What is Form E in England & Wales?
Form E is the standard financial statement used in divorce and dissolution cases in England and Wales. It is issued by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and requires you to disclose your income, property, savings, pensions and debts in detail.
This guide is for information only. It is not legal advice. Always follow the directions given by your solicitor and the court.
Core document categories you will usually need
- Identity and basics – passport or driving licence, national insurance number.
- Property – Land Registry title registers, recent mortgage statements, redemption figures.
- Banks & savings – 12 months of statements for current and savings accounts in your name or joint names.
- Credit cards & loans – recent statements showing balances and minimum payments.
- Pensions – recent pension statements for workplace and personal schemes.
- Income – payslips (usually 3–6 months), P60s, accounts if self‑employed.
- Other assets – investments, shares, ISAs, premium bonds, valuable items you are asked to list.
Simple tools to stop Form E paperwork becoming chaos
- Create one master list
Use a spreadsheet or shared document with columns for “Document type”, “Who it belongs to”, “Time period needed”, “Where it is saved”, and “Status (missing / requested / received)”. Update this instead of keeping separate notes in email and on paper.
- Use named folders for each category
On your computer or cloud storage (for example, OneDrive or Google Drive), create folders such as “01 – Identity”, “02 – Property”, “03 – Bank accounts”, “04 – Pensions” and so on. Save PDFs into the right folder as you go. This mirrors the sections of Form E and makes it easier for your solicitor to review.
- Export statements as PDF, not screenshots
Most UK banks now let you download official statements. Use these rather than screenshots of an app – courts and solicitors are used to reading proper statements and they are easier to search and print.
- Redact safely if you need to
If you are sending documents to a third party and want to hide account numbers or addresses, use a proper PDF editor or ask your solicitor how to do this safely. Simply drawing a black box in a word processor can be reversible.
- Keep a log of requests
When you ask banks, pension providers or employers for information, note the date, who you contacted and what they said. This helps if there are delays and shows the court that you have been trying to cooperate.
Common UK‑specific pitfalls
- Forgetting closed accounts that still have a balance or overdraft.
- Missing workplace pensions (especially older schemes from previous employers).
- Not including Help to Buy, shared‑ownership or other government schemes linked to the home.
- Assuming your solicitor already has everything – usually they only have what you send them.
When to get professional advice
If you are unsure what to disclose or how something should be valued, speak to your solicitor or a regulated financial adviser. They can advise on legal obligations, tax and pension sharing, which this article cannot do.