The cost of a Separation or Contracting Out Agreement is a modest investment compared to the significant protection it provides. Most notably, it is far more cost-effective than litigation in the Family Court, which can be both emotionally draining and financially prohibitive.

It is important to understand that total costs can vary based on the complexity of your assets such as trusts, companies, or multiple investment properties and how well-aligned you and your partner are before meeting with your certifying lawyers.

Why Choose Agreeable?

Agreeable offers New Zealand’s fastest and most cost-effective solution for drafting and certifying legal agreements:

• Affordable Drafting: Purchase the Agreement for $595, you will have access to the online questionnaire which can be completed within 30 minutes. In contrast, traditional law firms often charge upwards of $1,000 for the drafting phase alone.
• Transparent Certification: Once your draft is ready, we provide fixed quotes for the mandatory certification process. By using our streamlined online platform, our customers often save over $1,000 compared to the traditional approach of hiring separate in-person firms.
• Unrivalled Speed: Time is a cost, too. While traditional legal processes typically take 2–3 months, our certifications in most cases are usually finalised in just 2–3 weeks depending on the complexity of your agreement.

Cost comparison

How does Agreeable reduce the cost of a separation agreement?

Our digital platform automates the drafting process using your personalised responses to a guided questionnaire. This allows you to generate an initial draft for just $595 in as little as 20–30 minutes, a substantial saving compared to traditional law firms, which often charge $1,000 or more and may take days or even weeks to produce the same document.

Once your draft is complete, Agreeable’s certification service is delivered entirely online. While many traditional firms rely on slow, manual administrative processes, our specialist team uses a streamlined, automated workflow to achieve the same high-quality outcome at a fraction of the cost.

In addition, we work with a nationwide panel of independent lawyers who are highly experienced in relationship property law. Because our panel members regularly collaborate on similar matters, they deliver a seamless and efficient certification process. Provided you and your partner have agreed on the terms, you can feel confident that you are receiving a legally binding, reliable service while saving weeks of time and thousands of dollars.

Can I write my own separation agreement?

It is not recommended and in our opinion, it’s not a risking worth taking. Writing your own can lead to significant hurdles during the mandatory certification phase; if an agreement is not comprehensive or legally sound, a lawyer may refuse to certify it. We recommend purchasing our separation agreement template which is supported and understood by trusted family lawyers in New Zealand.

What if we also want a divorce?

In New Zealand, a divorce (legally known as a "dissolution of marriage") is a separate legal application from your property division. The process depends on whether you are applying together (jointly) or if only one partner is filing the application.

However, the court generally expects your financial affairs to be settled before the marriage is formally ended. This requires a Separation Agreement detailing exactly how your relationship property will be divided. If you are unsure which assets qualify as relationship property, you can download our guide for more!

It is important to note that once your marriage is dissolved by a court order, you generally have only 12 months to finalize the division of your relationship property. Missing this deadline can lead to significantly more complex and costly legal proceedings, so it is best to have your agreement certified as soon as possible.

See our article on what assets are usually deemed to be relationship property.

What are the total expected costs with Agreeable?

For most straightforward agreements, the combined cost of drafting ($595) and certification is typically between $2,500 and $3,000 + GST. We prioritise transparency by offering this as a fixed fee, ensuring you aren't surprised by hidden legal costs or "disbursements" at the end of the process.

Please note that our quotes specifically cover the agreement itself. Additional legal services such as conveyancing (title transfers) or updating your Will are not included. However, our panel lawyers are experts in these areas and are happy to provide separate fixed quotes for these services upon request.

Are there any ongoing costs after separation?

You may need to get conveyancing or trust lawyers involved at this stage to deal with the execution of the terms of the separation agreement. For instance, you may need to change the name of the title on the property to one spouse, or you may need to get Deeds of Settlement drafted up if you have independent trustees which deal with your relationship property. As mentioned above, Agreeable will not include these in quotes for certification, but our lawyer panel can typically help you with these extra legal services if required.

If you have children, you may have already detailed in your agreement how you will each contribute to child-care costs. In particular, child support becomes a topic of ongoing costs. Aside from child support, if your separation agreement deals with on-going maintenance where one party continues to support the other, these may also be the on-going costs involved. This could be in addition to any child support payable. It is also open to a spouse to apply to the Family Court for maintenance on top of child support so it is best to discuss this issue when you are getting the agreement.

What to do with your finances after you have separated

Sorted.org.nz have a guide on separation. This details a good step-by-step guide as to what you need to do in order to get your finances in order including:

1. Set up new bank account
2. Check your Credit Record and any debts are paid
3. Update any rental agreements
4. Work out your net worth
5. Create a new budget after adjusting to a change in income

In addition, it is important that if you have any joint debts that you might want to ensure your name is not on these after you have paid off your share (or whatever the case may be).

Similarly, before signing onto a new lease, take your name off a shared lease to avoid being jointly liable for your partner’s debts or if anything goes wrong on this rental property.

Does Agreeable accept Legal Aid applicants?

Unfortunately, Agreeable does not currently provide legal aid services for separation agreements or certifications for couples which fall within the legal aid system. However, it may be in your best interest to head to a local Community Law Centre. They are likely to have a directory of services or lawyers who are skilled in this area to help. They detail whether they can provide services to you here and if you are eligible, they will direct you to the right Legal Aid lawyer.

Another useful resource is the Citizens Advice Bureau which answers some questions relating to separations and divorces. This article may be a definitive guide on what costs you should expect when separating.