How much does a postnup cost in the UK? The good news for anyone considering a postnuptial agreement is that it costs much the same as a prenup – from a fixed £199 with an online service to four figures with a solicitor once both partners take advice. The document is very similar, just made after the wedding rather than before, so the pricing mirrors the prenup market almost exactly.
Below is a realistic picture of what a postnup costs in England & Wales, what sits behind each price, and how to spend sensibly without cutting the corners – disclosure, fair terms and independent advice – that actually make an agreement hold up. The bands closely track those in how much a prenup costs.
How much does a postnup cost – at a glance
| Route | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Online service | From £199 (fixed) | Clear, straightforward finances |
| Online draft + solicitor advice | £199 + advice fee (a few hundred pounds each) | Most couples wanting advice affordably |
| Full solicitor-drafted | Four figures (often £1,000–£5,000+ per side) | Complex estates, trusts, heavy negotiation |
Those bands are the whole picture in one table – but the right choice depends on your finances, not just the price. Here is what each route actually involves.
Solicitor-drafted postnups
A postnup drafted by a family-law solicitor traditionally costs four figures once everything is included, and that is usually per side rather than for the couple. The engagement involves taking instructions, drafting the agreement, negotiating between the two partners' solicitors, and providing separate independent advice for each person. Fees rise with complexity – a business, a trust, overseas assets or several pensions all add time, and every round of negotiation adds more. For genuinely complex estates this is money well spent; for straightforward finances it can be far more than the job requires. The picture is the same as for a prenup – see solicitor prenup costs and online vs solicitor.
Online postnuptial agreements
An online service produces a comprehensive, professionally structured agreement for a one-off £199, generated instantly as a PDF. You answer guided questions about both partners' finances and wishes – property, savings, pensions, businesses, debts and how you want assets treated – and the agreement is produced ready to review and sign. The fixed fee is the whole cost of the document: no hourly billing, no surprise at the end. For couples with clear finances this is often all they need; for those who want a lawyer's eyes on it, it is an inexpensive foundation to take to advice. Just be wary of a bargain-basement or DIY template that skips the disclosure, fair terms and correct signing that make an agreement stand up.
The best-value approach for most couples
You do not have to choose between "cheap and risky" and "expensive and thorough". A popular middle path is to draft the agreement online for £199 and then have each partner take independent legal advice on the finished document. Because the drafting is already done, the solicitor's job is to advise rather than build from scratch – which costs a fraction of a full bespoke engagement while still ticking the independent-advice box that helps an agreement carry weight (see are prenups legally binding? and independent legal advice).
What affects the price
- Complexity – businesses, trusts, pensions and overseas assets all add time.
- Negotiation – back-and-forth between solicitors is where traditional fees climb; terms you broadly agree in advance cost less to finalise.
- Independent advice – both partners should be advised, so it is often two sets of fees (see do both need a lawyer?).
- How you draft it – a fixed-fee online document removes the open-ended hourly billing that makes solicitor costs hard to predict.
The one advantage a postnup has: time
Because a postnup is made without a wedding deadline, you have the luxury of time to gather quotes, compare routes and choose the one that best fits the complexity of your finances. There is no rushing to beat a date, which keeps pressure – and often cost – down. Whatever you spend, it is modest next to the cost of an unclear financial dispute later; a nuptial agreement is generally far cheaper than a contested divorce.
What you are actually paying for
It helps to see a postnup fee as buying three separate things, because that explains why prices vary so widely. The first is the drafting – turning your wishes into a clear, correctly structured legal document. The second is disclosure and negotiation – the work of exchanging financial information and agreeing terms, which is where solicitor time (and cost) can balloon if the two sides go back and forth. The third is independent advice – each partner's own solicitor confirming they understand what they are signing. An online service prices the first for a fixed fee and lets you keep the third proportionate; a full bespoke engagement bundles all three into open-ended hourly billing. Knowing which part you are paying for makes it much easier to spend sensibly.
A worked cost example
Imagine a couple with a home, two pensions and otherwise clear, uncomplicated finances. Going fully bespoke, each instructs a family-law solicitor at, say, a few thousand pounds a side – comfortably into four figures for the couple once both are advised and the drafts have gone back and forth. Taking the middle path instead, they draft the agreement online for a fixed £199 and then each pay a few hundred pounds for independent advice on the finished document. Same safeguards – disclosure, fair terms, advice on both sides – at a fraction of the outlay, because the expensive drafting-and-negotiation loop is largely removed. For genuinely complex estates the bespoke route earns its fee; for ordinary finances the middle path usually does the same job for far less.
Is a cheap postnup a false economy?
It can be. The danger is not paying a modest fixed fee for a well-structured document – that is sensible – but grabbing a bargain template that skips disclosure, ignores fairness or gets the signing wrong. A postnup only carries weight if it is made properly, and an agreement a court sets aside has cost you money for nothing. The goal is not to spend the least possible but to spend where it counts: a sound document, honest disclosure, fair terms and independent advice. Spend on substance, not on open-ended billing.
Postnup cost: what you will actually pay
In practice, postnup cost mirrors prenup cost: from a fixed £199 online to four figures with a solicitor once both partners take advice. What pushes it up is complexity, negotiation between solicitors, and the fact that both partners should be separately advised. The cost-effective route most couples take is to draft online for a fixed fee, then pay only for independent advice on the finished agreement. Because a postnup is made without a wedding deadline, you also have the luxury of time to gather quotes and choose the route that best fits the complexity of your finances.
Ways to keep the cost down
A few practical habits keep a postnup affordable without weakening it. Do as much of the groundwork as you can yourselves before any solicitor is involved: gather your financial figures, obtain current pension valuations and agree the broad shape of the deal between you. Every point you have already settled is a point the solicitors do not have to negotiate at an hourly rate. Draft the document itself with a fixed-fee online service rather than paying a firm to build it from a blank page, then reserve paid legal time for advice on the finished agreement alone. Ask any solicitor for a clear estimate and, where possible, a fixed or capped fee for the advice stage, so the bill cannot run away. And use the time a postnup gives you: with no wedding deadline, you can gather two or three quotes and compare them properly rather than instructing the first firm you find.
Cost versus the alternative
Whatever route you take, it helps to weigh the outlay against what it is designed to avoid. A contested financial dispute on divorce – with two sets of solicitors, possibly a barrister, expert valuations and court fees – routinely runs into tens of thousands of pounds, quite apart from the months of stress. Set against that, even a full bespoke postnup is modest, and a fixed-fee online draft plus independent advice is a small fraction of it. The point of the spend is not the document for its own sake but the clarity it buys: a fair, agreed position that makes an expensive fight far less likely. Seen that way, a well-made postnup is one of the more cost-effective pieces of financial planning a married couple can do – it is generally far cheaper than a contested divorce.
Postnup cost: FAQs
Is a postnup cheaper than a prenup?
About the same – the document is very similar, so the costs track each other closely (see how much a prenup costs).
Do both partners pay for advice?
Ideally each takes their own independent advice, so it is often two separate fees – but that is what helps the agreement hold up.
How much is a postnup online?
From a fixed £199 with UK Prenup, with the document generated instantly as a PDF and no hourly billing.
Why do solicitor postnups cost so much more?
They are usually billed by the hour and involve drafting, negotiation between two firms and separate advice for each partner (see solicitor costs).
Is a postnup worth the money?
For most couples, yes – the cost is small against the expense and uncertainty of an unresolved financial dispute (see are agreements worth it?).
Are there hidden extras with an online postnup?
With a fixed-fee service the £199 is the whole cost of the document – no hourly billing and no surprise at the end. Any independent advice you then choose to take is separate and paid to the solicitor directly.
Are there ongoing costs after signing a postnup?
No – it is a one-off cost. You may choose to update it later under a review clause, but there is no annual fee.
Can we split the cost of a postnup?
Yes – how you share it is up to you. Many couples split the drafting fee and then each pay for their own independent advice.
Does a more expensive postnup hold up better in court?
Not inherently. What makes an agreement robust is disclosure, fairness, independent advice and correct signing – not the size of the bill (see are prenups legally binding?).
Create your prenuptial agreement online
UK Prenup lets couples in England & Wales create a clear, fair prenuptial agreement online from £199, with your document generated instantly as a PDF. See how it works or get started.
UK Prenup is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. A prenuptial agreement in England & Wales is not automatically binding, and both partners should take independent legal advice before signing.