Consent orders: what they are and what you send to court
What a consent order is
GOV.UK describes a consent order as a legal document that confirms your agreement about how you'll split things like pensions, property, savings and investments, and it can include arrangements for maintenance payments (GOV.UK, checked 28 September 2026). A judge approves it to make it legally binding.
When you can apply
GOV.UK says you can ask the court to approve your draft consent order when you apply for your divorce or dissolution, or at any time after that. The court can't approve it until you have your conditional order or decree nisi. GOV.UK says it's usually simpler to ask before you get the final order or decree absolute, because asking after it may have financial consequences, particularly for pensions. Both of you sign the draft order.
What to send
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Draft consent order | Signed by both of you, plus 2 photocopies of the signed original |
| Form D81, the statement of information | One joint form or one each. See our D81 guide |
| Form A, notice of an application for a financial order | Completed by one of you |
| Pension annex, if there's a pension order | The D81 says to attach, if appropriate, any pension sharing or attachment annex, or pension compensation sharing annex: Forms P1, P2 and PPF1 (and PPF2 for a pension compensation attachment order) on GOV.UK's financial remedy forms page |
| Court fee | £62. You may be able to get help with court fees |
For divorce cases, GOV.UK says to send them to HMCTS Financial Remedy, PO Box 12746, Harlow, CM20 9QZ. For civil partnership dissolution or legal separation, send them to the court dealing with your paperwork (find a court).
What happens next
GOV.UK says a judge will approve the consent order to make it legally binding if they think it's fair. If they don't, they can ask you to change it.
Where the D81 fits
The D81 is how the judge sees the whole picture: your capital and income now and after the order, why you've divided things this way, and where everyone will live. Questions 8 to 11 are four tables that have to agree with each other and with the order. Our worked example shows how they fit together.
Consent order templates
The wording of the order itself is a legal document. See consent order templates for where the standard wording comes from and what we can and can't help with.
The D81 Organiser builds questions 8 to 11 from one list of what you own and owe, in the form's column order, and checks the totals add up.
Common questions
How much does a consent order cost?
The court fee is £62, as listed on GOV.UK when we checked on 28 September 2026. Solicitors and online services charge separately for drafting the order.
Is a consent order the same as a clean break?
Not always. A consent order records whatever you've agreed. A clean break is when claims for maintenance between you are dismissed, and the D81 asks how each of you will support yourselves if that happens (question 14).
Do we both need to agree?
Yes. A consent order records an agreement, and GOV.UK says you both apply for it.
Sources
Free help: GOV.UK, Advicenow, or a solicitor or family mediator for advice about your own case.