What could you lose without a prenup?
Use our free UK prenup calculator to see how much of what you bring into a marriage — property, savings, a business, a pension or an inheritance — could be shared on divorce in England & Wales without a prenuptial agreement.
How this is worked out
The sharing principle
Matrimonial property — broadly, what the couple builds up together — starts from a 50/50 split (White v White; Miller; McFarlane).
The family home is treated differently
It is almost always matrimonial property and shared, regardless of who bought it or paid the deposit — so we count around half of the home you bring in as on the table.
Brought-in and inherited assets are better protected — but not untouchable
Following Standish v Standish (2025), what you bring in — pre-marriage savings, a business, a pension or an inheritance — isn't subject to sharing. But two things can still reach it: the other person's needs, and matrimonialisation, where an asset mingled into family life loses its separate character. Inheritance and gifts stay best protected; everyday savings mingle the most.
What a prenup changes
A prenuptial agreement records that you both intend certain assets to stay separate — the very thing Standish says makes a ring-fence effective — and, since Radmacher v Granatino (2010), courts give significant weight to a prenup that is freely entered into, with full disclosure and a fair outcome. You can check how strongly your prenup would stand up against those tests in a couple of minutes, or read our guide to whether prenups are legally binding in the UK.
These figures are an indicative model of how the sharing principle and needs typically operate in England & Wales — not a prediction of any court's decision, and not legal advice.
Prenup calculator FAQs
Not automatically, but the family home is treated as matrimonial property, so it usually falls within the sharing principle whoever bought it or paid the deposit — which is why this calculator counts around half of it as on the table. A prenuptial agreement is how couples record a different intention for a home one of them brought in.
Largely, yes. Following Standish v Standish (2025), assets you bring in — pre-marriage savings, a business, a pension, or an inheritance — are non-matrimonial and not subject to sharing. A prenup records your intention to keep them separate, which is exactly what makes the ring-fence effective. The one thing it cannot exclude is the other person's needs.
Largely, yes — but not absolutely. Following Standish v Standish (2025), an inheritance is non-matrimonial property and isn't subject to sharing, as long as it's kept separate rather than mixed into joint finances. A prenup records that intention; the one thing it can't exclude is the other person's needs.
A solicitor-drafted prenup typically costs £1,500–£3,000 or more, before each partner's own independent advice. Our guided online prenuptial agreement is a fixed £199, drafted to the standards the courts look for.
Matrimonial property is what you build up together during the marriage — including the family home — and is usually shared. Non-matrimonial property is what you bring in or receive separately: pre-marriage savings, a business, a pension or an inheritance. Since Standish v Standish (2025) it isn't subject to sharing, though needs can still reach it. This calculator weighs each asset on that basis — you can also check whether your prenup would stand up.
Ready to Protect Your Future Together?
Create your prenuptial agreement online today — professionally prepared, instant PDF download included, from just £199. Built for couples across England & Wales who want clear, fair financial peace of mind before marriage. Read our FAQs, explore our prenup guides, or get in touch.
Start Your Prenuptial AgreementNew to prenups? Read our plain-English guides — How Much Does a Prenuptial Agreement Cost in the UK?, What Is a Prenuptial Agreement? A Complete UK Guide and Are Prenuptial Agreements Legally Binding in the UK?.