Form E: the financial statement

What Form E is and why it exists

Form E - A detailed financial disclosure form. Both parties must fill one in during financial proceedings, listing all income, assets, debts, and expenses. is the form both parties fill in to tell the court about their finances. It covers income, property, pensions, savings, investments, debts, and personal budgets. Both sides must complete one. The purpose is full and frank disclosure - The legal obligation to tell the court about all your finances, including assets and debts, during financial proceedings. Hiding assets can lead to costs orders, adverse inferences, or the entire agreement being set aside.: the court needs to see the complete picture to make a fair decision.

Form E is used in financial remedy proceedings - The legal process for dividing money, property, pensions, and other assets after divorce. Also called financial proceedings or ancillary relief. (when you go to court because you cannot agree). If you are preparing a consent order - A legal document that turns an agreement between you and the other party into a court order. Once approved by a judge, it’s legally binding and enforceable. by agreement, you do not need to fill in a full Form E, but you do need to provide a shorter financial summary called a Statement of Information (form D81 - A short form filed with a consent order to give the court a summary of both parties’ finances, so the judge can check the agreement is fair.).

Section by section in plain English

Part 1: Personal details

Your name, date of birth, address, and details about your marriage. This section also asks about any children of the family and who they live with. Straightforward, but make sure the details match your other court documents exactly.

Part 2: Financial details

This is the big section. The court wants to know about everything you own, earn, and owe.

Property: every property you have an interest in, including the family home, any buy-to-let properties, or property abroad. For each one, the court wants the current value and the outstanding mortgage.

Bank accounts: every account in your name, including savings accounts, ISAs, and current accounts. You need to provide the current balance and 12 months of statements.

Investments: shares, bonds, cryptocurrency, Premium Bonds, or any other investments. Current value for each.

Life insurance: any policies with a cash-in value or death benefit.

Business interests: if you own or part-own a business, you need to provide details and a valuation. This can be complicated and may need an accountant.

Pensions: every pension you have, with a Cash Equivalent Transfer Value - Cash Equivalent Transfer Value. The cash value of a pension if it were transferred to another pension scheme. Used to compare and value pensions during financial proceedings. Free to request from your pension provider. (CETV) for each. You get this by writing to each pension provider. It takes several weeks, so start early.

Income: your employment income (gross and net), any self-employment income, benefits, rental income, or any other regular income. You need payslips, P60s, or tax returns to support this.

Debts: every debt, including mortgages, loans, credit cards, car finance, and money owed to family. Current balance for each.

Part 3: Your financial needs

This section asks about your income needs (what you need to live on each month) and your capital needs (what you need for housing and other one-off costs). Be honest and realistic. The court will compare your budget with your ex's to understand what each of you needs.

Documents you will need to gather

Start collecting these now, because some take weeks to arrive. You will need 12 months of bank statements for every account in your name, your most recent mortgage statement, pension valuations (request a Cash Equivalent Transfer Value from each provider), payslips or proof of income for the last 12 months, details of all debts with current balances, property valuations (two or three estate agent valuations are enough initially), and your P60 or tax returns if you are self-employed.

Common mistakes

Missing sections. The court will reject an incomplete Form E and send it back. If a section genuinely does not apply to you, write “N/A” rather than leaving it blank.

Guessing values. Do not estimate property values, pension values, or account balances. Get proper figures. Estate agents will value your property for free. Pension providers will give you a CETV for free. Bank statements show exact balances.

Not disclosing everything. This includes things you would rather the court did not know about: cryptocurrency, overseas accounts, cash savings, loans from family. If you leave something out and it comes to light later, the consequences are serious.

Forgetting debts. Disclosure - The process of sharing all relevant financial information with the other party and the court. Both sides must give a full and honest picture of their finances. means everything: assets and debts. If you owe money on credit cards, car finance, or loans from family, include them. Debts reduce your net position.

What happens if someone hides assets

Full and frank disclosure is a legal obligation. If the court believes someone has hidden assets, it can draw adverse inferences, which means the court assumes the worst. For example, if someone claims to have no savings but their lifestyle suggests otherwise, the court can infer that there are undisclosed savings and factor them into the settlement.

In serious cases, the court can set aside a consent order entirely if it was based on false disclosure. This means the whole agreement gets torn up and you start again, which can happen years later if the non-disclosure is discovered.