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Edit: At time of edit, in 2018, court fees have risen again to £550

Considering that we all pay taxes in some way, shape or form it’s entirely understandable that the need to pay a fee of £410 to the court when filing for a divorce irks the vast majority of applicants. Whilst many are aware of the fact that those in receipt of certain benefits will not need to pay these fees, however, surprisingly few are aware of the fact that they may be entitled to a reduction in this charge. Luckily, Quickie Divorce are here to explain the circumstances under which people will be entitled to such discounts as well as how to claim them. So, if you’re considering a divorce, read on – it might just save you hundreds of pounds. Unfortunately, court fee remissions have not been immune to the cuts imposed on the public sector in recent years. Individuals in receipt of low monthly incomes or low disposable incomes were previously entitled to have the fees waived or reduced on these grounds alone. Now, though, they are required to pay the full fee if they have savings of more than £3,000 or non-essential items totaling the same value.  Provided this hurdle is cleared, though, then any person with an income of £16,000 or less before tax will not be required to pay the courts a penny. If you live with a partner, their income will also be taken into consideration so it’s important to bear this in mind. The courts will also waive their fees if an applicant earns £1,085 or less every month if they live alone or £1,245 if they live with their partner. These figures increase by £245 for each dependent child that lives with the applicant. Should the applicant’s monthly income exceed the amounts stated above, they will be required to pay £5 towards their court fee for every £10 that they are over. To put it another way, the applicant would be entitled to a discount on the court fee of £410 if their monthly income does not exceed those figures stated above by £820. Applicants can request that courts waive or reduce their fees by completing an EX160 form and submitting this along with evidence of their income (usually their last three wage slips and bank statements). More information on this can be found by downloading the booklet ‘Court Fees – Do I Have to Pay Them?’ from justice .gov.uk.