Form E2: financial statement to change a maintenance order
Form E2 is a shorter financial statement used when someone asks the court to vary a financial order. It covers income, savings, property, outgoings and debts.
How Wren helps with the Form E2
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.
- Plain questions, one at a timeEach part of the Form E2 becomes short questions in everyday words. Answer at your own pace and come back to it.
- Help beside each questionWhat the question is asking and what the official guidance says about it, in plain English.
- The official form, filled inYour answers go into the official Form E2. You check it, sign it and send it yourself. Nothing goes to the court for you.
- 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 E2 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
- Financial statement for a variation of an order for a financial remedy: Form E2
- Edition
- 01.23 (10 pages, with 2 pages of notes)Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Deadline (fast-track)
- Within 21 days of issueSource: r 9.19(1)-(4) (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Not for
- Capitalising maintenance into a lump sum, property or pension order. Form E is used then.Source: Introduction (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Attach
- A copy of the order you want to varySource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Statement of truth
- RequiredSource: r 9.19(1)-(4) (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who uses the Form E2
The applicant, respondent or a child in an application to vary an order for a financial remedy. It is not used where maintenance is to be replaced by a lump sum, property or pension order; Form E is used for that.
When it is used
In fast-track variation cases, the parties exchange and file statements within 21 days of issue.
Before you start
- A copy of the order you want to vary.
- Bank and savings statements, payslips, P60 and any P11D, as listed in the schedule.
- Your regular weekly or monthly bills, and any arrears.
- Details of court orders, fines and other debts you pay.
How to fill in the Form E2
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.
Personal details and dependants
Your details, children living with you or elsewhere, and anyone else you support.
The order you want to change
Attach the order and say which part should change and how.
Employment, accounts and property
Your work, bank and savings accounts, and the home you live in and its value.
Income and expenses
All income, then regular outgoings such as rent, council tax and food. Payments on arrears are listed separately.
Debts, other orders and children's resources
Court orders and fines, arrears on essential bills, other loans and any income or property the children have.
Orders sought and statement of truth
Say whether you want to vary, discharge or suspend the order, or have arrears remitted. Then sign the statement of truth.
Prepare your Form E2 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 startedFree 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
In a fast-track case, the court must decide the application at the first hearing if it can. It may also treat that hearing as an FDR or list a final hearing.
Common mistakes
- Using Form E2 when asking to replace maintenance with a lump sum or property order.
- Forgetting to attach the order being varied.
- Including arrears payments in regular expenses. The form lists them separately.
Common questions
When do I use Form E2 instead of Form E?
Form E2 is for most variation applications. Form E is used if you want maintenance ended and replaced with a lump sum, property or pension order.
Can I ask for arrears to be written off on Form E2?
The orders sought section lets you say whether you want arrears remitted. The court decides.
When is Form E2 due?
In fast-track cases, within 21 days of the date of issue.
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.