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Money and property

Form E: financial statement for a divorce money case

Form E is the financial statement each person fills in when the court is asked to make a financial order. It sets out your income, property, debts, pensions and future needs, with documents to back them up.

Fill in the Form E with Wren

How Wren helps with the Form E

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 E 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 E. 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
Several days
With Wren
A couple of hours
Solicitor for this form
£1,480 to £2,4706 to 10 hours

A solicitor’s time for the Form E can run to £2,470. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes a couple of hours rather than several days.

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
Financial statement for a financial order (Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 / Civil Partnership Act 2004) / for financial relief after an overseas divorce etc: Form E
Edition
01.23 (30 pages, with 4 pages of notes)Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Deadline (standard)
At least 35 days before the First AppointmentSource: r 9.14(1) (external source, opens in a new tab); Introduction (external source, opens in a new tab)
Deadline (express pilot)
Within 28 days of the date of issueSource: r 9.21D(1),(2) as inserted (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who gets a copy
The court and the other party, exchanged at the same timeSource: r 9.14(1) (external source, opens in a new tab)
Where it goes
By post to HMCTS Financial Remedy, PO Box 12746, Harlow, CM20 9QZSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Statement of truth
Required. You confirm full, frank, clear and accurate disclosure.Source: r 9.14(2)(a),(2A) (external source, opens in a new tab); Statement of Truth (external source, opens in a new tab)
Pension valuations
Must not be more than a year old at the First AppointmentSource: Section 2.13 (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the Form E

Each spouse or civil partner completes their own Form E once a financial order application has been made. It is also used for an application to replace maintenance with a lump sum, property or pension order. If you have agreed everything, you do not need to complete Form E.

When it is used

Under the standard procedure both of you exchange Form E and file it with the court at least 35 days before the First Appointment. In express pilot cases it is due within 28 days of issue. Before applying, the Pre-application Protocol encourages using the Form E format for voluntary disclosure.

Before you start

  • Statements for the last 12 months for every bank, building society and savings account you have held in that time.
  • Any property valuation from the last six months and a recent mortgage statement for each property.
  • Your P60, last three payslips and any P11D. If self-employed, your last tax assessment and two years of business accounts.
  • A cash equivalent valuation for each pension, or a copy of your letter asking for one.
  • The latest statement for each investment and a surrender value for each life policy that has one.
  • Your National Insurance number and details of any debts, loans and credit cards.

How to fill in the Form E

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.

Part 1: general information

Your personal details, key dates, children, health and where you live. It also asks about any child maintenance calculation and other court cases between you. The notes say to list these at 1.13 and 1.15.

Part 2: capital

The family home's value and mortgage, other property, accounts, investments, policies, money owed to you and belongings worth over £500. Overdrawn accounts go in 2.3, not with debts in 2.9. Assets that cannot be sold yet go in 2.14.

Part 2: business and pensions

One page per business, with accounts. Section 2.13 covers every pension and any Pension Protection Fund entitlement. Attach the provider's valuation for each one.

Part 2: income and summaries

Income from work, self-employment, investments, state benefits and anything else. The section ends with summaries of your capital and your expected income for the next 12 months.

Part 3: your needs

Your income needs, and those of children you provide for, shown as weekly, monthly or annual costs. Then your reasonable future capital needs, such as housing.

Part 4: other information

Big changes in the last or next 12 months, the standard of living during the relationship and contributions to the family. The form says conduct only counts in very exceptional circumstances. It also asks about a new partner's finances, if known.

Part 5: orders sought

If you can, you say what you are asking for. This includes what should happen to the home, whether you want a clean break and any pension order.

Statement of truth and documents

You sign to confirm the statement is true and complete. The final schedule lists the documents to attach, and you tick whether each is attached, not applicable or to follow.

Prepare your Form E 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

At least 14 days before the First Appointment, each of you files and serves a statement of issues, a chronology, a questionnaire and Form G. In the Financial Remedies Court, the applicant also files Templates ES1 and ES2 based on both Forms E. At the First Appointment the judge decides which questions must be answered. No other disclosure can be asked for before then.

Common mistakes

  • Missing the 35-day deadline. The Notes to Form E warn this may lead to a costs order.
  • Leaving boxes empty. The form asks you to write N/A where a box does not apply.
  • Sending original documents. Attach copies and keep originals available to inspect.
  • Attaching extra papers. The rules say only required documents, or ones needed to explain your answers, should go with it.
  • Leaving something out. The form warns an order may be set aside, and deliberate untruths may lead to criminal proceedings for fraud.

Common questions

When is Form E due?

Under the standard procedure, at least 35 days before the First Appointment. The court gives the First Appointment date when it issues the case. Express pilot cases have 28 days from issue.

Do I need Form E if we agree?

No. The Notes to Form E say there is no need if you have agreed. Instead you send a consent order and Form D81 to the court.

How many months of bank statements do I need for Form E?

The last 12 months for each account you held in that time. This includes accounts in your own name or that you had an interest in.

What if my pension valuation has not arrived?

Attach a copy of the letter asking for it and any reply. The rules say to ask each pension provider within 7 days of receiving notice of the First Appointment.

What happens if I lie on Form E?

The form warns that an order may be set aside if disclosure is not full and accurate. A false statement can lead to contempt proceedings, and deliberate untruths to criminal proceedings for fraud.

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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