Form E is for financial claims on divorce or dissolution, Form E1 is for other financial remedies such as child-support claims between unmarried parents, and Form E2 is for changing an existing order, such as varying spousal maintenance. All three are financial statements you sign with a statement of truth; the difference is the type of application you are in, and the court tells you which one to file.
If you have searched for "Form E" and found three forms with almost the same name, you are not alone. Filling in the wrong one wastes days of work and can delay your case. This guide explains what each form is for, how they differ, and how to check which one applies to you before you start.
Before you rely on this
This is general information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If your finances are complex or disputed, get advice from a qualified family lawyer.
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Quick answer: Form E, E1 or E2 — which do I need?
Use Form E if you are married or in a civil partnership and are sorting out money as part of a divorce, dissolution, nullity or judicial separation. Use Form E1 if you are making or defending a different kind of financial claim, most commonly a claim for a child under Schedule 1 to the Children Act 1989 between parents who were never married. Use Form E2 if a financial order already exists and someone has applied to change it, for example to increase, reduce or end spousal maintenance.
The rule behind this is Practice Direction 5A to the Family Procedure Rules 2010, which lists each form and the application it belongs to. You do not choose the form on preference. The type of application decides it, and the court's notice of your first hearing normally says which statement to file.
Form E, E1 and E2 side by side
All three are financial statements, all three must be verified by a statement of truth, and all three carry the same duty of full and frank disclosure. They differ in scope and length.
| Form E | Form E1 | Form E2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Used for | Financial orders on divorce, dissolution, nullity or judicial separation; financial relief after an overseas divorce | Financial remedies that are not financial orders, such as Schedule 1 child claims and failure-to-maintain claims; also used by a debtor in some enforcement cases | Varying an existing financial remedy order |
| Typical user | Separating spouses or civil partners | Unmarried parents; a spouse claiming maintenance without divorcing | Ex-spouses where one wants maintenance changed or ended |
| Current version (as checked 17 October 2026) | 01.23 | 04.24 | 01.23 |
| Length | The longest, around 30 pages | 15 pages | 10 pages |
| Focus | Every asset, debt, pension, income source and future need | Income, needs and resources relevant to the specific claim | What has changed since the original order |
The version numbers matter. A form downloaded from an old forum post or a solicitor's website from years ago may be out of date. Always take the form from GOV.UK and check the version code printed on the first page.
When you use Form E
Form E is the financial statement for a financial order under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 or the Civil Partnership Act 2004. In practice, that means almost everyone sorting out money on divorce. GOV.UK publishes it as "Form E Financial statement (01.23)".
You will normally file it in three situations:
- Contested financial remedy proceedings. Once a Form A application is issued, the court lists a First Appointment and both of you must file and exchange Form E at least 35 days before it (FPR 2010 rule 9.14). See how the Form A application starts the timetable.
- Voluntary disclosure. Many couples exchange Form E without going to court, so that mediation or solicitor negotiation starts from verified figures.
- Financial relief after an overseas divorce under Part III of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984.
One edge case confuses people. If an order already exists and the application is to capitalise maintenance, which means swapping ongoing payments for a lump sum, property transfer or pension share, the official notes say you use Form E, not E2. Converting income into capital needs the full picture of everything you own.
If you are agreeing a settlement by consent, you will not usually file Form E with the court. The consent application uses a shorter statement of information, the D81, covered in our guide to consent orders and the D81. Exchanging Form E first is still common because it gives each of you confidence that the agreement rests on full information.
When you use Form E1
Form E1 is the financial statement for a financial remedy "other than a financial order". That is how GOV.UK describes it. Put simply, it is for money claims that are not part of a divorce or dissolution.
The most common Form E1 cases are:
- Schedule 1 claims under the Children Act 1989. These are usually brought by a parent who was never married to the other parent. The claim is for the child's benefit and can cover a home to live in during the child's minority, lump sums for things like a car or furniture, school fees, or maintenance above the Child Maintenance Service limits. It cannot give the parent a share of the other parent's assets in their own right.
- Failure to maintain. A married person can apply under section 27 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 for maintenance where their spouse is not providing reasonable support, without starting a divorce. Civil partners have an equivalent route.
- Some enforcement cases. Practice Direction 5A says a debtor uses Form E1 to give financial information when ordered to in enforcement proceedings under FPR rule 33.3(3).
Form E1 is shorter than Form E because the court's questions are narrower. It still asks for income, property, debts, pensions and needs, with supporting documents. The 04.24 version added notes on the documents needed for question 4.2, so if you are working from an older copy, swap it for the current one.
Cohabiting couples
If you lived together without marrying, there is no claim between you for maintenance or a share of each other's pension. Form E1 only comes in if there is a claim for a child. A dispute about who owns a jointly lived-in home is usually a civil property claim under the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996, which does not use any of these forms. This is an area where advice early on is worth paying for.
When you use Form E2
Form E2 is the financial statement for varying an existing financial remedy order. GOV.UK lists it as "Financial statement for a variation of an order for a financial remedy".
Typical Form E2 situations:
- A spousal maintenance order is in place and the payer has been made redundant, retired or taken a large pay cut, and wants payments reduced or stopped.
- The recipient's costs have risen, or the payer's income has grown, and they want payments increased.
- One of you wants a fixed term of maintenance extended or shortened, where the original order allows that.
Because the starting point is the existing order, Form E2 concentrates on your current income, needs and resources and on what has changed. That is why it is around 10 pages, not 30.
Two limits are worth knowing. First, as noted above, an application to capitalise maintenance goes on Form E, not E2. Second, the lump sum and property parts of a final divorce order generally cannot be varied just because one of you would now like a different result. If the issue is that the other person lied or hid assets when the order was made, that is a different application, to set the order aside, and it needs legal advice. Our guide to what happens if someone lies on Form E explains how that works.