Our Blogs

On Thursday the 17th March, Quickie Divorce were informed by a nearby county court that, as of Monday the 21st March, the fee payable when filing for a divorce would rise from £410 to £550. Sufficed to say, this decision has been subjected to significant criticism from the public and members of the legal profession. The major bones of contention being the lack of notice provided and the sheer scale of the increase. It was only two years ago that the fee payable when filing for a divorce rose from £340 to £410. The need to pay a further fee of £45 when applying to finalise the divorce was also abolished with this change, however, resulting in the overall increase totalling just £25. The current increase of £140, though represents an increase of more than a third! Additionally, the lack of notice provided means that few couples that have decided to divorce will be in a position to complete and submit the necessary paperwork before the change comes into effect. Quickie Divorce firmly agree with those who not only lambast the most recent decision to increase the court’s fees, but the fact that the fees have been significantly higher than the administrative costs accrued by courts per divorce for several years now. It is estimated that the administrative costs amassed by a court is just £270 per divorce, yet the government have long deemed it fit to use divorce as a money spinning exercise. Sufficed to say, this desire to monetise marital breakdown makes what is already an upsetting and stressful process even less tolerable and risks further harming the couple affected and, perhaps more importantly, any children they may have together. Do you agree with Quickie Divorce or do you think it is fair that people looking to end their marriages are effectively subjected to a ‘divorce tax’? Share your opinion be leaving a comment.