How much is a prenuptial agreement? A common question for future spouses, the answer depends on the complexity of your finances, the assets you want to protect, and the level of customisation your relationship requires. While a basic document is often more affordable, the cost of a prenuptial agreement can increase significantly for more intricate arrangements involving businesses, inheritance or international elements.
But a prenup isn’t just about cost; it’s about finding a shared understanding that reflects your unique circumstances and safeguards your future. From property division and savings, to debt responsibility and child maintenance, a well-drafted prenup can address a wide range of financial concerns. Keep reading to uncover the key features to include in your agreement — and how to ensure it meets your needs effectively.
What to Put in a Prenuptial Agreement
Essentially, prenuptial agreements can be used to cover a number of different assets. This commonly tends to include more conventional features such as properties, pensions, and savings. However, because every relationship is different, they can also outline who will be responsible for any personal debts post-divorce, what happens to business ownership, inheritance, and more.
Once your solicitor has a full appreciation of the financial aspects of your relationship, they may suggest that you include:
- Properties: Prenups are commonly used to outline how you both intend to divide any properties you own after separating. This applies to both the family home and any overseas properties.
- Finances: These agreements can include considerations to both joint and individual savings, alongside any investments either of you are bringing into the relationship.
- Children: Nuptial agreements can contain the particulars of future child maintenance payments.
- Debts: As with the likes of savings, you will also need to decide who is responsible for any debts accrued over time. This is especially important when one partner has built up significant liabilities independent of the relationship and the other is seeking to ensure this liability won’t be viewed as being shared upon separation.
- Inheritance: A prenup can be used to protect inheritance in different ways. Commonly, this will include attempting to ring fence money one partner wants to pass on to children from a previous relationship. It can also be employed to ensure that a spouse who is expecting this type of windfall will be the sole beneficiary when it comes into play.
It’s useful to note that this is not an exhaustive list, but a summary of the most common features of prenups. To ensure that nothing important is omitted from your document — and that it is fair and reasonable — you should always consult with a family solicitor before deciding to put pen to paper.
How Much is a Prenuptial Agreement?
Although Lowry Legal’s prenuptial agreements cost around £2,500 to £5,000(&VAT) this is the typical end of a broad scale. While this kind of fee might be the norm for relationships containing conventional assets (i.e. homes and savings), the cost of a prenuptial agreement can escalate for more comprehensive documents. Complex agreements, covering shares, businesses, and international characteristics, may cost upwards of £50,000, although, these situations are extremely rare.
Understandably, the absence of a black and white answer can be frustrating for people asking how much a prenuptial agreement is. After all, if you’re factoring the cost into your wedding plans, you’ll want a pretty close approximation to make budgeting easier. So, what factors can cause such a disparity between the lower and higher ends of the scale?
Here are the biggest influences on the total cost of an agreement:
- High Net Worth Assets: Features of high net worth relationships, such as investments, overseas assets, and intellectual property, tend to add to the overall expense. These assets can be extremely valuable, so discussions can take longer — while the need for often costly third party experts also increases.
- Customised Clauses: The likes of provision for children of past relationships, challenging cases of high value child maintenance, and protection for future inheritance can create an increased need for more detailed, custom clauses.
- Business Valuation: A business is often one of the most valuable assets in high net worth prenups. To ensure a fair agreement, it will often need to be appraised in advance, if parties don’t agree on its value — which requires third-party expertise. The bigger the company, the longer this process is likely to take — and that’s if both parties’ agree on the outcome.
- Jurisdiction: Some relationships contain international elements, such as multinational homes, schools, and investments. Should you end up separating, the jurisdiction may have a serious impact on how your case is approached by foreign courts. This will need to be discussed in advance and included in your prenup to ensure that all regional requirements are met and there are no unwelcome surprises down the line.
Essentially, the more complex the assets that feature in your relationship — and the more complicated your agreement — the easier it can be to answer the question, how much is a prenuptial agreement? If you would like more clarity about your case, contact Lowry Legal today to get a more accurate quote tailored to your personal circumstances.
Please note, the vast majority of cases, however, fall within the lower end of the cost bracket mentioned above. These are mainly used to illustrate just how flexible these agreements can be.
Can You Write Your Own Prenuptial Agreement?
Anyone concerned about the potential cost of a prenuptial agreement, might consider drafting their own to cut expenses. However, for a prenup to be remotely enforceable in England and Wales, it will first need to meet a fairly robust criteria. This includes both parties seeking independent legal advice, and any decisions being informed and fair for both parties.
There’s a strong possibility that a self-drafted agreement would end up being rejected by the courts and prove to be a false economy. However, working with an established family lawyer will minimise the chance of mistakes being made, ensure that nobody feels unfairly coerced, and result in a fairer outcome.
It also ensures that you obtain reliable guidance tailored to your needs throughout. Without this specialist legal oversight there is always a risk that you might enter into an agreement that is not in your best interests and as a result, doesn’t hold as much weight as a well-drafted equivalent.
Get Priceless Protection with Lowry Legal
As we’ve established, answering, ‘How much is a prenuptial agreement?’ depends upon the complexity of your financial situation and the unique elements of your relationship. A well-drafted prenup can cover everything from property division and inheritance to business ownership and debt responsibilities, ensuring clarity and fairness for both parties. Whether your circumstances involve straightforward assets or intricate financial arrangements, the key is to create an agreement that reflects your needs while being legally-sound and enforceable.
At Lowry Legal, we understand that every relationship is different. Our team of experienced family lawyers specialises in crafting bespoke prenuptial agreements tailored to our clients’ personal circumstances. From safeguarding high-value assets to addressing sensitive family dynamics, we provide clear, compassionate guidance every step of the way. With our guidance, you can move forward with confidence, knowing your future is protected.
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