Children and money

FP162 form: respond to an appeal in the Family Division of the High Court

Form FP162 is the respondent's notice used in appeals to the Family Division of the High Court. A respondent to someone else's appeal uses it to appeal the order themselves, or to ask the appeal court to uphold the order for different or additional reasons.

Fill in the FP162 form with Wren

How Wren helps with the FP162

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 FP162 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 FP162. 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: An hour or two
With Wren: 15 to 30 minutes
Solicitor for this form: £250 to £4901 to 2 hours

A solicitor’s time for the FP162 can run to £490. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes 15 to 30 minutes rather than an hour or two.

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.

Official title: Respondent's notice for appeals to the Family Division of the High Court: Form FP162
Edition: 10.16 (8 pages). Guidance notes FP162A are also published, with Welsh versions of both.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Time limit: 14 days, or 7 days for an appeal against a case management decision, beginning with the date you were served, unless the judge set a different period.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Serving it: Serve the appellant and any other respondent as soon as practicable, and no later than 7 days after filing, unless the appeal court orders otherwise.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Where it goes: The court where the appellant's notice was filed: the Family Division Appeals Office at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Skeleton argument: Not required if you have no legal representative, but you are encouraged to file one.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Help with fees: A fee is payable when you lodge the notice. You can apply for help with fees online or on form EX160.Source: How to apply (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the FP162

A party to the case who has been served with an appellant's notice on form FP161. You must file one if you want permission to appeal the order yourself, or want the order upheld for reasons other than the judge's. If you only want to argue that the judge's own reasons were right, the guidance notes say you do not have to file one.

When it is used

After you are served with the appellant's notice, or with notice that the appeal court has given the appellant permission to appeal. The time limit runs from that date, not from the date of the order.

Before you start

The appellant's notice you were served with, and the date you were served.
The appeal court reference number, shown at the top right of the appellant's notice.
The sealed order being appealed, with the case number, court, judge and date.
Any order giving or refusing permission to appeal, with the judge's reasons.
The appellant's skeleton argument, if you have received it.
Your Help with Fees reference, if you have one.

How to fill in the FP162

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.

Sections 1 and 2: the case and your details

You give the court, case number and title of the case, and which party you were. You then give your name and an address for papers about the appeal, and say whether there are parties the appellant has not named.

Section 3: the order

You give the judge's name and the date of the order. If only part of an order is in issue, you write out that part.

Section 4: permission

You say whether you already have permission to appeal. If not, you either say you do not need it or ask the appeal court for it. You also say whether you are making other applications and whether you have legal aid.

Sections 5 to 7: grounds, arguments and what you want

You say whether you are appealing the order, asking for it to be upheld on different or additional grounds, or both, and give your reasons. You then say what the appeal court should decide, such as setting the order aside or upholding it for other reasons.

Section 8: other applications

Here you can ask for more time to file the notice, or for other orders, with the evidence you rely on and a statement of truth.

Section 9: documents and signing

You tick the papers you are filing. If one is missing, give the reason and when it will be ready. More than 14 days needs an explanation. You or your solicitor then sign the notice.

Prepare your FP162 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 seals the notice. You must serve a sealed copy on the appellant and any other respondent within 7 days of filing, and FP162A says the court gives you a certificate of service to return once you have done so. A respondent who does not file a notice may not rely on a reason that was not relied on in the lower court without the court's permission.

Common mistakes

Counting the time limit from the date of the order instead of the date you were served.
Filing a respondent's notice when you only want to defend the judge's own reasons, which the guidance says you do not need to do.
Asking for the order to be varied without asking for permission to appeal.
Leaving out documents without saying why and when they will follow.

Common questions

Do I have to file a respondent's notice?

Only if you want to appeal the order yourself or want it upheld for different or additional reasons. If you only agree with the judge's reasons, the guidance notes say you do not have to, but you should file a skeleton argument.

How long do I have to file FP162?

Usually 14 days, or 7 days for a case management decision, from the date you were served with the appellant's notice or with notice that permission was given. The judge may set a different period.

Do I need permission?

To appeal the order yourself, including asking for it to be varied, usually yes. You do not need permission just to ask for the order to be upheld.

What if I am late?

You must ask for more time in the notice itself, in section 8, and give your reasons for the delay.

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 7 October 2026. How we check our pages.