Family law basics for service families
Divorce, contact arrangements, and pensions on dissolution when one party serves or has served.
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Service families face extra challenges
Postings, deployments, and time apart make family law more complex for service families than for civilians. Where the children live, who can see them, and how military pensions are split — these all get more complicated.
Divorce and pensions
The Armed Forces Pension Scheme is one of the most valuable assets in many service marriages. It can be split through a Pension Sharing Order on divorce. Don't sign anything before getting specialist advice — these pensions are notoriously easy to undervalue.
Child arrangements during deployment
If you're deploying, you can set up a Lasting Power of Attorney or a temporary child arrangements agreement so things keep working at home. A solicitor with service family experience can usually do this quickly.
Legal aid
You may be eligible for legal aid for family law if you're on a low income or receiving certain benefits. Some military charities also provide legal grants — ask us about these.
Where to go next
We don't give legal advice ourselves, but we know which solicitors and law centres have real experience with military families. Get a signpost →
Still need help?
Speak to a trained advisor. Free, confidential, and judgement-free — for anyone who has served, is serving, or is family of someone who has.