At a Glance
- A consent order template is a model of the draft order a court seals to make your financial agreement legally binding. There is no official government template, because the wording changes with what you have agreed.
- A consent order application is three documents, not one: the draft order, Form A by consent, and Form D81.
- Every order follows the same skeleton: the heading, the recitals, any undertakings, then the operative orders, then the clean break.
- The court fee for a financial order by consent is £62 as of July 2026.
- A judge reads the order and can refuse it. Free templates are refused most often for missing pension wording, an incomplete clean break, or a term the court has no power to make.
- If your agreement is straightforward, our network drafts the full set for a fixed fee of £499.
Quick Answer
A consent order template sets out the standard structure of a financial consent order in England and Wales: the court heading, recitals recording what has been agreed, undertakings, the orders the judge is asked to make, and a clean break dismissing future claims. There is no official HMCTS template for the order itself. HMCTS publishes the two forms that go with it, Form A and Form D81, but the draft order is written by the parties or their advisers and must be tailored to the agreement.
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Most people looking for a consent order template want the same thing: to see what one actually looks like before deciding whether to write their own. That is a reasonable place to start, and this page shows you the structure clause by clause rather than asking you to hand over an email address for a PDF.
It also explains where the free templates go wrong. A consent order is not a form you complete. It is a court order, drafted in advance by the people who want it, and a judge reads it before deciding whether to seal it. Getting the structure right matters more than the words being pretty.
Is there an official consent order template?
No. HM Courts and Tribunals Service does not publish a template for the draft consent order itself. It publishes the two supporting forms, and leaves the order to you.
That surprises people, but there is a sensible reason for it. A consent order can transfer a house, share a pension, order a lump sum, dismiss maintenance, or do all four at once. The wording that achieves a pension share is nothing like the wording that achieves a property transfer. A single template covering every combination would either be enormous or wrong.
The three documents a consent order application needs
| Document | What it is | Who provides it | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| The draft consent order | The order you are asking the judge to make. Sets out the property, pension, lump sum and maintenance terms, and the clean break. | Drafted by you or your adviser. No official template. | None published |
| Form A (by consent) | The notice that formally starts the financial application, marked as being by consent. Read our guide to what a Form A is in divorce. | HMCTS form, completed by you | Form A on GOV.UK |
| Form D81 | The statement of information. A summary of both financial positions so the judge can see whether the order is broadly fair. See our guide to the D81 form. | HMCTS form, completed and signed by both of you | Form D81 on GOV.UK |
The requirement to file a statement of information with a consent order application comes from rule 9.26 of the Family Procedure Rules 2010, which also confirms that neither of you normally needs to attend court.
What goes in a consent order: the structure, clause by clause
Almost every financial consent order in England and Wales follows the same order of sections. If you are checking a template against something, check it against this.
| # | Section | What it does | Typical opening words |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heading | Names the court, the case number and both parties, exactly as they appear on the divorce application. | “In the Family Court sitting at …” |
| 2 | Recitals | Records the background and anything agreed that the court is not being asked to order. Recitals are not orders and cannot be enforced in the same way. | “UPON the parties agreeing that …” |
| 3 | Undertakings | Promises to the court, used where the court has no power to order something. Breaking one is a contempt of court, so they carry real weight. | “AND UPON the applicant undertaking to …” |
| 4 | Operative orders | The terms the judge is being asked to make. Lump sums, property, pensions, maintenance. | “IT IS ORDERED BY CONSENT THAT …” |
| 5 | Clean break | Dismisses each party’s future claims against the other, including claims on death. Without this, claims stay open. | “… the claims of each party for financial provision be dismissed …” |
| 6 | Costs | Usually “no order as to costs”, meaning each side pays their own. | “There be no order as to costs.” |
| 7 | Signatures | Both parties sign, and both signatures are witnessed. | Signed and dated by both |
The operative orders in more detail
Section 4 is where the substance sits, and it is the part a template is least likely to get right for you. The court’s powers come from the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, and each type of order has its own section of that Act.
| What you agreed | The order needed | What the wording must include |
|---|---|---|
| One of you pays the other a sum of money | Lump sum order | The exact amount, the date it is payable, and what happens if it is late |
| The house transfers to one of you | Property adjustment order | The full address, the title number, who pays the transfer costs, and the mortgage release position |
| The house is sold and the proceeds split | Order for sale | Who markets it, how the price is set, how a deadlock is broken, and the exact split of net proceeds |
| A pension is shared | Pension sharing order | The scheme name, the member’s policy number, and the percentage. A pension sharing annex must be attached. |
| Ongoing payments to a spouse | Periodical payments order | The amount, the frequency, the start date, and the end date or triggering event |
| Neither of you claims from the other again | Clean break | Dismissal of income, capital, property, pension and death claims. See our guide to the clean break consent order. |
The pension clause is where free templates fail most often
A pension sharing order is not complete without a pension sharing annex naming the scheme and the percentage to be transferred. Many free templates either omit the annex entirely or leave a percentage blank. The court will not seal an order it cannot implement, and the pension provider will not act on one that does not name it correctly.
Why a judge might refuse your order
A consent order is not rubber stamped. The judge has an independent duty to look at the agreement and decide whether it is within the range of what a court could reasonably order. Most refusals are procedural rather than a rejection of the deal itself.
| Reason for refusal | What it looks like | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Figures do not match | The D81 says one thing and the order says another | Complete the D81 last, from the final order, not the other way round |
| Incomplete clean break | Income claims dismissed but capital or pension claims left open | Dismiss all five heads of claim, including claims on death |
| The order is not workable | No date on a lump sum, or no mechanism for breaking a deadlock on a sale | Give every obligation a date and a fallback |
| The court has no power | An order about a debt to a third party, or about a child’s schooling | Move it into a recital or an undertaking |
| The split looks unexplained | A large departure from equality with no reason in the recitals or the D81 | Record the reason. A short recital explaining an inheritance or a short marriage is often enough |
| Filed too early | Sent before the conditional order in the divorce | A financial order can be applied for at any point, but cannot take effect until the conditional order is made |
Not sure your agreement is fair?
Find out what a court might order in your case before you proceed, with an AI Barrister Review for £9.50.
Should you use a template or have the order drafted?
There is a real answer to this, and it depends on how much you own rather than on how well you write. Mediate UK covers the question in detail in their guide to drafting your own consent order. The short version is below.
| Your situation | Template may work | Have it drafted |
|---|---|---|
| No property, no pensions, no children, short marriage | Yes, with care | Optional |
| One property, already sold, proceeds split equally | Possibly | Safer |
| A property transferring between you | No | Yes |
| Any pension being shared or offset | No | Yes |
| Ongoing spousal maintenance | No | Yes |
| A business, an inheritance, or assets abroad | No | Yes, with advice |
The cost comparison is narrower than people expect. A refused order means a second application, more delay, and often a solicitor’s involvement anyway. Our full breakdown is on the consent order costs page.
“We see the same three template errors over and over: a clean break that only dismisses income claims, a pension order with no annex, and a D81 filled in from an earlier draft. None of them are difficult to avoid, but each one costs you a rejection and several weeks.”
Jess Knauf, Director of Client Strategy
What it costs to file
The court fee for a financial order made by consent is £62, as of July 2026. That is separate from any fee for drafting. A contested financial application on Form A costs £321 by comparison, which is one of the reasons agreeing terms first is worth the effort.
| Item | Cost | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Court fee, financial order by consent | £62 | HMCTS |
| Court fee, contested financial order on Form A | £321 | HMCTS |
| Clean break consent order drafted and filed | £499 fixed fee | Family Law Service |
| Free template | £0, plus the cost of a rejection | Not applicable |
Fees are taken from the Ministry of Justice fee announcement for July 2026 and the underlying fees order. If you are on a low income or certain benefits you may be able to apply for Help with Fees.
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.
What happens after you send it
You file the draft order, the Form A by consent and the signed D81 together, with the fee. A judge considers them on paper. If the order is approved it is sealed and returned to you, and it becomes binding on the date the divorce final order is made, whichever is later. Our step by step guide covers the filing process, including how to submit Form A online and what to put in a consent order cover letter.
If the judge wants more information, you will usually get a short query rather than an outright refusal. Answering it properly is normally enough. The full process is set out in our guide to filing a consent order.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free consent order template in the UK?
There are free templates online, but none of them are official. HM Courts and Tribunals Service does not publish a template for the draft order. It publishes Form A and Form D81, which are the two supporting documents. Any template you find has been written by a firm or a website, and the court is under no obligation to accept it.
Can I write my own consent order?
Yes. There is no rule requiring a solicitor. The risk is not that you are not allowed to, it is that a badly drafted order is refused, or is sealed but does not do what you thought it did. Orders involving a pension share, a property transfer or ongoing maintenance are the ones most often refused when drafted without help.
What does a consent order look like?
It is a short legal document, usually three to six pages. It opens with the court heading and case number, then a set of recitals beginning “UPON”, then any undertakings, then the operative orders beginning “IT IS ORDERED BY CONSENT THAT”, then the clean break, then the costs position, then signatures from both parties.
Do both people have to sign the consent order?
Yes. Both parties sign the draft order and both signatures are witnessed. Both also sign the Form D81, and each of you certifies that you have read the other’s statement of information.
How much does it cost to submit a consent order?
The court fee for a financial order by consent is £62 as of July 2026. Drafting costs are separate. A fixed fee clean break consent order through our network is £499, which includes the draft order, the Form A and the D81.
How long does a consent order take to be approved?
Court turnaround varies by region and by how busy the court is. Our guide to how long a consent order takes sets out the current picture and what causes delay.
What happens if we do not get a consent order at all?
Financial claims between former spouses do not expire on divorce. In Wyatt v Vince [2015] UKSC 14 the Supreme Court allowed a financial claim to proceed many years after the divorce, because no order had ever dismissed it. A sealed consent order with a clean break is what closes that door. We cover the risk in divorce without a consent order.
Can a consent order be changed later?
Capital orders such as lump sums and property transfers are intended to be final. Maintenance orders can be varied. There is also a narrow route to set an order aside where something significant was not disclosed. See can a consent order be varied.
Where to go from here
If your agreement is simple and you are comfortable with the structure above, a template is a legitimate starting point, as long as you check every clause against your own facts and complete the D81 from the final version of the order. If a pension, a property transfer or maintenance is involved, the cost of having it drafted is usually less than the cost of getting it wrong.
Whichever route you take, the sequence is the same: agree the terms, draft the order, complete the D81 from that order, file all three documents with the fee, and keep the sealed copy somewhere safe.
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.
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.