How much does a C100 child arrangements case cost in total?
The £270 fee is the figure most people see first, but it is rarely the whole picture. This page lists the costs that can arise in a child arrangements case from start to finish, who normally pays them, and the help available. For the application itself, see our step-by-step C100 guide.
The full cost table
Court fees below are from the family court fees list (EX50), updated 13 July 2026. Other amounts are from the gov.uk pages named in the sources line, or are marked as varying.
| Item | Amount | Who pays / typical source |
|---|---|---|
| C100 application fee | £270 | The applicant. Help with Fees can cover all or part of it. |
| MIAM (meeting with a mediator before applying) | Around £120 each, set by the mediator | Each parent pays for their own. No charge if either parent is eligible for legal aid. |
| Mediation sessions | Varies by mediator and type | Shared as the parents agree. Voucher of up to £500; legal aid if eligible. |
| Cafcass safeguarding checks, reports and Planning Together for Children course | No charge | Publicly funded. |
| Application within the case on form C2 | £195 on notice; £62 by consent or without notice | The party applying. Help with Fees applies. |
| Drug or alcohol testing, or an expert assessment | Varies; quoted by the provider | As the court orders. For a single joint expert, the parties instructing are jointly liable unless the court directs otherwise. |
| Contact centre sessions | Varies by centre and type | Parents arrange and pay. The court can say who meets the cost. |
| Copies of court documents | £14 for up to 10 pages, then 50p a page | The person asking for copies. |
| Transcript of a hearing or judgment | Per 72-word folio, roughly £0.85 to £2.05 | The person ordering it, paid to the transcription company. |
| Enforcement application (C79) | £270 | The applicant. Later action on a breach of an enforcement order is £119. |
| Appeal under the Children Act 1989 | £251 | The appellant, plus transcript costs. |
| Legal advice or representation | Varies | You, unless you qualify for legal aid. |
| Travel, time off work, childcare on hearing days | Varies | You. Some hearings can take place remotely if the court directs. |
Before you apply: MIAM and mediation
Most applicants must attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting before applying, unless an exemption applies (the C100 guide explains the exemptions). Gov.uk says the usual cost is around £120 and that each parent attends their own. The mediator sets the price, so it is worth asking before booking.
If the meeting leads on to mediation, the sessions are charged separately. Gov.uk says the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme can usually give up to £500 towards mediation sessions regardless of income, that one voucher covers both parents, and that it usually pays for at least two sessions. The voucher cannot pay for the MIAM. On 15 May 2026 the Ministry of Justice announced that the scheme would run for another year; vouchers depend on availability, so ask the mediator. Our page on mediation versus going to court compares the two routes.
Legal aid for mediation works differently. Gov.uk explains that if both parents are eligible, legal aid covers the MIAM, the mediation sessions and applying for a consent order. If only one is eligible, it covers the MIAM and the first session for both, then the eligible parent's further costs.
During the case: costs that can arise
Cafcass
Cafcass carries out safeguarding checks before the first hearing and can be asked to write a report. Parents are not charged for this work. Cafcass says there is no cost for the Planning Together for Children course, which the court may order, and it provides court-ordered DNA testing in parentage disputes free to parents. See what a section 7 report involves.
Further applications
If you need to ask the court for something while the case is running, such as changing your application or asking for a direction, you usually use form C2. The EX50 fee is £195 for an application on notice, meaning the other side is told about it, and £62 for one made by consent or without notice. Gov.uk confirms these two figures for changing an application that the court is still considering. See the form C2 guide.
Testing and expert evidence
Sometimes the court directs drug or alcohol testing, or permits an expert, such as a psychologist, to assess a parent or child. Expert evidence in children cases needs the court's permission under Family Procedure Rules Part 25 and section 13 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Practice Direction 25C says the application should set out the likely cost and the proposed split of a jointly instructed expert's fee, and whether any party has legal aid. Under rule 25.12(6), the parties who instruct a single joint expert are jointly and severally liable for the fee unless the court directs otherwise. In practice the court order will say who pays what, so read it carefully and raise any concern about affordability at the hearing where the direction is made.
Contact centres
If time with a parent is to take place at a contact centre, the family arranges and pays for it. A Cafcass practice guide from 2025 says Cafcass can no longer fund supported or supervised contact, so parents need to access and pay for it themselves. Practice Direction 12J, paragraph 38, tells the court to consider whether any order should be made about who meets the costs of supervised contact. Supervised sessions involve trained staff watching one family, so ask each centre for its prices before the hearing. Our supervised versus supported contact page explains the difference.
Copies and transcripts
The court charges £14 for copies of up to 10 pages of a document, then 50p a page. A transcript of a hearing or of the judge's reasons is ordered on form EX107 and paid to one of the approved transcription companies. Gov.uk publishes maximum prices per folio of 72 words: for a 12-working-day service they range from £0.85 to £1.54, and for 48 hours from £1.44 to £2.05. A long hearing can run to many folios, so ask for an estimate first.
After the order: enforcement, changes and appeals
- Enforcement. If an order is not being followed, an application on form C79 costs £270. Revoking, amending or acting on a breach of an existing enforcement order is £119. See the C79 guide.
- Changing the order. If you both agree a change, gov.uk explains that you can ask the court to approve a consent order. If you cannot agree, a new application to vary or discharge the order is a new Children Act application, with the £270 fee.
- Appeals. An appeal under the Children Act 1989 costs £251, plus the cost of a transcript of the judgment. Gov.uk warns that a losing appellant may be ordered to pay the other side's costs. Read is it worth appealing? before deciding.
Help with paying
Help with Fees
Help with Fees covers court fees, not mediation, testing or transcripts. For fees of £1,420 or less, the savings limit is £4,250 if you and any partner are 65 or under. You may qualify on certain benefits, such as Universal Credit with earnings under £6,000 a year, or on income: for a single person, gross monthly income under £1,420, with more allowed for a partner and each child. You apply separately for each fee, and you can ask for a refund of a fee paid in the last three months if you were eligible. The EX160 guide walks through the form.
Legal aid
Legal aid in children cases is mainly available for mediation and, where there is evidence of domestic abuse or child abuse, for legal advice and representation. Gov.uk lists where evidence can come from, including the courts, the police, a health professional, a refuge or a domestic abuse support service, and provides sample letters for asking for it. You can talk to a legal aid adviser before you have the evidence. Legal aid is also means-tested, and some people pay a contribution. Check whether you may qualify with the gov.uk legal aid checker.
Free help that costs nothing
Gov.uk points to Advicenow, Support Through Court and Citizens Advice for people without a lawyer. These organisations are independent and do not endorse EvidenceCanvas. Our guides to the options when you cannot afford a solicitor and McKenzie friends cover the choices for help at hearings.
One practical point: costs are easier to control when you know what each hearing is for. Keeping your papers in order, filing documents on time and attending every hearing reduces the risk of adjournments that add travel, time off and further applications.
Where EvidenceCanvas fits, and where it does not. EvidenceCanvas does not fill in or file the C100, C2 or any other court form, does not pay or apply for fees, and does not give advice on whether to apply. It is software you pay for separately from any court fee. It drafts chronologies, witness statements and position statements from documents you upload, for you to check every line before you use them.
Questions people ask
- Is the £270 C100 fee the only court fee?
- It is the only one every applicant pays. Further fees arise only if you make further applications (£195 or £62 on form C2), apply to enforce the order (£270) or appeal (£251).
- Do I pay for Cafcass?
- No. Cafcass is publicly funded and does not charge parents for its safeguarding checks or reports. It says there is no cost for the Planning Together for Children course.
- Can the mediation voucher pay for the MIAM?
- No. Gov.uk says the voucher of up to £500 can only be used for mediation sessions. The MIAM is paid separately unless either parent qualifies for legal aid.
- Who pays for drug testing or a psychological assessment?
- The court order says who pays and in what shares. Where a single joint expert is instructed, the parties who instruct them are jointly responsible for the fee unless the court directs otherwise.
- Does the other parent pay my costs if the court agrees with me?
- Not usually in children cases, though the court can make a costs order. Practice Direction 3A says a party's conduct about attending mediation or other non-court dispute resolution can be taken into account when the court considers costs.
- Can I get legal aid for a child arrangements case?
- Possibly, if you have evidence of domestic abuse or child abuse and pass the means test, and legal aid can also cover mediation. Use the gov.uk legal aid checker to see whether you may qualify.
Checked on 23 October 2026: Family court fees (EX50); gov.uk, mediation, MIAM cost and the voucher; Ministry of Justice, voucher scheme extension (15 May 2026); gov.uk, after you apply for a court order; Get help with court fees; gov.uk, legal aid and domestic abuse; Family Procedure Rules Part 25; Practice Direction 12J; Cafcass, Planning Together for Children; gov.uk, transcript prices (EX107). General information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Your court's directions take priority over this guide.