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Court fee on Divorce increases by 34%

Yes you have read that correctly, this week the Court fee to start Divorce Proceedings has increased from £410 to £550!

This increase has been in discussions for a long time, with the Ministry of Justice running a consultation from 22nd July 2015 to 15th September 2015. However it was only confirmed on 17th March by emails from the Courts and a news article in the Law Gazette that the Court fee increase was to be implemented on Monday 21st March 2016. 

The Court fee for Divorce Proceedings was only increased two years ago and now with Legal Aid only available in exceptional cases for Divorce this increase is bound to have an impact on couples wanting to divorce. 

This is not the only Court fee which is due to increase. There are other Court fees in Family Proceedings which are due to be increased in the near future, one being the Court fee for Consent Orders. Currently this fee is £50 and it is due to increase to £100. Again this is going to impact couples divorcing as this means in total they will need to pay an extra £190 in Court fees to finalise Divorce Proceedings and financial matters. 

The MOJ has said that the reason for the increase is to take the burden of the Courts away from the taxpayer and instead those that are using the Courts should pay the fees to cover costs. Let’s just hope that there are no further increases to Court fees for a long time. 

If you have separated and would like advice in relation to Divorce Proceedings and the costs associated please contact one of our family law experts on 01869 252 161 (Bicester office)  01295 270999 (Banbury Office) 01788 579 579 (Rugby Office).