At a Glance
- A consent order application needs three documents: the draft consent order, Form A marked by consent, and Form D81.
- Form D81 is the Statement of Information. Both of you complete a side each and both sign.
- Form A is the Notice of Intention to Proceed. It formally opens the financial application.
- Form D11 is only needed later, if you want to change or enforce an order that has already been made.
- The court fee is £62 for a financial order by consent, as of July 2026.
- Leaving out the D81 is the most common reason a consent order application comes straight back.
Quick Answer
The consent order forms you need in England and Wales are Form A, the notice that starts the financial application, and Form D81, the statement of information about both financial positions. These go to the court together with the draft consent order itself, which is not a form and has no official template, plus the £62 court fee. Form D11 is a separate application used only to vary or enforce an order that already exists.
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People searching for the consent order forms usually expect one document with boxes to fill in. It is three documents, only two of which are official forms, and they do different jobs. This page sets out the whole bundle, what each part is for, who signs it, and what happens if one is missing.
The consent order bundle at a glance
| Document | Official form? | What it does | Who completes and signs it |
|---|---|---|---|
| The draft consent order | No | Sets out the terms you are asking the judge to make into an order: property, pensions, lump sums, maintenance, clean break. | Drafted by you or your adviser. Both parties sign, both signatures witnessed. |
| Form A | Yes, HMCTS | Formally starts the financial remedy application. Marked as by consent so the court knows there is no dispute. | Usually the applicant. Read our full guide to Form A. |
| Form D81 | Yes, HMCTS | The Statement of Information. Gives the judge a summary of both financial positions so the fairness of the order can be assessed. | Both parties, one column each, both signing. See our guide to the D81. |
| Pension sharing annex | Yes, HMCTS | Only where a pension is being shared. Names the scheme and the percentage to be transferred. | Attached to the order. Sent to the pension provider after sealing. |
| Cover letter | No | Optional, but it helps. Lists what is enclosed and explains anything unusual. See what to put in a cover letter. | Either party |
| Form D11 | Yes, HMCTS | Not part of the original bundle. Used later to apply to vary or enforce an existing order. | Whichever party is applying |
Form D81: the Statement of Information
The D81 is the form most people find fiddly, and it is the one the court is strictest about. Its full name on GOV.UK is “Provide information about the parties’ financial situation to support your application for a consent order: Form D81”. Most people know it as the statement of information.
Its purpose is narrow. The judge is not conducting a full financial investigation, and a consent order application does not involve full disclosure in the way contested proceedings do. The D81 gives the judge enough to see whether the agreement sits within the range a court could reasonably approve. Our guide to consent orders without financial disclosure covers where the line falls.
What the D81 asks for
| Section | What it covers | Where people go wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Personal details and duration | Ages, the length of the marriage, and the date of separation | Using the divorce date rather than the separation date |
| Children | Names and ages of any children of the family | Leaving out adult children who are still dependent |
| Capital | Property, savings, investments, and what each of you will hold after the order | Showing the position before the order but not after |
| Pensions | Cash equivalent values for each pension held by each of you | Estimating a value rather than obtaining a current cash equivalent |
| Income | Net income for each of you, and the position after the order | Giving gross rather than net figures |
| Future plans | Where each of you will live, and how it will be paid for | Leaving this blank. The judge does read it |
| Statements of truth | Both parties sign, and each certifies having read the other’s information | One signature only, which stops the application |
Complete the D81 last, not first
The single most common reason a consent order comes back is that the figures in the D81 do not match the figures in the order. That happens when the D81 is filled in from an early draft and then the order changes. Finalise the order first, then complete the D81 from it.
Form A: the Notice of Intention to Proceed
Form A is the document that formally opens the financial side of the case. Its GOV.UK title is “Give notice of your intention to proceed with an application for a financial order: Form A”.
The same form is used for two very different things, and the difference matters for the fee. Filed on notice, it starts contested financial remedy proceedings and costs £321. Filed by consent alongside a draft order, it costs £62. Tick the consent box, and make clear on the form which orders you are asking for, so they match the draft order exactly.
If you are filing online, our step by step guide covers how to submit Form A online.
Matching Form A to your draft order
| If your order includes | Tick on Form A |
|---|---|
| A payment of money from one of you to the other | Lump sum order |
| A house transferring, or being sold | Property adjustment order, and order for sale where relevant |
| A pension being shared | Pension sharing order |
| Ongoing payments to a spouse | Periodical payments order |
| A clean break dismissing all claims | The dismissal is dealt with in the order itself, but the underlying claims are still opened by Form A |
Ready to protect your financial future?
Our network drafts your clean break consent order, Form A and Form D81 for a fixed fee of £499, with a 2 week turnaround. The court fee is £62.
Form D11 and when you actually need it
Form D11 is a general application within existing proceedings. It is not part of a first consent order application, and sending one at that stage usually means the papers come back.
You need a D11 when an order already exists and you want the court to do something about it: vary a maintenance order, enforce a term the other person has not complied with, or ask for a change to the wording. Our guides cover varying a consent order and enforcing a consent order.
Which forms you do not need
Two forms come up in searches for consent orders and belong to a different process.
| Form | What it actually is | Do you need it for a consent order? |
|---|---|---|
| Form E | The full financial statement used in contested financial remedy proceedings. It runs to around 28 pages and requires supporting documents. | No. Form E belongs to contested cases. Some people complete one voluntarily to exchange information before agreeing terms, but it is not filed with a consent order. See Form E compared with the D81. |
| Form C100 | The application for a child arrangements order, prohibited steps order or specific issue order. | No. That is the children process, not the financial one. |
“We look at a lot of returned applications, and it is very rarely the draft order that causes the problem. It is a D81 signed by one person, or figures that stopped matching after the order was tweaked. Both take five minutes to check and both cost weeks if you miss them.”
Jess Knauf, Director of Client Strategy
What each stage costs
| Application | Fee as of July 2026 | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Financial order by consent | £62 | The consent order application, filed with the draft order and D81 |
| Financial order on notice, contested | £321 | Form A filed to start contested proceedings |
| General application by consent (D11) | £62 | Where both of you agree to the change |
| General application on notice (D11) | £195 | Where the other party does not agree |
Figures are taken from the Ministry of Justice fee announcement for July 2026 and the underlying fees order. Our costs page sets out the full picture including drafting.
How the forms fit together
The requirement to file a statement of information with a consent order application comes from rule 9.26 of the Family Procedure Rules 2010. The same rule confirms that neither of you normally has to attend court, which is why the paperwork has to do all the work.
The court’s power to make each type of order comes from the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973. That is worth knowing, because if a term in your draft order is not something the Act gives the court power to order, it belongs in a recital or an undertaking instead. Our page on what goes in a consent order shows where each part sits.
Not agreed everything yet?
A consent order needs both of you to agree first. Family mediation helps you reach a fair agreement without going to court.
Frequently asked questions
What forms do I need for a consent order?
Three documents go to the court: the draft consent order, Form A marked as by consent, and Form D81 signed by both of you. A pension sharing annex is added where a pension is being shared. The draft order is not an official form and HMCTS does not publish a template for it.
Is the D81 form the same as Form E?
No. The D81 is a short statement of information filed with a consent order, usually a few pages. Form E is the full financial statement used in contested financial remedy proceedings and runs to around 28 pages with supporting documents attached. A consent order application does not need a Form E.
Where do I get the D81 form?
Form D81 is published free on GOV.UK, under the title “Provide information about the parties’ financial situation to support your application for a consent order”. You do not need to buy it from anyone.
Do both of us have to sign the D81?
Yes. Each of you completes your own column, each signs a statement of truth, and each certifies that they have read the other party’s information. An application with only one signature will not proceed.
Do I need Form A if we already agree?
Yes. Form A is what formally opens the financial application, and the court needs it even where there is no dispute. The difference is that it is filed by consent, which is why the fee is £62 rather than £321.
What is the difference between Form A and Form A1?
Form A is used for financial remedy applications following a divorce or dissolution. Form A1 is used in a narrower set of circumstances, principally applications under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 and certain other free-standing applications. For a standard clean break consent order after divorce, Form A is the one you need.
How much is the court fee for a consent order?
£62 for a financial order made by consent, as of July 2026. If you are on a low income or receive certain benefits you may be able to apply for Help with Fees.
What happens if I send the wrong form?
The application is usually returned rather than refused outright, with a note saying what is missing. You correct it and send it back. The cost is time rather than money, though the fee may need to be resubmitted depending on how the court has processed it.
Putting the bundle together
Work in this order and most problems disappear: agree the terms, draft the order, check every term is something a court can actually order, complete the D81 from the final order, sign everything, then file with the fee. Our step by step guide to filing a consent order takes it from there.
About the author
Jess Knauf is the Director of Client Strategy at Mediate UK and co-founder of Family Law Service. With over six years’ experience in family mediation, Jess is focused on making family law easy to understand and accessible, and is the author of The Complete Guide to Divorce in England and Wales.