Need help with Form E? The right support depends on whether you need plain-English guidance, a better way to complete Form E online, a professional review, or legal advice about a difficult financial issue. You do not automatically need a solicitor to type every answer, but you should not treat all Form E help as interchangeable.
This guide covers the Form E financial statement used in divorce and civil partnership financial remedy cases in England and Wales. It was last checked against the official HMCTS form, Form E Notes and Practice Direction 9A on 11 June 2026. It is general information, not legal advice.
Quick answer
Many people with straightforward finances can fill in Form E themselves. The official PDF and notes are free. Guided Form E online software can organise the questions and produce the finished form; Divvio is free to start and costs £149 for one completed Form E download. Human fixed-fee completion services publicly advertise from about £250, while a solicitor-prepared Form E is often quoted around £1,000–£3,000 depending on complexity and scope. Get legal advice where there is a business, trust, overseas asset, disputed valuation, suspected non-disclosure, urgent asset risk, or a safety concern.
Official form
30 pages
The current GOV.UK Form E PDF is version 01/23.
Court deadline
35 days
File and exchange no later than 35 days before the first appointment, unless your order says otherwise.
Divvio online
£149
Free to start; pay when you unlock one court-ready Form E PDF.
Form E is the detailed financial disclosure form used for financial remedy proceedings after divorce or dissolution in England and Wales. Each person completes a separate form. It gives the court and the other party a structured picture of property, mortgages, bank accounts, investments, pensions, business interests, debts, income, outgoings and future financial needs.
The official document is called a financial statement for a financial order. It does not decide how the assets should be divided, and completing it does not commit you to a particular settlement. Its job is disclosure: putting the financial facts and supporting evidence on the table.
Do you definitely need Form E?
Use the form your court order requires. Form E is normally used for divorce or civil partnership financial claims under the standard financial remedy procedure. Form E1 and Form E2 are different forms for different applications. If you have already agreed everything, the official notes say a full Form E may not be needed before a consent application, although honest financial disclosure is still important.
The official Form E Notes say the completed form must be sent to the court and copied to the other person no later than 35 days before the first appointment. The exact date appears on Form C. If your court order gives a different or more specific direction, follow the order in your case.
Which kind of Form E help do you actually need?
Start by naming the problem. Paying for the wrong type of help is common because form completion, form review and legal advice sound similar but solve different problems.
“I do not understand the questions”
You need guidance
Use the official notes and a plain-English guide that explains what each section is asking for. The complete Divvio Form E guide covers every part.
“The PDF is awkward and I keep losing track”
You need structured online completion
A guided Form E online tool should break the form into manageable questions, save progress, calculate totals and create continuation sheets.
“I have filled it in but want another pair of eyes”
You need a review
Ask exactly whether the reviewer checks completeness, consistency, documents and calculations, or also gives legal advice. These are different scopes.
“I do not know what to disclose or how to value it”
You may need legal or specialist advice
A form tool cannot decide a disputed business value, trace hidden assets, advise on privilege or tell you what settlement to accept.
Form E help options and costs compared
There is no official tariff for help completing Form E. Prices depend on who provides the service, whether they are legally regulated, how complex the finances are, and whether the fee covers typing, review, advice, correspondence or representation.
| Option | Indicative cost | What it gives you | Best fit |
|---|
| Official Form E and notes | Free | The current blank PDF, official notes and document schedule. | Confident DIY users with simple finances and time to manage the PDF themselves. |
| Guided Form E online with Divvio | Free to start; £149 for one completed Form E | Plain-English questions, saved progress, calculations, document prompts and a court-ready PDF. | Straightforward or moderately detailed finances where you can provide your own facts and documents. |
| Human fixed-fee completion service | Publicly advertised from about £250; wider packages cost more | A person helps organise or draft answers from the information you supply. Review and advice may be separate. | People who want human administration support but not full representation. |
| Solicitor review or preparation | Often around £1,000–£3,000 for preparation, depending on scope and complexity | Legal input, issue spotting and preparation or review. Confirm whether advice and follow-up questions are included. | Complex assets, disputed facts, higher stakes or anyone who needs legal judgement rather than form guidance. |
| Ongoing solicitor representation | Quote-based; total case costs can be far higher than the Form E stage | Advice, correspondence, disclosure disputes, negotiations and hearing preparation across the case. | Contested or complex proceedings where continuing representation is proportionate. |
Cost note: the non-Divvio figures above are an indicative snapshot of publicly advertised UK services checked in June 2026, not a recommended fee or guaranteed quote. VAT, document volume, follow-up work and legal advice can materially change the price. Ask for the scope and exclusions in writing.
If your search was “how to fill in Form E”, the most useful answer is not to begin at box 1 with an empty folder. The reliable route starts with the deadline and evidence.
1
Confirm that Form E is the right financial disclosure form
Check the court order, case type and first appointment date. Download the current official version rather than reusing an old template.
2
Request the slow documents first
Ask for pension cash equivalent values, mortgage statements, property valuations and business records early. If a pension valuation is unavailable, the official notes explain what request evidence to attach.
3
Build one complete asset, debt and income list
Include sole and joint accounts, low balances, overdrawn accounts, old pensions, investments, liabilities and business interests. Use the Form E documents checklist to organise the evidence.
4
Complete factual sections before opinion-heavy sections
Start with identity, property, accounts, pensions, liabilities and income. Complete needs, contributions, conduct and orders sought after the financial picture is coherent.
5
Use evidence, not memory
Make dates, balances and income figures match the supporting documents. Explain genuine estimates and missing information instead of presenting guesses as exact figures.
6
Reconcile the whole form
Check that the summary totals match the detailed entries, income agrees with payslips or tax evidence, and the monthly budget is realistic against the bank statements.
7
Review, sign, file and exchange
Read the statement of truth carefully. Attach the required documents, keep a complete copy, and follow the filing and exchange directions in your order.
For every section and document requirement, use the full Form E divorce guidance. For examples of the level of detail expected, see the worked Form E example.
What should good Form E online help include?
“Online” can mean anything from a blank PDF in a browser to a guided service. Before paying, check whether the product solves the difficult parts of completing Form E rather than merely reproducing the boxes.
- Plain-English prompts: each question should explain what belongs in the field without pretending to give case-specific legal advice.
- Autosave and editing: Form E takes multiple sessions for most people; you should be able to return and update figures safely.
- Automatic totals and consistency checks: arithmetic errors and mismatched totals create avoidable follow-up questions.
- Multiple-item support: real cases often involve several accounts, pensions, properties or debts, which need continuation sheets.
- A document checklist: the form is only as useful as the evidence behind it.
- Clear output: confirm that you receive a complete Form E PDF in the official structure, not merely a summary report.
- Transparent pricing: know whether payment covers completion, review, download, amendments and future access.
- Honest boundaries: software should tell you when a valuation, disclosure dispute or legal question needs a professional.
What Divvio does
Divvio turns Form E into a guided questionnaire with saved progress, document prompts, automatic calculations, review checks and court-ready PDF generation. You can start without paying and the Solo product costs £149 when you unlock the completed Form E. Divvio provides form-completion software and general information; it does not replace a solicitor, value disputed assets or advise you what settlement to accept.
When should you get a solicitor to help with Form E?
The question is not whether your form looks long. It is whether completing or challenging the disclosure requires legal judgement, specialist valuation evidence or protective action.
Business, trust or partnership interests
Accounts rarely answer the valuation question by themselves. Tax, liquidity and control can matter.
Overseas property, accounts or competing jurisdictions
Ownership evidence, currency, tax and court jurisdiction may need specialist advice.
Suspected hidden assets or incomplete disclosure
Get advice on proportionate questions and evidence. Do not access private accounts or devices unlawfully.
Urgent asset or safety risk
Possible dissipation of assets, domestic abuse, coercive control or unsafe communication needs prompt professional support.
Complex pensions
Defined benefit, public-sector, overseas or pension-sharing issues may require both legal advice and pension expertise.
Disputed needs, contributions or conduct
These sections can affect case strategy. Form guidance cannot decide what is legally relevant in your circumstances.
You can still control costs by using a solicitor for a defined task: an initial advice meeting, a review of your completed Form E, advice on one asset, or help drafting questions after exchange. Ask whether the work is fixed-fee or hourly and what happens if new issues emerge.
Where can you get free Form E help?
- Official Form E and Notes: download both free from GOV.UK. The notes explain who should use the form, the 35-day deadline and several difficult sections.
- Court staff: the official notes say staff can help with procedure, but they cannot give legal advice or tell you what to write.
- Citizens Advice, law centres and AdviceNow: GOV.UK signposts these services when legal aid is unavailable. Availability and the amount of form-specific help vary locally.
- Legal aid eligibility checker: checking is free. Eligibility depends on the legal issue and your financial circumstances. Use the GOV.UK legal aid checker.
- Divvio guides: the full section-by-section guide, official Form E template guide and documents checklist are free to read.
Questions to ask before paying for Form E help
- Who is doing the work? Is it software, an administrator, a paralegal, a solicitor or another regulated professional?
- What is the exact scope? Data entry, completeness review, legal advice and representation are separate services.
- What is not included? Ask about valuations, pension advice, tax, correspondence, amendments and reviewing your spouse's Form E.
- What will I receive? Confirm that the final output is the complete Form E and any necessary continuation sheets.
- How is my financial information protected? Form E contains unusually sensitive personal and financial data.
- What happens if my case is too complex? A responsible service should identify its limits and explain when to obtain advice.
Common Form E mistakes that create more work
- Starting the form before gathering the documents.
- Using an old Form E template instead of the current GOV.UK version.
- Leaving blank boxes that do not show whether the answer is zero, not applicable or forgotten.
- Missing small, dormant, overdrawn or recently closed accounts.
- Using a pension statement value when the form asks for the relevant cash equivalent information.
- Making the budget artificially low rather than evidence-based and realistic.
- Letting summary totals disagree with the detailed sections.
- Assuming a tool or solicitor is responsible for the truth of information only you can provide.
Honest errors can usually be corrected, but they cause questions and delay. Deliberate non-disclosure is much more serious. Practice Direction 9A describes full and honest disclosure as an ongoing obligation until the final financial remedy order.
Frequently asked questions about Form E help
Can I fill in Form E myself without a solicitor?
Yes. There is no general rule requiring a solicitor to complete Form E. Self-completion is more realistic where you understand your finances, can gather the evidence and do not need advice on disputed or complex issues. Read Can I complete Form E myself? for a fuller suitability check.
Can I complete Form E online?
Yes. You can use the official PDF or a guided online service. Check that the final output follows the official Form E structure, supports continuation sheets, lets you review every answer and does not hide the total price.
How much does Form E help cost?
The official form and notes are free. Divvio is free to start and costs £149 for one completed Form E. Public fixed-fee human services start at about £250, while solicitor preparation is often quoted around £1,000–£3,000 depending on complexity and scope. Treat market prices as indicative and obtain a written quote.
How long does it take to fill in Form E?
The form itself may take several focused sessions. Document gathering usually controls the timetable, especially pensions, business information and property evidence. Start as soon as Form C or the court order gives you the first appointment date.
What documents do I need for Form E?
Requirements depend on your circumstances, but commonly include property and mortgage evidence, 12 months of statements for relevant bank accounts, investment and policy statements, pension valuations, income evidence, tax records for self-employment and business accounts. Use the official schedule and the full checklist.
Is Form E the same as a financial statement?
Yes. Its official description is a financial statement for a financial order. It is the detailed divorce financial disclosure form used in the relevant financial remedy proceedings in England and Wales.
What happens if I get Form E wrong?
An honest mistake can normally be corrected, often through the questionnaire process or an update. Missing or inconsistent information can create delay and extra cost. Deliberate false statements or non-disclosure can have serious consequences.
Can someone review my Form E without representing me?
Often, yes. Some solicitors and fixed-fee services offer limited-scope review. Ask whether the review covers arithmetic, documents, completeness, legal relevance and follow-up corrections, because “review” does not have one standard meaning.
Official sources checked