Form A: how to apply to the court for a financial order
Form A is short compared with what follows it, but it sets the timetable for everything else. This guide explains when you need it, what each part asks, and what happens in the months after you send it.
What Form A is for
The full name is a notice of intention to proceed with a financial application to which the standard procedure applies. In practice it is how one spouse or civil partner asks the court for financial orders such as:
- a lump sum order;
- a property adjustment order, for example transferring or selling the family home;
- a pension sharing order or pension compensation sharing order;
- periodical payments (maintenance) together with other financial provision;
- maintenance pending suit or pending the outcome of proceedings, which is interim maintenance until the case ends.
It also covers some applications under Schedule 1 to the Children Act 1989 for financial provision for a child. Gov.uk explains the overall process on its page on asking the court to decide.
When you need it, and when another form fits
You use Form A when you cannot agree and want the court to decide, and also when you have agreed and want the court to approve a consent order. The form has a question asking whether the application is by consent; if it is, you attach the signed draft order and form D81.
The form itself says to use a different form for:
- periodical payments only, or varying or ending a periodical payments order only: Form A1;
- financial provision after an overseas divorce (D50F), for failure to maintain (D50C), or to change a maintenance agreement (D50H).
If a financial case is already running and you need an interim decision, such as adjourning a hearing or changing a direction, that is usually an application within the case on form D11, not a new Form A.
The fee and Help with Fees
| Application | EX50 fee |
|---|---|
| Financial order, not by consent | £321 |
| Financial order by consent | £62 |
These are the fees in the EX50 list updated on 13 July 2026. Help with Fees can reduce or remove them; the reference goes in the box on the first page. The Form A notes add that if two applicants apply jointly, both must qualify or the full fee is payable. If you choose to pay by card, the notes say the court will contact you within 28 days. Our EX160 guide covers the tests.
Before you start: the MIAM
For a contested application you must normally attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting first. Family Procedure Rules rule 3.6 applies the MIAM requirement to the financial remedy proceedings listed in Practice Direction 3A, which include lump sum, property adjustment, pension sharing and maintenance pending suit applications. It does not apply to an application for a consent order.
The rule 3.8 exemptions fall under five headings: domestic abuse, child protection concerns, urgency, previous attendance at a MIAM or other dispute resolution, and other reasons such as being unable to reach a mediator. Some exemptions need evidence. The court checks any exemption you claim, either when the case is allocated or at the first appointment, and can direct you to attend a MIAM.
Legal aid can cover a MIAM and mediation if you qualify. You can check legal aid on gov.uk, and our page on mediation versus court compares the routes.
Online or on paper
HMCTS runs online financial remedy services, but under Practice Directions 41B and 41H they are for cases where the applicant is legally represented. If you are applying for yourself, you use the paper Form A. Download the current version each time: the form has changed several times since 2024, and the 05.26 version updated the fees paragraph.
Where to send it depends on the route. The form's notes say a consent application linked to an existing divorce goes to HMCTS Financial Remedy, PO Box 12746, Harlow, CM20 9QZ, and a contested application goes to the financial remedy centre local to the applicant.
Form A, part by part
The form runs to 20 pages, mostly because of the MIAM exemption pages.
- Front page. Court, names, the Help with Fees reference, and a question asking whether you believe your combined net assets, excluding pensions, are under £250,000. The form says this decides whether a case in a pilot area can use the express procedure.
- Nature of the application. Whether it is connected with a divorce, dissolution, nullity or separation, and whether a conditional order or final order has been made (attach copies). Then tick each order you are asking for.
- Type of application. By consent or not. If yes, attach the draft order and D81.
- Section 1, further details. The address of any property and the name of any mortgage lender. If you ask for periodical payments for children, which situation applies, since the Child Maintenance Service usually deals with child maintenance.
- Party and address details. If you have no solicitor, the address for service must be in the UK. Use form C8 if your address must stay confidential.
- Section 2, MIAM. Whether you attended, or whether you are claiming an exemption.
- Section 3, exemptions. Tick the category and complete the matching part, with any evidence required.
- Section 4, mediator's confirmation. If you attended a MIAM, the mediator completes and signs this part.
- Section 5, statement of truth, and section 6, checklist.
The form also explains the rules that can stop a person accused of abuse and the person making the accusation from cross-examining each other in person, and the EX740 and EX741 forms the court may send if there is a hearing with oral evidence.
Common mistakes
- Using an old version of the form, or Form A when only periodical payments are sought (Form A1).
- Not attaching the conditional order or final order when the form asks for it.
- Leaving section 4 unsigned by the mediator, or ticking an exemption without the evidence it needs.
- Treating Form A as the place for the financial detail. That comes later, in Form E.
- Applying by consent without the signed draft order and D81, which delays approval.
What happens next: the first appointment timetable
Under Family Procedure Rules Part 9, once Form A is filed:
| Step | Timing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Court fixes the first appointment (FDA) | Not less than 12 and not more than 16 weeks after filing | 9.12(1)(a) |
| Court serves Form A and the notice of the FDA | Within 4 days of filing (or the applicant serves within 4 days of receiving the copy back) | 9.12 |
| Both parties exchange and file financial statements (Form E) | Not less than 35 days before the FDA | 9.14(1) |
| Each party files and serves a statement of position on dispute resolution (FM5) | At least 7 days before the first hearing on notice | PD3A para 10C |
| Each party files a statement of issues, a chronology, a questionnaire and a notice saying whether the FDA can be used as an FDR | Not less than 14 days before the FDA | 9.14(5) |
| Costs estimate | Not less than one day before the FDA | 9.27 |
Gov.uk describes the first appointment as usually 12 to 14 weeks after you apply. Both parties must attend in person unless the court directs otherwise. The aim is to define the issues and save costs, and the court will normally refer the case to a financial dispute resolution (FDR) appointment. Our financial remedy timeline covers the stages after that, and our Form E walkthrough covers the financial statement.
When the court decides, it considers all the circumstances, giving first consideration to the welfare of any child of the family under 18, and the factors in section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973.
Download the official form
Download Form A from gov.uk. Gov.uk also publishes a large print and a Welsh version.
Where EvidenceCanvas fits, and where it does not. EvidenceCanvas does not fill in Form A, Form E or any other financial form, and it does not calculate a settlement or send anything to the court. It can help you organise your own documents, such as bank letters, pension statements and correspondence, into a dated chronology with each date linked to where it came from, which you can check and use when the Part 9 timetable asks for one.
Questions people ask
- How much does Form A cost?
- £321 for a contested financial order application and £62 for an application by consent, according to the EX50 fees list updated 13 July 2026. Help with Fees can reduce or remove the fee.
- Do I need a MIAM before filing Form A?
- For a contested application, yes, unless an exemption applies. A MIAM is not required for an application for a consent order.
- Is a consent order applied for on Form A or D81?
- Both. Form A is ticked to show the application is by consent, and you attach the signed draft order and form D81. Gov.uk puts the fee at £62.
- Can I apply for a financial order online without a solicitor?
- Not at present. The online financial remedy services under Practice Directions 41B and 41H require the applicant to be legally represented, so people applying for themselves use the paper Form A.
- When is Form E due after Form A?
- Both parties exchange and file their financial statements at least 35 days before the first appointment, which the court fixes 12 to 16 weeks after Form A is filed (FPR rules 9.12 and 9.14).
Checked on 23 October 2026: gov.uk Form A page (updated 21 July 2026) and form version 05.26; gov.uk, get the court to decide; EX50 family court fees (updated 13 July 2026); FPR Part 9; Practice Direction 3A; Practice Direction 41H. General information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Your court's directions take priority over this guide.