Planning 8 min read • March 2026

Divorce and money in the UK — the financial checklist

Divorce involves legal, emotional and financial complexity simultaneously. This guide covers the financial checklist — what to document, what can be split, and where to get help. It is not legal advice and does not replace a qualified family law solicitor.

Pensions: the most overlooked asset in divorce

Pension assets are often the largest or second-largest household asset — but they're routinely overlooked or undervalued in divorce because they're not visible in the way a house or bank account is. Courts have the power to divide pension assets between parties, but this only happens if you ask for it and value it properly.

To value a pension for divorce purposes, request a Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) from each pension provider. This is the amount the scheme would pay to transfer the pension elsewhere. For defined contribution pensions, CETV is usually close to the pot value. For defined benefit (final salary) pensions, the CETV can be significantly lower than the economic value of the income promised.

⚠️ Don't ignore the pension

Research consistently shows that women in particular exit marriages with significantly less pension wealth than they are entitled to. If your spouse has a larger pension from their career, it is a matrimonial asset. Pension sharing orders, pension attachment orders, and pension offsetting (taking more housing equity in exchange for the pension) are all available mechanisms.

The family home

Options for the family home include: selling and splitting the equity, one party buying out the other, or a deferred sale (particularly where children are involved). Remortgaging to a single name requires that person to independently qualify for the mortgage based on their own income. Stamp Duty applies to any transfer of ownership between separating couples in some circumstances — worth checking with a solicitor.

Bank accounts and savings

Joint accounts should be frozen or closed once separation is confirmed, to prevent one party draining them. Individual accounts are generally treated as part of the matrimonial pot for asset purposes, regardless of whose name they're in (unless they predate the marriage significantly).

Ongoing financial connections to address

Life insurance nominations. Pension expression of wishes. Joint mortgage. Joint credit cards. Wills (automatically revoked on divorce but not during proceedings). Next of kin on workplace pension. State Pension inheritance rights.

Where to get help

A family law solicitor is essential for any financial remedy proceedings. Resolution (resolution.org.uk) lists solicitors committed to non-adversarial approaches. Pension on Divorce Expert (PODE) — an independent specialist who values pensions for divorce purposes — is recommended where significant pension assets exist. MoneyHelper (0800 011 3797) offers free impartial guidance.