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Money and property

Form A1: apply for maintenance only (fast-track)

Form A1 starts a financial application that follows the fast-track procedure. It is mainly used to ask for regular maintenance payments only, or to vary or end an existing maintenance order.

Fill in the Form A1 with Wren

How Wren helps with the Form A1

Official forms are written for lawyers. With Wren you do not have to decode this one on your own, and you still follow the court’s procedure.

  1. Plain questions, one at a timeEach part of the Form A1 becomes short questions in everyday words. Answer at your own pace and come back to it.
  2. Help beside each questionWhat the question is asking and what the official guidance says about it, in plain English.
  3. The official form, filled inYour answers go into the official Form A1. You check it, sign it and send it yourself. Nothing goes to the court for you.
  4. What comes next, kept with your caseWhat usually happens after you send it, with the dates worked out from the published rules.

Time and money

On your own
A day or more
With Wren
About an hour for most forms
Solicitor for this form
£740 to £1,2403 to 5 hours

A solicitor’s time for the Form A1 can run to £1,240. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes about an hour for most forms rather than a day or more.

Times and hours are Wren’s estimates for a typical case, not quotes. Solicitor costs are those hours at £247 an hour, the courts’ guideline rate for a solicitor with over four years’ experience, outside London (GOV.UK, Solicitors' guideline hourly rates (in effect from 1 January 2026)). The guideline runs from £200 to £295 an hour outside London depending on experience, firms set their own rates, and VAT is added on top.

Key facts

Official title
Give notice of intention to proceed with an application for a financial remedy (other than a financial order) in the county court or High Court: Form A1
First hearing
Fixed 6 to 10 weeks after filingSource: r 9.18(1),(2) (external source, opens in a new tab)
Financial statements
Exchanged and filed within 21 days of issue (Form E1, E2 or E as applicable)Source: r 9.19(1)-(4) (external source, opens in a new tab)
Standard procedure
You can ask for it in the application, with reasons. The respondent can ask within 7 days of service.Source: r 9.18A(1),(2); PD9A para 1.2A (external source, opens in a new tab); r 9.18A(3)-(5) (external source, opens in a new tab)
Fee
The form refers you to leaflet EX50Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the Form A1

Someone applying for periodical (regular maintenance) payments only. This includes claims in divorce, under Schedule 1 to the Children Act 1989, or under the 1978 Act. Also someone applying to vary or discharge a maintenance order. If you want maintenance with another kind of order, Form A is used instead.

When it is used

At the start of a maintenance-only claim or a variation claim. If you want to end maintenance and replace it with a lump sum, property or pension order, the form says to use Form A.

Before you start

  • Proof you attended a MIAM, or evidence for any exemption you will claim.
  • If varying an order, a copy of the order you want to change.
  • Details of each child and any child maintenance calculation.
  • Your address for service, or Form C8 if your address must stay private.
  • A way to pay the fee, or a Help with Fees reference.

How to fill in the Form A1

Open each part for what it asks and how to answer it. In Wren, each part is a few plain questions, and your answers fill in the form.

Nature of application

You say what the claim is connected to, such as a divorce or Schedule 1. Then you tick one type of order, such as maintenance only. You also say whether you want a consent order and attach the draft if so.

Section 1: children

If you ask for child maintenance, tick the box that gives the court power to deal with it. The form warns that without one, the court may not have jurisdiction.

Service details

Your address for documents, and the other party's. To keep your address private, leave it blank and complete Form C8. If you are in danger, call 999.

MIAM sections

You confirm attendance at a MIAM, or claim an exemption and give the required evidence. A mediator signs to confirm attendance.

Statement of truth and checklist

You sign the statement of truth and complete the checklist. The guidance says unanswered questions can delay the case.

Prepare your Form A1 with Wren Family

Wren Family turns official forms into short, plain-English questions you can answer at your own pace. You check everything before you send it: nothing goes to the court for you.

Get started

Free for 14 days, no card. Then £19.99 a month, with your money back within 14 days if it’s not right.

What happens after you send it

The court fixes a first hearing 6 to 10 weeks after filing and serves the papers within 4 days. If you serve them yourself, you have 4 days from receiving them. Both parties exchange financial statements within 21 days of issue. At the first hearing the court must decide the application if it can.

Common mistakes

  • Using Form A1 when also asking for a lump sum or property order. The form says to use Form A then.
  • Not ticking a box that gives the court power to deal with child maintenance.
  • Claiming a MIAM exemption without the evidence it needs.

Common questions

Should I use Form A or Form A1?

Form A1 is for maintenance-only claims, variation or discharge of maintenance, and 1978 Act claims. Form A covers other financial orders, including maintenance combined with other orders.

How long does a fast-track case take to reach a hearing?

The rules say the court fixes the first hearing 6 to 10 weeks after the application is filed.

Can the other person ask for the standard procedure instead?

Yes. The respondent can file a request with reasons within 7 days of service. The court may also move a case to the standard procedure.

Do I need a MIAM before Form A1?

Usually. The MIAM requirement covers periodical payments and Schedule 1 claims, unless an exemption applies.

Where these facts come from

These are the official rules and pages this page is based on. They are listed so you can check a detail for yourself; you do not need them to use Wren. They are outside Wren and open in a new tab.

Last checked against its sources on . How we check our pages.

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