What is the Form E?

The Form E is a lengthy 27 page financial form used whenever there is a financial dispute.  It’s very hard to avoid the form  – people try!  But in most cases you will have to fill one out.

The Form E (full name Form E Financial Statement) takes you through your financial affairs in minute detail. Each party must  fill out the form, disclosing anything financially relevant – capital, income, property, pension and your business interests, if any.  You’ll also need to fill out details of accounts, credit cards, investments etc.

It’s important during divorce to go through all aspects of your finances and to review them.  You’ll need to exchange information with your ex and get a clear picture of the full extent of the matrimonial assets, by having both forms side-by-side. After all  you can’t start dividing up the assets until you know what they are, in full.

How will the Form E help me?

Going through all your finances and reviewing them also helps to concentrate the mind as to what you need in terms of your capital and your income.  The form will help you set out what you want for your financial settlement and help you outline your specific needs.

It’s important to get the Form E right.

The Form E takes a long time to complete.  It involves a lot of collating of information and finding the relevant documents can be time consuming.  It needs to be filled out carefully and precisely.  It is illegal to lie on your Form E and if you do, you could be charged with perjury.

You’ll have plenty of time to fill in the Form E.

If you have to fill out the form as part of court proceedings, the court will give you several weeks to complete it, so don’t panic.   The more you can do yourself the cheaper it will be, in terms of legal costs, but it is worth involving your lawyer so that they can check it through.

If you are filling out a Form E without legal help, Advice Now offer a useful guide to the trickier bits of the form.  You can download the free guide here.