The financial remedy order is a court order that legally divides a couple’s finances, property and other assets when they separate or divorce. Couples usually use this when they cannot agree on a fair financial settlement but are able to produce the evidence to the court of all the finances previously paid for and how it was divided between the two. The judge must ensure that all decisions made are fair and have been agreed upon by both parties. The objective of this process is to create a legally binding and final settlement.
With reference to the GOV.UK site, in the time period from April to June 2025 there have been 12,275 financial remedy applications made. This is up 10% from the previous year (2024). During this time 76% of the applications had been uncontested and the other 24% however had been contested. The official fees for the financial remedy process costs around £313, however if the application has been contested or parties cannot agree, it is highly recommended that you appoint solicitors to assist you. Therefore the costs can be significant.
There are two different forms (A and E) which should be completed before certain points in the process can continue. The first form is Form A, also known as the Financial order application form. This is over 19 pages long and requires you to state the sort of financial order you should need. These include orders such as; a lump sum order, a property adjustment order, a pension sharing order, etc. You will also need to provide this information to the solicitor. Once this has been filed, you should allocate a copy to the other party of this process and keep one for yourself. You must submit Form A to your local financial remedy court. Before the first appointment, Form E needs to be filled out, this shows a full breakdown of your property and debts. This can include proof of your salary income, details of any personal property that costs over £500, loan agreements, etc. You should also consider any future agreements and add this to the other information.
These forms along with a few other steps will lead to the Financial Dispute Resolution Appointment, this is used to help you agree on the financial matters without having a Final Hearing. In most cases it is known that you will need more than just one of these appointments. However, after all of this if you are unable to agree then you will need to go onto the extra step which is the Final Hearing. In the Final Hearing if you are unable to agree once again then the judge will create a decision on how everything shall be split. The judge will make his decision depending on how long you have been in the civil partnership or marriage, as well as your age, living expenses, standard of living, disability, health conditions and more. The judge will always decide an outcome that is positive for both parties and shares everything out respectfully.
Linking all this research to a case, I have looked into Ozturk v Ozturk 2025, this served as a warning regarding the duty to full and direct financial disclosure. The husband’s side of the order had a continued failure to file his detailed financial statement, within Form E. This led to the court activating a suspended prison sentence. This case reinforces the court’s willingness to take decisive action against parties who deliberately obstruct the process by hiding their finances. This case is crucial to represent why you need to provide documentation for Form E as otherwise the court will follow you up about it until you give the information they need. If you have done something wrong to do with your finances, the court will be able to find out if anything noticeable is missing or seems incorrect.
By Katie Seymour, a student at Cowes Enterprise College
