Form D81: the statement of information for a consent order

Form D81 is the statement of information you send with a draft consent order, so a judge can check your financial agreement is fair before making it legally binding. It summarises both people’s capital, income, pensions and plans, before and after the agreement. D81 has no fee of its own; the consent order application costs £62.

What goes in a consent order application?

GOV.UK lists what you send together, with the £62 fee:

• the draft consent order, signed by both of you, plus 2 photocopies
• Form D81, the statement of information
• Form A, completed by one of you, ticking that it’s an application by consent

If the order shares or attaches a pension, add the pension annex: Form P1 for pension sharing or Form P2 for attachment. There’s usually no hearing.

How do you fill in Form D81?

D81 is 24 questions. The form encourages one joint form unless there’s a good reason not to. If you each complete your own, you each sign to say you’ve read the other’s (questions 23 and 24).

Questions 1 to 5: the marriage and the divorce

Give the dates you married (and started living together, if earlier), separated, and got your conditional order. Say whether the order is only for interim maintenance and whether the final order has been made. Without a conditional order date the court generally can’t make the order.

Questions 6 and 7: dates of birth and how you agreed

List both dates of birth and every child of the family under 18 or still dependent. Then say how you reached agreement: between yourselves, through solicitors, or through mediation or another out-of-court process.

Questions 8 and 9: capital and income now

The table at question 8 sets out what each of you has today, before the order takes effect: each property’s value after deducting the mortgage, savings and investments, debts, the cash equivalent value (CEV) of each pension, and any Pension Protection Fund compensation. Jointly owned assets are split in the shares you currently hold them, or equally if you haven’t agreed shares. Question 9 is net monthly income from all sources, including benefits and maintenance. The form’s worked examples show how to show maintenance as a minus in the payer’s column.

Questions 10 and 11: capital and income after the order

The same tables again, showing the position once the order has been carried out. This is what the judge compares. The form says you can attach a spreadsheet showing the net effect, which many people find clearer.

Questions 12 to 14: the reasons

Question 12 is for anything else the court should know: health, a job change, a prenuptial or separation agreement, a pension valuation different from the CEV, or expected State Pension. Question 13 asks for the main reasons for the split, such as housing the children, an equal division or a difference in earning capacity. If you’re offsetting a pension against other assets, explain how you agreed it. If the order ends maintenance claims (a clean break), question 14 asks how each of you will support yourselves.

Questions 15 and 16: housing and new relationships

Say where each of you and the children will live and on what basis (owner, tenant and so on), and whether either of you has remarried, is cohabiting or intends to.

Questions 17 to 22: mortgages and pensions

If property is being transferred, say whether you’ve served notice on the mortgage lender and whether it objected within 14 days. If the order includes a pension sharing or attachment order, confirm you’ve served notice on the pension provider, whether it objected (for attachment, within 21 days), and whether it has provided the information the regulations require.

Questions 23 and 24: signatures

Each of you signs to confirm you’ve read the other’s information.

What are the common mistakes on Form D81?

• Figures in the before and after tables that don’t add up, or don’t match the draft order.
• Leaving out a pension, or using an out-of-date valuation without saying so.
• No explanation for an unequal split. Judges send back orders they cannot understand.
• A clean break with no explanation of how the lower earner will manage.
• Not serving notice on the mortgage lender or pension provider when the order affects them.
• Sending the application before the conditional order has been made.

What happens after you send Form D81?

A judge reads the papers, usually without a hearing. If the agreement looks fair, the judge approves it and it becomes a court order. If not, the judge can ask you to change it or explain, or list a hearing. The order only takes effect once the final order is made.

Once approved, wait for the sealed order before applying for the final order on form D36, particularly if a pension is involved.

Where do you get Form D81?

Download D81 from GOV.UK, which also has a large print version. For a divorce, GOV.UK says to send the signed forms, copies and £62 fee to HMCTS Financial Remedy, PO Box 12746, Harlow CM20 9QZ. If you’re ending a civil partnership or legally separating, send them to the court dealing with your case.

Open Form D81 on GOV.UK

We explain forms but never host them, so you always download the current version from GOV.UK.

When should you get help with Form D81?

The D81 is only as good as the draft order behind it, and the order has to be in a form the court and any pension provider will accept. A family solicitor can draft or check both, often for a fixed fee. If you haven’t yet agreed, a mediator can help you get there.

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Common questions

Sources

1. GOV.UK, Form D81 statement of information for a consent order (form version 04.25)
2. GOV.UK, Money and property when you divorce or separate: if you agree
3. GOV.UK, Family court fees (EX50), updated 13 July 2026

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This page is general information about court forms, not legal or financial advice. Forms, fees and rules change, so always download the current form from GOV.UK and speak to a qualified professional about your situation. Facts checked 20 October 2026.