can lead to the Consent Order being set aside — and potential contempt of court proceedings.

Section 5: Debts

All outstanding debts: mortgages (already covered in Section 3), personal loans, credit cards, car finance, student loans, and any other liabilities. Include the amount owed and who is responsible for each debt.

Section 6: Pensions

For each pension held by either party: the provider name, type of pension (workplace, private, SIPP), and the Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV).

The CETV is the lump sum value of your pension if you were to transfer it today. Your pension provider must give you this figure free of charge — request it early, as it can take 3-6 weeks to arrive.

This is the section people most often get wrong. Forgetting to include pensions — or not obtaining CETV figures — is the number one reason judges reject Consent Orders.

Section 7: Other Significant Assets

Anything of significant value not covered above: valuable collections, business interests, expected inheritances, or pending personal injury claims.

Common Mistakes That Get Your Application Rejected

Missing pension details: If either party is over 40 and there's no mention of pensions, the judge will almost certainly ask questions. Everyone in the UK accumulates some pension rights through employment — even small ones need declaring.

Inconsistent figures: If you declare a £50,000 salary but list monthly outgoings of £6,000, the numbers don't add up. The judge will notice.

Unsigned form: Both parties must sign Form D81. An unsigned form is returned immediately.

Outdated valuations: Property values and bank balances should be reasonably current — within the last 3-6 months.

How ConsentReady Handles Form D81

When you use ConsentReady, you don't need to worry about form formatting or section numbers. Our step-by-step financial disclosure wizard asks you straightforward questions about your income, property, savings, debts, and pensions. The system then automatically generates a complete, correctly formatted Form D81 ready for both parties to sign and submit to the court.