Money and property when you divorce or separate
Getting a financial agreement
When you divorce or end a civil partnership you and your ex-partner need to agree how to separate your finances.
This includes deciding how you’re going to divide:
- pensions
- property
- savings
- investments
You might get things like:
- a share of your partner’s pension - including State Pension or private pension plans
- regular maintenance payments to help with children or living expenses
You can usually avoid going to court hearings if you agree how to split your money and property.
The rules are different if you were not married or in a civil partnership. You’ll still have to agree on child maintenance payments for any children.
There are different options in Scotland and options in Northern Ireland.
Making an agreement legally binding
If you and your ex-partner agree on how to divide money and property, you need to apply for a consent order to make it legally binding.
Get help agreeing
You can use a mediator or get other help to resolve issues out of court.
Get the court to decide
If you cannot agree on everything, you can ask a court to make a financial order.