How to Fill Out and File Form E: Sections, Disclosure, and Deadlines

To fill out Form E, download the current January 2023 version from GOV.UK, collect the supporting documents the form demands for every asset and income source, complete the general information and financial details sections with figures backed by evidence, sign the Statement of Truth, and exchange the completed form with the other party while filing it with the court no later than 35 days before your First Appointment hearing. The form is long and the paperwork takes time to assemble, so the practical starting point is gathering documents, not opening the PDF.

Where to Download the Right Form

The current Form E is a fillable PDF on the GOV.UK website.¹ It applies to applications for a financial order made as part of a divorce, dissolution, annulment, or judicial separation in the High Court or family courts in England and Wales, and to financial relief after an overseas divorce or dissolution.

There is also a Form E1, which covers different types of financial remedy applications.² The two forms are not interchangeable, so check you have the one that matches your proceedings before you start.

Gather Your Supporting Documents First

Form E requires evidence for nearly every financial claim you make. Some documents take weeks or months to arrive, so request them as soon as financial proceedings look likely. You will need:

A property valuation obtained within the last six months for the family home and any other property you own. If you do not have a professional valuation, your own realistic estimate of the current market value is acceptable.
A recent mortgage statement for each mortgage, showing the outstanding balance.
Statements covering the last 12 months for every bank, building society, and National Savings account you hold, including dormant accounts and those with a zero balance.
The latest statement or dividend counterfoil for each investment, including stocks, shares, ISAs, unit trusts, and bonds.
A surrender valuation for each life insurance policy that has one, along with the policy number and provider details.
A recent Cash Equivalent value from the trustees or managers of each pension arrangement. Pension companies can take several months to supply these figures, which makes this the single most time-sensitive request.
Business accounts for the last two financial years, plus any documentation supporting your estimate of the business’s current value.
The most recent statement for each credit card, store card, bank loan, and hire purchase agreement.
Your most recent P60 and last three months of payslips if employed, or two years of tax returns or audited accounts if self-employed.

If you have an interest in a trust, attach the trust deed and the last two years of trust accounts. If any document is unavailable by your filing deadline, note the reason and the estimated date you expect to receive it rather than leaving the section blank.¹

Section 1: General Information

The first section covers personal circumstances. You give your full name, date of birth, the date of your marriage or civil partnership, and your current address. You record details about any children of the family, including their ages, who they live with, and their educational arrangements. Disclose any existing child maintenance arrangement or ongoing court case involving the children in this section as well.

Section 2: Financial Details

Section 2 is the core of the form. It runs through six internal parts, and this is where your supporting documents get attached.

Part 1: Real Property and Personal Assets

Start with the family home at field 2.1. Enter the address, your estimate or professional valuation of its market value, the names on the legal title, and the outstanding mortgage balance. Field 2.2 covers any other property you own or have an interest in, with the same details required. Fields 2.3 through 2.8 deal with bank accounts (attach 12 months of statements for each), investments (attach the latest statement for each), life insurance policies (attach surrender valuations), money owed to you, cash sums over £500, and personal belongings individually worth more than £500 such as vehicles or jewellery.¹

Part 2: Liabilities and Capital Gains Tax

Field 2.9 captures your debts other than mortgages and overdrawn bank accounts, which you already reported in Part 1. List every credit card, store card, personal loan, and hire purchase agreement with its current balance. Field 2.10 asks you to estimate any capital gains tax liability that would arise if you sold your property or other assets. This figure matters because the court accounts for the tax cost when deciding how to divide assets.

Part 3: Business Assets and Directorships

If you own or hold a share in a business, field 2.11 requires the business name, your percentage interest, and your estimate of its current value, supported by two years of business accounts. Field 2.12 covers any directorships you hold, even if you have no financial interest in the company.

Part 4: Pensions

At field 2.13, list every pension arrangement and its Cash Equivalent value. This includes workplace pensions, personal pensions, and additional state pension entitlements. Attach the valuation letter from each provider. If you are waiting for a valuation, attach a copy of the letter you sent requesting it and note when you expect a reply.¹

Part 5: Other Assets

Field 2.14 is a catch-all for anything not covered above: share options, trust interests, assets held by third parties on your behalf, or any other item of value. If you hold cryptocurrency or digital assets, disclose them here with the quantity held and an estimate of current market value.

Part 6: Income

This part covers earned income from employment, self-employment income, investment income, state benefits, and any other regular payments you receive. Attach payslips, tax returns, or benefit letters as appropriate.

Income Needs and Capital Needs

After the financial details, the form asks you to set out your income needs and those of any children living with you. Estimate your monthly outgoings for housing, council tax, utilities, food, transport, clothing, and other regular expenses. Back these figures up with recent bills where available. The form also asks about capital needs such as a deposit on a new home or the cost of replacing a vehicle.

Be realistic rather than inflating these estimates. They feed into any maintenance calculation the court undertakes, and a judge who sees an obviously padded expense schedule will take the rest of your disclosure less seriously.

Other Information the Court Should Weigh

The final substantive section asks about other factors that might affect a fair outcome. Note any significant health conditions, expected changes in your financial position such as a likely inheritance or an approaching redundancy, and contributions to the marriage that you want the court to consider. If you received legal advice about a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, record that here.

Signing the Statement of Truth

You must sign the Statement of Truth at the end of the form, confirming that the information is complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge. This is not a formality. Signing puts you under the same obligations as giving evidence on oath, and errors or deliberate omissions discovered later can be treated accordingly.

When to File and Exchange Form E

Financial remedy proceedings follow a strict timetable set by the Family Procedure Rules. The process begins when one party files Form A, the formal application for a financial remedy. Once the court receives Form A, it schedules a First Appointment hearing no less than 12 weeks and no more than 16 weeks from the filing date.³

Both parties must simultaneously exchange their completed Form E with each other and file it with the court no later than 35 days before the First Appointment. Simultaneous exchange matters: neither side gets to see the other’s disclosure first. The exchange happens on the same day, whether by agreement between solicitors or through a prearranged method.³

What Happens if You Get Disclosure Wrong

Courts take full and frank disclosure seriously. If you hide assets, ignore orders, or make false statements on Form E, the consequences can be severe.

The court can draw adverse inferences, assuming you have significantly more money or assets than you have revealed, and then divide the pot on that basis. The result is almost always worse for the non-disclosing party than honest disclosure would have been.
Deliberate non-compliance with disclosure orders can be treated as contempt of court, carrying penalties including fines, seizure of assets, and in the most serious cases imprisonment for up to two years.
A party who forces unnecessary hearings through incomplete disclosure can be ordered to pay the other side’s legal costs for those hearings.
In extreme cases, a non-compliant party can be barred from participating in proceedings until they comply with the court’s orders.

Even after a final order, a financial settlement can be reopened if one party later discovers the other materially misrepresented their finances. The risk follows you after the proceedings end.

Keep Your Disclosure Current

Filing Form E does not end your disclosure duty. You have an ongoing obligation to inform the court and the other party of any material change to your financial circumstances at the earliest opportunity. A pay rise, an inheritance, the sale of an asset, or significant new debt all need to be disclosed in writing. Failing to update your disclosure carries the same risks as incomplete initial disclosure. The simplest approach is to tell your solicitor the moment any financial change happens and let them handle the notification.

1
HM Courts & Tribunals Service. Form E Financial Statement
2
GOV.UK. Form E1 Financial Statement
3
Justice UK. Part 9 – Applications for a Financial Remedy