Guide

How to prepare a court bundle for a family court hearing

A court bundle is the indexed, page-numbered set of documents the judge reads before a hearing. The applicant usually prepares it, and it must reach the court and other parties at least 5 working days before the hearing.

Starting a case
Responding to a case

How long it takes, and what it would cost

On your own: Days of sorting
With Wren: Minutes: Wren builds the PDF
Solicitor to put a bundle together: £740 to £1,4803 to 6 hours

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.

Who prepares the bundle

Check your most recent court order first. If it says nothing, the applicant prepares, files and serves the bundle. Where there are several applications, it is the person who applied first.

If the applicant has no lawyer but the respondent does, the represented respondent prepares it. If nobody has a lawyer, the judge may ask one party to do it or, exceptionally, ask HMCTS to prepare it.

A bundle is usually needed for every hearing where the judge will read documents, even if the order does not say so.

What goes in it

The bundle should only contain documents the judge needs to read or that will be referred to at the hearing. It starts with an index, listing documents in bundle order with matching page numbers.

Section A: preliminary documents, such as a case summary, statement of issues, chronology and position statements.
Section B: applications and orders.
Section C: statements, with the date at the top right.
Section D: reports, such as Cafcass or expert reports.
Section E: other documents the court has allowed.

What to leave out

Practice Direction 27A says the bundle must not include correspondence, emails, texts, WhatsApp or social media messages. Voice notes, recordings, bank statements, contact notes and photographs are also excluded.

The judiciary's guide adds documents used only to discuss a possible agreement. These can only go in if the court has directed it.

Statements and reports must be copies of signed and dated originals.

Format and size

The default is an electronic bundle: a single PDF of no more than 350 A4 pages. It should have computer-generated page numbers that match the PDF, bookmarks for each index entry, and searchable text where possible.

If you cannot make an electronic bundle, contact the court as soon as possible. The judge may allow a paper bundle. A paper bundle goes in one A4 ring binder or lever arch file of up to 175 sheets.

Financial remedy bundles are numbered continuously from start to finish. Other family bundles restart numbering in each section (A1, B1 and so on).

Agreeing and sending the bundle

Prepare an index and share it with the other party for agreement. Add page numbers once the index is agreed. Once filed, the bundle must not be changed without the judge's permission.

If there is domestic abuse or an order limiting contact, the judiciary's guide says not to contact the other party directly to agree it. Prepare it as best you can. If you are in danger, call 999 in an emergency. You can ask the court to keep your address and contact details from the other party using Form C8.

If it is late or there is a problem

The judge may not read late documents. The hearing could be delayed or removed from the list, and a costs order is possible.

If something is missing, contact the court as soon as possible. Explain what is missing and when it will be ready. Disputes about the bundle usually need a hearing or a formal application, so do not wait until the day.

Key dates

Seven working days before the hearingParties try to agree the contents of the bundle.Source: para 13.2 (external source, opens in a new tab)
Five working days before the hearingThe person responsible files the bundle and serves it on the other parties.Source: para 13.2 (external source, opens in a new tab)
By 11am on the working day beforePreliminary documents not already sent are filed and served.Source: para 13.2 (external source, opens in a new tab)
Within 5 working days after the hearingCollect any paper bundle from court, or it may be destroyed.Source: para 17.1 (external source, opens in a new tab)

Get organised with Wren Family

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Common questions

Who has to prepare the court bundle?

Usually the applicant, unless the court order says otherwise. If the applicant has no lawyer and the respondent does, the respondent normally prepares it.

How many pages can a family court bundle be?

An electronic bundle must not exceed 350 A4 pages. A paper bundle is limited to 175 sheets, or 350 sides.

Can I put text messages in the bundle?

Not unless the court has directed it. Practice Direction 27A excludes texts, emails, WhatsApp and social media messages.

When does the bundle need to be sent?

At least 5 working days before the hearing, or as your court order says. Working days are Monday to Friday, not counting public holidays.

What if I cannot make an electronic bundle?

Contact the court as soon as possible to explain. The judge may allow a paper bundle or give other directions.

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.