Court fees and the cost of family court — a plain-English national guide

Who this is for. If you are thinking about taking a family matter to court in England or Wales — child arrangements, a domestic-abuse protection order, a divorce, or sorting out the finances — this guide explains what the court application fees are, how to get help with them if you are on a low income, and the realities of what family court actually costs. It is written in plain English and applies to England and Wales. It does not give legal advice and it does not take sides: it helps you understand the money side of the process so you can decide how to proceed.

An independent guide. This is an independent, informational guide produced by the YouFamilyCase directory. It is not produced by, affiliated with, or endorsed by HM Courts & Tribunals Service, the government, or any law firm, and it contains no advertising. It simply explains, in plain language, how court fees and costs generally work, based on official guidance.

Reviewed by Sean McNamara on 2026-10-21

The important thing to know first: fees change, so never rely on figures in a guide

Court application fees do not stay the same forever — they are set by the government and can change. This guide deliberately gives no invented or specific fee figures. Instead it tells you which application you would make and points you to the official, current source: gov.uk/court-fees (the government's "Court fees" pages) and the fee tables on it. Always check the current figure on gov.uk before you pay, because the number you see on a third-party website (including this one) may be out of date. Court fees are paid when you issue (file) your application with the court.

Which application are you making? (and the fee that goes with it)

Different family matters use different forms, and each has its own court fee. The common ones are:

C100 — child arrangements application

The C100 is the form you use to apply to the court for arrangements about where a child lives and who they spend time with, if you cannot agree outside court. It is the central "child arrangements" application. If you are worried that mediation will not be right for you, there are exemptions you can claim. The fee for a C100 is set out on the gov.uk court-fees pages.

FL401 — domestic abuse protection order

The FL401 is the form for a non-molestation order and/or an occupation order — protection from harassment or violence, and rules about who can live in the family home. In many cases there is no fee for a domestic-abuse protection application, and importantly the applicant does not have to attend a MIAM (mediation information and assessment meeting) for these. Check the current position on gov.uk — the key point for anyone fleeing abuse is that the court system is designed so that cost should not be a barrier to seeking protection.

Divorce / dissolution

When you end a marriage (divorce) or a civil partnership (dissolution), you make an application — now typically done online through gov.uk — and pay a court fee to issue it. In most cases only the applicant pays; the respondent does not usually pay their own fee just to respond.

Financial remedy (Form A)

If you need the court to divide money, property and pensions when a relationship ends, you issue a financial remedy application on Form A. This carries its own court fee, separate from the divorce fee — sorting out the finances is a distinct application, and it is made once the divorce is underway.

Current fees live here: go to gov.uk/court-fees for the official, current fee for each of these applications. That page (and the "Family Court" fee table on it) is the authoritative source — use it rather than any figure mentioned elsewhere.

Help with court fees: remission for people on low income

If you are on a low income or claiming certain benefits, you may not have to pay the fee at all or you may pay a reduced one. This is called fee remission (also known as "help with fees"). It is a formal way to ask the court to waive or reduce the fee based on your financial circumstances.

The official scheme and the online application form are at gov.uk/help-with-court-fees.
You apply for help before (or when) you make your court application, and the decision is based on your income, savings, capital and whether you are on certain benefits.
If you qualify, it can genuinely make the difference between being able to bring your application and not. It is worth checking even if you think you might not qualify — the thresholds are higher than many people expect.
If you think your fee should be waived but you have not asked, say so to the court office when you issue your application.

Being on a low income should not, by itself, stop you from being able to apply to the family court — that is exactly what the remission scheme is for.

The cost that catches people out: costs orders

Separate from application fees is the question of costs — the legal costs (solicitors' and barristers' fees) of the case. There is an important and widely misunderstood piece of good news here:

In family proceedings in England and Wales, each party normally pays their own legal costs. Unlike some other courts, the family court does not generally order the losing side to pay the winner's costs. This is known as the "no order as to costs" starting position, and it changes the whole risk calculus of self-representing — the standard fear that "if I lose, I pay their solicitor's bill" rarely applies in family court.

That said, there are exceptions, and you should be aware of them:

A judge can order one party to pay some of the other's costs if that party has behaved unreasonably — for example ignoring court orders, being dishonest, not complying with disclosure, or unreasonably refusing a reasonable settlement offer.
The most common practical example: if one party refuses a genuinely reasonable offer of settlement and then the court's decision is no better than that offer, the court may consider awarding costs against them for the wasted time spent after the offer was made.
Conduct matters. Behave reasonably, comply with the court, and engage genuinely with settlement, and you massively reduce any risk of a costs order against you.

So the honest summary is: a costs order against you is not the norm, but it is a real risk if you behave unreasonably. Keeping your case honest and constructive is both the fair and the safest approach.

The real money maths: what self-representing actually saves

The single biggest cost in any family case is almost never the court fee — it is solicitors' and barristers' fees, which can run to thousands of pounds and are billed hourly. This is the major practical point for anyone wondering whether they can afford to go to court as a litigant in person (LiP) — someone representing themselves:

The court fee is usually a small, one-off, published amount (often hundreds, occasionally more) — and it can be reduced or waived entirely via help with fees.
Lawyers' fees are the huge cost — and they are the one you avoid entirely by representing yourself. It is entirely lawful and normal to make your own court application and present your own case without a solicitor.
Self-representing does not mean no help. You can still use free online guidance (gov.uk and the court's own help pages), many solicitors offer a free or fixed-fee initial consultation to check your forms and your approach, and courts signpost to help including duty advisers where available.
On top of your court fee, there may still be small incidental costs — for example postage, copying, or an expert report (like a pension valuation in a financial case) where one is genuinely needed. And if you choose to pay for legal help on a limited basis — a solicitor to draft an order or advise on one stage — you pay for exactly that, far less than full representation.

What about a McKenzie friend?

A McKenzie friend is a person who helps a litigant in person by sitting with them in court, taking notes, quietly prompting and giving moral support. They are not a lawyer and (in most cases) cannot address the court or cross-examine witnesses — that requires the court's permission and, in the Family Court, permission to do so is now very limited.

McKenzie friends are normally unpaid — a friend or family member doing it out of goodwill — and there is no standard court fee for having one.
You should generally not be paying a "McKenzie friend" significant money. Be very wary of anyone charging large sums to act as a "McKenzie friend" or offering to guarantee an outcome. A genuine McKenzie friend helps you help yourself; they are not a route to the same result as a qualified solicitor, and anyone charging like a professional while not being one warrants real caution. (Some McKenzie friends do charge small, transparent fees for administrative help — that is their business — but it is not a regulated legal service and you take the risk. Check reputations carefully and never pay for a promised result.)

Practical reality checklist

[ ] Identify which application you are making: C100 (children), FL401 (domestic abuse), divorce/dissolution, or Form A (financial remedy).
[ ] Get the current fee for it from gov.uk/court-fees — never rely on a figure quoted in a guide.
[ ] Check gov.uk/help-with-court-fees to see whether you qualify for remission before you issue your application — especially if you are on a low income or benefits.
[ ] Remember the family-court default: each side usually pays its own costs — but stay reasonable and compliant to avoid being the exception.
[ ] Understand the biggest cost is lawyers' fees, and that representing yourself removes almost all of that.
[ ] Use a McKenzie friend only for genuine support (normally free) — never pay a lot for an unregulated "representative," and never pay anyone who promises an outcome.
[ ] Get skilled help on a limited, affordable basis if you want it — a free or fixed-fee consultation with a family solicitor to check your approach is often money well spent.

This guide gives general information about court fees and costs in family proceedings in England and Wales and does not provide legal advice. It is not a substitute for advice from a qualified family-law solicitor or a regulated adviser, and it is not the authoritative source for any fee amount — that is gov.uk (linked above) and HM Courts & Tribunals Service forms and guidance, and fees change, so always check the current official figure before paying. If you are in present danger from domestic abuse, call the police on 999; for support contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 (Refuge).