Form D81: the statement of information for a financial consent order

Family court · Money and property · England and Wales · Last checked 23 October 2026

If you and your former partner have agreed how to divide money, property and pensions, a consent order makes the agreement legally binding. Gov.uk warns that an agreement that is not made binding cannot be enforced by a court later. The D81 is the form the judge reads to decide whether the deal can be approved.

What form D81 is for

A judge approving a consent order does not hold a trial. Under section 33A of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, the court can make an order in the agreed terms on the basis of the prescribed information alone, unless it has reason to think there are other circumstances it should look into. The D81 is that prescribed information.

The judge still applies section 25: all the circumstances of the case, with first consideration given to the welfare of any child of the family under 18, and factors such as income, earning capacity, needs, the standard of living, age, length of the marriage, contributions and any disability. Gov.uk says the judge approves the order if they think it is fair, and can ask you to change it if not.

When you need it, and when you do not

• You need a D81 whenever you ask the court to approve a financial consent order after a divorce, dissolution or judicial separation, including an order only for interim maintenance (question 4 covers this).
• You also need Form A. Gov.uk says one of you completes the notice of an application for a financial order; Form A has a box for an application by consent and says to attach the draft order and D81. If a contested financial case is already running and you settle, ask the court how it wants the agreed order lodged in that case.
• You do not use D81 if you cannot agree. Then a contested Form A starts the court process; see our Form A guide.

Timing: the court cannot approve the order before the conditional order (or decree nisi). Gov.uk says applying before the final order is usually simpler, and the order takes effect only after the final order.

The fee and Help with Fees

The fee for a financial order by consent is £62 (EX50 fees list, updated 13 July 2026). Help with Fees can reduce or remove it; see our EX160 guide. The family court fees guide lists the other fees.

Before you start

• The current version. The gov.uk D81 page was last updated on 16 July 2026, when a large print version was added. The standard form is marked 04.25 and runs to 23 pages.
• The draft consent order. The form strongly recommends using the Standard Orders Volume 1 (Financial and Enforcement Orders) published by the judiciary. Rule 9.26 of the Family Procedure Rules requires two copies, one endorsed with the respondent's signed agreement. Gov.uk says to sign it and include 2 photocopies of the signed original.
• Figures for both of you: property values and mortgages, savings, debts, net monthly income, and the cash equivalent value of each pension.
• Dates: marriage or civil partnership, when you started living together if earlier, separation, and the conditional order.
• Online or paper. HMCTS's online consent order service is, under Practice Direction 41B, for applications where the applicant is legally represented. If you are applying without a lawyer, you use the paper forms.

Form D81, question by question

1. Questions 1 to 3: date of marriage or civil partnership (and of living together, if earlier), date of separation, date of the conditional order.
2. Questions 4 and 5: whether the order is for interim maintenance only, and whether a final order has been made.
3. Question 6: your dates of birth, and the names and dates of birth of any children.
4. Question 7: how the agreement was reached: discussion, negotiation through solicitors, out-of-court dispute resolution such as mediation, or other.
5. Questions 8 and 9: the position now. Capital for each of you (property net of mortgage, other capital, liabilities, pensions, any Pension Protection Fund compensation) and net monthly income from all sources, worked through in steps 9.A to 9.M. The form says figures should be correct when signed and stated before the order takes effect.
6. Questions 10 and 11: the position after the order. The same tables, showing what each of you will have if the order is made.
7. Question 12: any other matters, such as health, a change of job, a pre-nuptial or separation agreement, a pension valuation different from the cash equivalent, or expected state pension.
8. Question 13: the main reasons for the division, for example meeting housing needs, an equal split, or an unequal split for a stated reason. If pensions are offset against other assets, explain how.
9. Question 14: if maintenance claims are dismissed (a clean break), how each of you will support yourselves.
10. Question 15: where each of you and the children will live, and on what basis, such as owner or tenant.
11. Question 16: new relationships: remarriage, civil partnership or cohabitation, now or intended.
12. Question 17: if property is being transferred, whether the mortgage lender has been served and whether it objected.
13. Questions 18 to 22: pension orders. Whether notice has been served on the pension arrangement or the Pension Protection Fund Board, whether any objection was made within 21 days, and whether the information needed for a pension sharing or compensation sharing order has been provided.
14. Questions 23 and 24 and the statements of truth: each of you confirms you have read the other's information and signs.

Common mistakes

• Figures that do not add up. The "after" tables at 10 and 11 should match what the draft order actually does. If the order transfers £40,000 of savings, the tables should show it.
• Missing or one-sided pension values. Give the cash equivalent value for each pension of each of you, not only the larger one.
• Not explaining an unequal split or a pension offset at question 13. A short reason helps the judge see why the deal is fair.
• A clean break with no income explanation at question 14.
• Missing signatures on the draft order or a statement of truth, or not confirming at questions 23 and 24 that each of you read the other's form.
• Applying too early, before the conditional order.
• Not serving the mortgage lender or pension provider where the order affects them.
• An unclear draft order. The form itself warns that the proposed order should be as clear as possible.

A fictional example: a couple agree one keeps the house and the other keeps a larger pension. The D81 shows the house equity and the pension values before and after, and question 13 explains in two sentences that the pension is being offset against the house and why the figures balance.

What happens next

Gov.uk says that if you are divorcing, you send the forms, copies and fee to HMCTS Financial Remedy, PO Box 12746, Harlow, CM20 9QZ; for a civil partnership or legal separation, to the court handling your case. Keep your own copies. Under rule 9.26(4) you do not need to attend a hearing unless the court directs one. A judge reads the papers and either approves the order, asks for more information, or asks you to change it. Our financial remedy timeline gives a sense of how long each stage takes.

Download the official form

Download form D81 from gov.uk. Other forms you may need, including Form A and the pension forms, are in gov.uk's financial remedy forms collection. Gov.uk's page on applying for a consent order sets out the steps.

A consent order is usually final, so an independent check before you sign can matter, especially where pensions, a business or a clean break are involved. Our page on alternatives to full solicitor representation covers options such as one-off advice.

Where EvidenceCanvas fits, and where it does not. EvidenceCanvas does not fill in form D81, Form A or Form E, draft a consent order, check whether a deal is fair, or send anything to the court. It can help you keep your own documents, such as valuations, pension statements and correspondence, in one place with their dates, so the figures you put on the form are easier to trace back to where they came from.

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to file a D81 and consent order?

The court fee for a financial order by consent is £62. Help with Fees may reduce or remove it.

Do we each fill in a D81?

The form encourages one joint form. You can each complete your own if you give a good reason, and each of you then confirms you have read the other's.

Do we have to go to court for a consent order?

Usually not. Under FPR rule 9.26(4) the parties need not attend unless the court directs otherwise. A judge reads the papers and may approve the order or ask for changes.

When can we send the consent order?

At any time after you apply for divorce, but the court cannot approve it before the conditional order, and it only takes effect after the final order.

Can a consent order be filed online without a solicitor?

The HMCTS online consent order service is for applications where the applicant is legally represented (Practice Direction 41B). Without a lawyer, you use the paper forms.

Checked on 23 October 2026: gov.uk form D81 page (updated 16 July 2026) and form version 04.25; gov.uk, apply for a consent order; EX50 family court fees (updated 13 July 2026); FPR Part 9 (rule 9.26); Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 sections 25 and 33A; Practice Direction 3A, para 13. General information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Your court's directions take priority over this guide.