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

The cost of filing a divorce in England and Wales is set to rise by £140 after the government announced changes to court fees.

The fee for filing for a divorce – which currently stands at £410 – is set to rise to £550 later this year with the Ministry of Justice having stated that, whilst this will almost certainly prove to be an unpopular decision, the rise is needed to address a deficit.

The Ministry had previously stated they intended to raise the fee to £750 (a rise of more than 80%) in 2013 but later reneged on this following public opposition to the move.

A number of other fees are also set to increase, with experts estimating that this will raise an extra £60 million per annum. Additionally, other fee increases are expected to be announced shortly, with these expected to raise an additional £48 million.

In defence of these increases, courts minister Shailesh Vara stated that the government had taken steps to protect those most vulnerable and have ensured that they will not need to pay these higher fees, noting that the court’s remission system – through which those on low incomes can claim discounts on the court fees or, in some cases, be exempt from them entirely – will become more generous.

The Ministry of Justice have also claimed that they have researched the potential effects of these changes and that they will not deter individuals from filing for divorce.