Pension sharing order in divorce

How it works in practice

• The order states a percentage of the cash equivalent value, not a cash sum
• The provider implements it after the final order and the order being sealed
• The receiving person ends up with a pension in their own name
• Providers charge an implementation fee, which the order should allocate

Common pitfalls

• Wording the provider will not accept, causing delay
• Using out of date valuations
• Forgetting to say who pays the implementation charges
• Applying for the final order before the pension position is settled, where that matters

Two separate processes

It helps to keep two things apart. Ending your marriage is a court process that follows a fixed timetable and does not look at your finances. Sorting your finances is about who keeps what: the home, savings, pensions and debts. You can run them side by side, but one does not automatically decide the other.

• Ending your marriage: the divorce application, conditional order and final order
• Sorting your finances: an agreement between you, and usually a financial court order to make it binding
• CalmSplit's £159 fee covers the divorce itself, not a financial settlement

When to get advice

Consider independent legal or financial advice where there are pensions of real value, a business, complex property, significant debts, or where you are unsure whether what you have agreed is reasonable. CalmSplit can refer you to an independent solicitor. That does not change your £159 CalmSplit fee, and we do not take a fee for the referral.