How much does it cost?

It's really hard to work out how much it's all going to cost at the start. Most mediators are rather shy of giving information about their charges on websites and leaflets. But they should always give you this information at the initial meeting. The total cost depends on lots of different things: the number of issues to be decided, how complicated they are, how long it takes you to reach an agreement, who you go to, and whether you can get legal aid.

If you can get legal aid
You may be able to get legal aid to cover your costs if you are on a low income and only have limited savings. Ask your solicitor or mediator about it, or check online by using the Community Legal Advice legal aid calculator (to access, click on the link at the bottom of this page under the heading 'Links to further information'). If you can get legal aid, make sure you choose a mediator that will offer it: not all of them do.

If you are on legal aid, it is definitely cheaper to use mediation than to get a solicitor to negotiate for you. Legal aid for mediation (and the legal advice you get alongside it) does not need to be paid back. But legal aid to pay for a solicitor to negotiate for you or take the matter to court may have to be.

Don't forget that you will still have to pay for your own solicitor to advise you as well. This will cost you from £120 to £300 per hour, depending on the experience of the solicitor. Don't be afraid to ask about solicitor charges when you first get in touch.

If you're paying for it yourself
Here are some ballpark figures:

If you need to agree arrangements about your children, it will probably take 2 - 3 sessions. In total, this might cost you between £100 and £450 per person.
If you need to resolve a range of issues about your children, your home and your money, it will probably take up to 6 sessions. In total, this might cost you between £700 and £1000 per person.

Don't be afraid to ask about charges:

Always ask whether the initial meeting is free - some services charge for this, some don't. It will always be free if one or both of you are on legal aid.
Ask whether the charge is per session or per hour, and how long a session lasts.
Always check whether or not the price includes VAT.
Ask whether the mediation service has funding to help people on a low income who don't qualify for legal aid.

If you can manage to reach an agreement through mediation, it's generally much quicker and cheaper than getting a solicitor to do it for you or going to court. But be aware that if you don't manage to reach an agreement through mediation, you'll probably have to ask a solicitor to negotiate for you. You'll have to pay for this on top of the mediation costs. But if you use the financial information that's already been put together and build on any progress you made during mediation, this will reduce solicitor costs.