17% of divorces delayed due to financial concerns

7th January 2025

New research by Legal & General Retail has found that financial concerns are causing delays in divorce proceedings, with 17% (280,000) of recent divorces were postponed due to money worries.

Couples across the country stalled their separation because of income concerns (13%), rising living expenses (12%) and the cost of divorce (12%).

However, once couples did part ways, they were often worse off financially. On average, half of all divorcees (45%) see their incomes shrink in the year after divorce, by an average of 30%. This can leave someone with £9,229 less a year to live on as they face increased expenses from living costs (29%), separation costs (23%) and even from taking time off work to deal with the emotional fallout of breaking up (18%).

Just the cost of the divorce alone comes with a £2,500 price tag and one in seven people (15%) will go into debt to fund it.

In two out of five divorces (41%), people felt that it wasn’t an equal divorce financially, with one party being favoured. Despite this, just 7% of people will consult a financial adviser as part of their divorce, leaving many vulnerable to money missteps that could have long-term consequences.

Paula Llewellyn, Chief Customer & Strategy Officer, Legal & General Retail said “We understandably focus much of our energy on the emotional side of separation but, as our research shows, money is an important factor that shouldn’t be ignored. Not only are people having to stay in marriages longer, because of their finances, but they are also facing increased struggles once they go it alone.”