Family court fee increases — July 2026, every family fee that changed

REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-08-30

On 13 July 2026, the Ministry of Justice increased court fees across the family jurisdiction — mostly by 2.6% in line with inflation — under the Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2026 (SI 2026/642). This guide lists the family fees that changed and the ones that didn't. It is general information, not legal advice.

Private family law fees — before and after 13 July 2026

| Application | Old fee | New fee | |---|---|---| | Divorce / dissolution (D8) | £612 | £628 | | Application for a matrimonial or civil partnership order | £415 | £426 | | Amendment of such an application | £59 | £61 | | Answer (contesting an application) | £234 | £240 | | Application for an order of assessment of costs | £57 | £58 | | Parental order (Human Fertilisation & Embryology Act) | £263 | £270 | | Section 8 orders — C100 (child arrangements, prohibited steps, specific issue) | £263 | £270 | | Parental responsibility applications (ss.4, 4A, 4ZA) | £263 | £270 | | Guardianship applications (ss.5, 6(7)) | £263 | £270 | | Enforcement of child arrangements (s.11J(2)) | £263 | £270 | | Compensation for financial loss (s.11O(2)) | £263 | £270 | | Variation/discharge of care and supervision orders (s.39) | £263 | £270 | | Emergency protection orders (ss.44–46) | £263 | £270 | | Schedule 1 Children Act financial provision applications | £263 | £270 | | Enforcement order applications (Sch. A1) | £116 | £119 | | Amendment of enforcement order (change of address) | £79 | £81 | | Appeals (Children Act proceedings) | — | £251 (unchanged) | | Financial remedy application (Form A) | £313 | £321 | | Financial consent order (with D81) | £60 | £62 | | General application "where no other fee specified" | £279 | £286 |

Fees that did NOT change

Appeals: £251 for appeals against Children Act and related decisions
No fee at all for: non-molestation order applications, occupation order applications, forced marriage protection orders, and FGM protection orders — these remain free to apply for (and cannot be charged for varying or discharging them)
Applications to vary or discharge the protective orders above are also free

Court of Protection fees also rose

If your family matters touch the Court of Protection (deputyship applications for a family member who has lost capacity):

Application fee: £421 → £432
Hearing fee: £259 → £266
Appeal fee: £265 → £272
Copy of a document: £5 → £8

Help with fees

The Help with Fees (EX160) scheme was unchanged by the increases — if you qualify (low income, qualifying benefits, limited savings), the fee can be reduced or waived entirely. Non-molestation and occupation order applications are already free, so HWF is usually only needed for C100, divorce and financial remedy applications.

What this means practically

Budget for the fee before you apply; check HWF eligibility early (see our dedicated guide)
If you started an application before 13 July 2026, the old fee applied at issue — the increase only bites on applications issued from that date
Where two or more applications of the same type are made about sibling children at the same time, only one fee is payable for each numbered fee — don't pay twice
The MoJ stated the purpose as "strengthening cost recovery" and maintaining "fair access to justice" — fee remissions remain part of that policy

Official links

YourFamilyCase.co.uk is an independent information directory — we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to MoJ, HMCTS, or gov.uk. This page is general information and is not legal advice.

Content verified against the official HMCTS court directory, gov.uk forms and fees pages, and the professional body registers (SRA, FMC, Bar Council). Last reviewed September 2026.