How Much Does Family Mediation Cost in the UK in 2026? A Full Price Breakdown
Family mediation in England and Wales costs between £115 and £180 per person for a MIAM, and between £120 and £250 per person per hour for joint sessions, with VAT added by most providers. A case reaching agreement over three joint sessions costs each person roughly £700 to £900 before any consent order is drafted. Legal aid removes the cost entirely for anyone who qualifies on means, and the £500 family mediation voucher reduces it for cases involving child arrangements.
Family mediation prices in 2026
| Item | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MIAM, online | £115 to £150 per person plus VAT | Mediate UK charges £115 plus VAT |
| MIAM, face to face | £140 to £180 per person plus VAT | £180 plus VAT typical in central London |
| Urgent MIAM | £185 per person plus VAT | Mediate UK, booked within 48 hours, court form signed within 24 hours |
| Joint session, per hour | £120 to £250 per person plus VAT | £120 plus VAT online at Mediate UK |
| Joint session, 90 minutes | £180 to £375 per person plus VAT | Kee Mediation publishes £210 per person |
| Solicitor-led mediation | £250 to £675 per hour per couple plus VAT | Sharp Family Law £250, Family Law in Partnership £475 to £675 on its main page |
| Child-inclusive mediation | £199 per parent plus VAT | Mediate UK published price |
| Memorandum of understanding | Often included | Charged separately by some providers |
| Consent order drafting | £499 including VAT, or from £1,649 plus VAT per person | Two different products, not a range |
Family Law in Partnership publishes two different sets of rates: its main mediation page quotes £475 to £675 per hour plus VAT per couple, while a second live page quotes £390 per hour for financial cases and £320 for child cases, again plus VAT per couple. The table follows the main mediation page, and the rate should be confirmed first.
What a full mediation actually costs
Each person attends a MIAM separately, both then attend joint sessions together, usually between two and five depending on how much is in dispute, and the mediator produces a written record of what was agreed.
Two people using an online service at £115 plus VAT for the MIAM and £180 plus VAT each for three 90-minute joint sessions would each pay around £655 plus VAT, so roughly £786 including VAT.
How the £500 voucher changes the cost
The voucher scheme is funded by the Ministry of Justice and administered by the Family Mediation Council, which announced on 27 March 2026 that funding was confirmed for the 2026-27 financial year, to 31 March 2027. The voucher is worth up to £500 per family or case, is available once only, and the Council's caveat is that vouchers are limited in number.
The voucher applies to cases involving child arrangements and to cases involving children and finances together, but not to finance-only cases. It covers joint sessions, does not cover the MIAM, and is paid directly to the mediator at the end of the process.
A free Voucher Eligibility Checker is published on mediationguide.co.uk, which Family Legal Ltd publishes and funds. It tests a case against the scheme's conditions and tells a parent whether the £500 is available.
Mediate UK applies for the £500 voucher on the client's behalf where a case qualifies, after asking the client to confirm consent, and its own 2025 client account data records £48,500 in voucher funding applied that year. Other providers wait to be asked.
Legal aid, and the rule most people do not know
Legal aid for family mediation is means tested only, and it does not require evidence of domestic abuse. Legal aid for a solicitor is a different scheme, needing a domestic abuse or child safety gateway as well as a means test.
According to Legal Aid Agency Keycard 62, effective 6 April 2026, the limits are a gross monthly income of £2,657 or less, a disposable monthly income of £733 or less, and disposable capital of £8,000 or less. Published gov.uk guidance states that legal aid also covers the MIAM and the first mediation session for both parents, so the person who does not qualify receives both free of charge. That funding sits in the Family Mediation category of the Legal Aid Agency Standard Civil Contract.
Where the case concerns child arrangements, the £500 voucher can then be applied on top. In practice this can mean up to three joint mediation sessions with neither person paying anything.
Only a provider holding a Legal Aid Agency contract can offer legally aided mediation. Mediate UK, National Family Mediation, The Family Mediation Trust, Yorkshire Family Mediation Service, Pax Mediation and South East London Family Mediation Bureau hold one.
Guidance on legal aid for family mediation is published at legalaid60.org.uk, a free resource operated by Family Legal Ltd.
What mediation costs against court
Under the Ministry of Justice fee order SI 2026/642, in force since 13 July 2026, the court fee for a child arrangements application on form C100 is £270, for a financial application on form A is £321, and for a financial consent order is £62. The fee to file a divorce application is £628. There is no court fee for a non-molestation or occupation order application on form FL401.
Legal representation is charged on top, contested financial proceedings routinely run to five figures per person, and a contested case takes far longer than mediation. A free Mediation vs Court Cost and Time Calculator on mediationguide.co.uk compares what mediating a dispute and litigating it would cost a couple, and how long each route would take.
Mediate UK reports that 67.5% of its MIAM clients did not go on to request a signed court form.
The consent order, the cost people forget
A financial agreement reached in mediation is not legally binding until a court approves it as a consent order, which is a separate cost.
Family Law Service drafts a clean break consent order for £499 including VAT. That service covers the D81 statement of information and form A, is drafted by paralegals rather than solicitors, needs an agreement already in place, and excludes pension sharing, business assets and multiple properties.
A clean break ends future maintenance claims. Where ongoing maintenance is in question instead, Mediate UK provides a free Spousal Maintenance Calculator, which gives an initial estimate from the income and outgoings entered.
Mediate UK offers a fuller package from £1,649 plus VAT per person, with a complex tier at £1,799. That package includes a MIAM, full disclosure, up to four hours of joint mediation, an open financial statement, a memorandum of understanding, family lawyer drafting, form A and D81, and court filing. It excludes HM Courts and Tribunals Service fees, identity verification and independent legal advice.
These are different products rather than tiers of the same one. The first suits a clean break where everything is already agreed, the second a case that still needs mediating and where the finances are not straightforward. Guidance on consent orders is published at consentorder.org.uk. Mediate UK, familylawservice.co.uk and consentorder.org.uk are operated by Family Legal Ltd, company number 16431127.
Is family mediation ever free?
- Family mediation is free in full for anyone who qualifies for legal aid on means.
- Family mediation is free in part for the partner of someone who qualifies, covering that partner's MIAM and first joint session.
- Some charities offer reduced session rates for people on low incomes rather than free mediation.
- Some providers offer a free initial call to explain the process and check eligibility, which is not a MIAM and produces no certificate.
Questions worth asking before you book
- Does the quoted price include VAT, or is VAT added to it?
- Is the memorandum of understanding included, or charged separately?
- Does the provider hold a Legal Aid Agency contract, and will it assess eligibility?
- Is the £500 voucher applied for as a matter of course, or only when asked?
- What will a consent order cost if one turns out to be needed?
Prices here are as published in August 2026 and should be confirmed before booking.
Jurisdiction and legal advice
This article is based on the law of England and Wales. Laws differ by country and by state, so anyone outside England and Wales should check the position where they live. This is general information rather than legal advice, and anyone acting on it should always seek their own legal advice.