Anyone done a cheap/DIY divorce?

[PinkGlitter17]

Just as the title says. If average divorce costs are £25k, I am screwed. SAHM, about to start a PT job, no assets, looking to move from rented family home to another rental. STBXH and I are separated but living together with 2 DC. No way can I scrape thousands of pounds together!

If you are both amicable about it and avoid solicitors and are prepared to fill out the various forms yourselves then I THINK you can get away with about £1,000 of costs or thereabouts. Solicitors at around £250 an hour can eat money very fast.

Managed to sort things relatively amicably with EXH, downloaded the forms from the government website, split the costs between us (court fees - neither of us bothered with solicitors apart from the free half hour type stuff) and so neither of us paid more than £300 each.

That said we didn't get a financial order thingy done, if you do have any significant assets or may do so in the future, it could be worth getting that sorted.

I'm looking at 'Intelligent Divorce' as that seems to be a cost effective option. Feedback seems positive - I haven't started the process yet so I xan't speak from personal experience though.

I did mine myself online. All in it cost £540 which included the court fee and basic guidance and checks of paperwork, we didn't have any assets to divide and it was very amicable though.

I think the website I used was simply called divorceonline.co.uk or similar.

This is all really good to hear. I wish more people realised it's possible to avoid a crippling bill. Maybe people do, more so than I realise, but it's quite new info to me.

My DW is taking the 'crippling bill' approach as apparently I haven't existed over the last 25+ years.

outabout I'm so sorry to hear that.

wikivorce offer cheap services, they can just do the divorce or sort out a consent order too.

If you are in receipt of benefits or on a lower income fee remission is available for the divorce application fee.

It means you pay no fee or a partial contribution and you can apply online via gov website before making your application.

I have listed some links that have been helpful.

www.advicenow.org.uk/guides/how-get-divorce-or-end-civil-partnership-without-help-lawyer

www.gov.uk/divorce

www.gov.uk/get-help-with-court-fees

www.divorcebox.com/fee-remission/

Hope it helps.

I did our divorce filled it all in and went through fine. I did see a solicitor for that first appointment and talked it all through so had some ideas also she said to me you don't need me for this you're an intelligent woman. We used an online company for finances as we were amicable. Did involve a house and public sector pensions. Think it came back once as hadn't put a date on by which I needed to give him money from sale of house but the online people amended that. All fine and stamped by judge. I think it is only not going to work if complicated finances and not amicable.

Do the divorce yourself but afterward get a solicitor to draw up and lodge a clean break consent order. This will take care of the financial aspect. Without the order your ex may be able to take half of whatever you have, at any point in the guture - even decades after your divorce. It's essential and doesn't cost much.