5 ways to protect your finances during and after divorce

When a relationship ends, the practical stuff can feel overwhelming. From what happens to the joint account to where the pension details are, it's a lot to process during an incredibly difficult time.

The legal process usually comes with a clear structure and someone guiding you through it. The financial side often doesn't get the same attention, even though it's the part that shapes the next 20 years, not just the next two. Here's what to get in order early, and why it matters more than it might seem right now.

Secure your immediate financial position as soon as you separate

Make sure money cannot move without your knowledge. Tell your bank about the change in circumstances, check whether joint accounts need both signatures for withdrawals, and review direct debits that assume a shared income.

If you own your home together, register your home rights with HM Land Registry using form HR1. This stops your partner selling or remortgaging without your knowledge, even if the home is only in their name. Contact your mortgage lender too, since missed payments affect both credit files. This is not about assuming the worst of your partner. It simply means nothing important depends on goodwill while things are being worked out.

Get a full and honest picture of what you actually own, and what it means for your budget

Start a plain list of every account, asset and debt in both your names and either of your names individually, including pensions, with statements going back at least twelve months. Settlements in England and Wales are based on disclosure, and gaps tend to work against whoever has prepared less.

Then model what your monthly budget actually looks like on your own income, including housing, childcare and any support payments, rather than relying on how the numbers feel in a solicitor's letter. A settlement that looks even on paper can leave one person worse off within a year. Legal & General, based on Opinium's survey of 2,945 divorced UK adults, found that women's household income roughly halves in the year after divorce, against a 30% fall for men, and that 24% of women struggle financially afterwards, against 16% of men.

Do not let your pension be the asset nobody negotiates

Pensions are often the largest asset in a marriage, larger than the family home in many cases, yet the one most commonly left out. Research from now:pensions and the Pensions Policy Institute found that divorced women hold a median pension pot of £32,640, against £85,800 for divorced men, a 61% gap. The same research found that 71% of settlements do not consider pension assets at all, and only 11% of the over 100,000 divorces recorded in 2024 and 2025 involved a pension sharing order.

If you took time out of work or earned less than your partner, your pension likely reflects that gap and deserves the same scrutiny as the house. A pension-on-divorce specialist can value it properly, since a £200,000 pot is not worth £100,000 to each of you once tax treatment is accounted for.

Get regulated financial advice before you sign anything

A solicitor handles the legal process, but a regulated financial adviser can tell you whether a settlement sets you up for the next twenty years, not just the next two. The two roles are not interchangeable, and relying on legal advice alone to judge a financial outcome is a common gap.

Bring in an adviser once you have a broad picture of the assets, ideally before agreeing to anything in principle, so pensions and long-term income are weighed alongside the house. It costs far less to get this right before a consent order is sealed than to reopen one afterwards.

From Lucy, co-founder of Welleness

Every woman I have spoken to who has been through a divorce says some version of the same thing afterwards: she wishes she had understood the financial side sooner, not the legal side. The legal process has a clear structure and someone guiding you through it. The consequences that show up eighteen months later in a pension statement often do not.

That gap exists, I think, because money conversations during a divorce pull you in two directions at once. You are trying to be reasonable and fair while also protecting your own future. It often takes someone outside the situation to say those two things are not in conflict, and that asking detailed questions about pensions and long-term income is not being difficult. It is the same due diligence you would apply to any other big financial decision.

What you can do now

Request the last twelve months of statements for every joint account, pension and investment you can access, before anything changes.

Register your home rights with HM Land Registry using form HR1, which is free to do yourself online.

Book a call with a regulated financial adviser before agreeing to a settlement in principle.

Frequently asked questions

Is an informal financial agreement enough, or do I need a court order?
An informal agreement is not legally binding and can be challenged later. A consent order, approved by the court, is what makes a settlement enforceable and final.

Can my partner access our joint savings without my permission?
In most cases, either party on a joint account can withdraw funds without the other's consent, which is why many people notify the bank and agree how it will be used while proceedings are ongoing.

How are pensions actually split in a UK divorce?
Through a pension sharing order, which moves a percentage into a pension in your own name, or by offsetting against other assets. A specialist can value the options properly.

Here is what one Welleness member said after completing her financial health check.

"If Welleness didn't exist I'd have done absolutely nothing. I feel like this has really helped me sort some stuff out. Having this experience has definitely made me feel like I should just ask the questions, get that advice, get myself into a better position." Brona, Welleness user

If any of this feels like more than you can hold in your head right now, our free financial health check at insights.welleness.ai takes less than five minutes and gives you a clear picture across six areas of your financial life, pensions included.

This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. For guidance specific to your situation, speak to a regulated financial adviser.