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Getting a value and the costs

How much does a pensions report cost?

What a pension valuation for divorce typically costs, and why it is usually a fraction of what is at stake.

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General information, not advice on your own case.

The key points

  • A report from a Pension on Divorce Expert usually starts at around £1,500 plus VAT and runs to £5,000 or more, depending on the work involved.
  • Any reputable expert will give you a fixed quote before you commit, so you are never signing a blank cheque.
  • Four things drive the price: how many pensions, what kind of scheme, what you ask for, and anything unusual such as ill health or an overseas pension.
  • Fees are normally quoted plus VAT. Ask what is included, particularly follow up questions and implementation.
  • The fee is usually small next to what is being divided. The difference between a fair split and a wrong one can run to tens of thousands, often for the rest of someone's life.
  • Some cases genuinely do not need a report, and a good expert will tell you if yours is one.

Not sure whether you need a report at all? Try the free “Do I need a PODE?” check.

The honest answer is: it depends on how many pensions are involved and how complicated they are, but it is almost always small next to the value being divided.

The rough shape. For a straightforward case, a pension report from a Pension on Divorce Expert (PODE) typically costs somewhere in the low thousands of pounds plus VAT. More pensions, or complex public-sector schemes, push it higher; a single simple scheme sits at the lower end. Any reputable expert will give you a fixed quote before you commit, once they know what they are being asked to value, so you are never signing a blank cheque.

Why it is worth it. Put the fee next to the sums it protects. Pensions are frequently the largest or second-largest asset in a divorce, and the difference between a fair split and a wrong one can run to tens of thousands of pounds, often more, and often for the rest of someone’s life. A report that costs a few thousand and moves the outcome by far more than that has paid for itself many times over. The cases where a report is not worth it are real too, and a good expert will tell you when yours is one of them (see “Do I need an actuary?”).

What affects the price:

A note on VAT and quotes. Fees are normally quoted plus VAT. Ask for the fixed fee in writing, and ask what is included, for example whether answering follow-up questions or attending to implementation is part of the price or extra.

Not sure whether you need a report at all? Try the “Do I need a PODE?” tool first, it is free and takes a couple of minutes.

July 2026

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