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Divorce/separation

Here you'll find divorce help and support from other Mners. For legal advice, you may find Advice Now guides useful.

How the frig do I do the form E?

10 replies

ConfrontationDoesntHaveToBeScarey · 11/04/2024 22:04

It's just so draining...every time I look at it I feel sick, stressed and overwhelmed. I don't want to do it. I do my own tax return so I am capable.
I don't know when I need to do it by either.
I just want to move on and make a nice life and home with my children, not spend loads of time being stressed over reams of paperwork.

OP posts:
Feelinglosttonight · 12/04/2024 00:00

I don’t know what it is yet. I’m just at the beginning. Sorry. Good luck with it.

partystress · 12/04/2024 00:42

Break it into chunks. I did mine over a few weeks. I collected everything together first. p60, pension CETV quotes, (a couple took ages to come in, so maybe don’t go too far with other bits until they’re in), house valuations, then got bank statements together. Saved everything in folders online.

millymollymoomoo · 12/04/2024 07:30

Break into chunks as above

fortunately I didn’t bother so never had to worry about it!

airforsharon · 12/04/2024 07:54

There's a website called Advice Now that has a step by step guide, which i found really useful.
As a pp said, break it into chunks. Once you get going it's really not too bad - the most laborious for me was printing off a year's worth of bank statements. I then used different coloured highlighters on my copies for various things - grocery shopping, utilities etc - so i could calculate our outgoings/needs.
I made two copies of the form e so i could do one roughly, then completed the other properly when i was sure i had everything right.
Once it was done the relief huge, so worth just cracking on with.

Feelinglosttonight · 12/04/2024 08:04

Can you tell me what it is please. I’ve not started the process yet but am starting to get my head around what I need to do.

airforsharon · 12/04/2024 09:31

Feelinglosttonight · 12/04/2024 08:04

Can you tell me what it is please. I’ve not started the process yet but am starting to get my head around what I need to do.

Form E is your financial disclosure. You and your dh would do one each, and it's used to divide assets and assess future financial need.
A solicitor can give more advice, equally there's the Advice Now site i mentioned above & Gov online advice too.

ConfrontationDoesntHaveToBeScarey · 12/04/2024 12:49

I am seriously considering not doing it and not using a solicitor at all and just asking ex for a lump sum and then off I go.

OP posts:
millymollymoomoo · 12/04/2024 13:00

Op do you have a view of what assets there are? Has that been pretty open during your marriage? Are you an ex communicating at all ?

we didn’t complete because we earned similar, knew values of savings, equity etc, agreed not to touch pensions etc ( both paying into corporate schemes) so we didn’t need to. Of course in cases where you don’t know or haven’t worked for long periods or more complex cases it might be required to understand what ‘fair’ looks like

ConfrontationDoesntHaveToBeScarey · 12/04/2024 14:10

Op do you have a view of what assets there are?
Roughly yes. And since he's agreed to do the full disclosure I think if I just asked him the finer details he would tell tell/show me.

Has that been pretty open during your marriage?

yes.

Are you an ex communicating at all ?

we still live together. We get on OKish. If I need to talk finances with him we would have to agree a time.

It's so annoying as I want the solicitors advice but without doing 30 pages of form filling and spending a stupid amount of time stressing about compiling statements. But I get that they only want to advice if they see the data themselves...I don't understand why it's has to be so detailed though.

OP posts:
Ignorebadadvice · 12/04/2024 15:12

it is not wise to accept any advice that encourages you not to get full financial disclosure from both parties before negotiating and agreeing a financial settlement.

Full and frank disclosure is a legal requirement. It is vital.

I understand you feel overwhelmed but do persevere and work through the process bit by bit.

Look after the older woman you will become finacially.

This includes getting documentary evidence on the value of each and every asset - for example cash equivalent transfer values of pensions.

It is unwise to assume pensions are like for like, and on the basis of no factual evidence to leave pensions out.

The poster who did not get full and frank financial disclosure - ie leaving pensions out while not getting pension values / an independent actuary report on all pensions - cannot tell you with any surety that they got a fair or good settlement. They would not be able to produce evidence either way. They can assert it but they cannot prove it with facts.
Who knows what the pensions were worth and where in the evidence?
Even pensions of the same or similar capital value can have different income outcomes or benefits. There are so many contextual elements and variables to consider. They could of course be an actuary but even then they would need CETVs, further pension and contextual information for their analysis - and would benefit from an independent report.

Without CETVs, and/or without an actuary/ pensions on divorce report, the parties have no evidence on which to base their agreements.

There are lots of studies and surveys that show women are missing out re pensions on divorce

https://corporate-adviser.com/survey-reveals-how-women-miss-out-on-pension-on-divorce/amp/

Anyone who intimates or tells you it was ok for them, or that it’s ok for you,not to have full and complete information before entering into really important negotiations and making vital decisions about your financial future, is just not acting in your best interest.

Information and knowledge is power.

Do get it.

Once you have all the information you have the opportunity and are equipped to make informed and committed decisions about your finances and future.

Take heart, persevere, look after yourself and the very best of luck.

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