Help paying for a deed poll

Do I need to pay anything to change my name?#

No. GOV.UK publishes the wording of a deed poll that anyone aged 16 or over can copy out, sign in front of two witnesses aged 18 or over, and use straight away as proof of the new name. It costs nothing but paper. HM Passport Office's guidance to its staff says an unenrolled deed poll has no set format, can be drawn up by the customer, and must be accepted if it is signed in the old and new names, witnessed, signed in wet ink and dated. Can I get a deed poll for free? explains how to write one properly.

Enrolling a deed poll with the High Court costs £53.05, but it is optional, and it publishes your name change and address in The Gazette. Very few people need it.

The one gap is younger children. GOV.UK's free wording is for people aged 16 and over; for a child under 16 it points to a specialist deed poll agency, a solicitor, or enrolment.

When is paying for a deed poll worth it?#

When the paperwork around the deed matters more to you than the cost. Ours is £18.50, and for that a paralegal drafts it and checks each name letter by letter, it is printed on certificate paper, and it is posted the same working day with a signing guide. It comes with a written guarantee that organisations will accept it, or your money back. You can add certified copies, from £6 for 2, up to £25 for 20, if you need to send proof to several places at once without parting with the original.

It is probably not worth paying if you are 16 or over, can copy GOV.UK's wording carefully, and have two independent adults to witness it. A home-made deed and a drafted one have the same legal standing, and GOV.UK's own caveat is only that some organisations may not accept one you made yourself. How much does it cost to change your name? adds up everything else, such as a new passport. Some changes cost nothing: GOV.UK says changing the name on a driving licence is free.

Will my council pay for it?#

If you are a care leaver, possibly. Each council in England publishes a local offer for care leavers, and the Department for Education's guidance, in effect since 30 September 2026, says it should set out the help available to obtain or replace identity documents. The guidance does not name deed polls, so councils differ. On 26 October 2026, Nottinghamshire County Council's local offer said its care leavers team can help with essential identity documents and "cover any associated fees", with a deed poll on its list, and Bath and North East Somerset Council's said it would support a young person to change their name by deed poll. Ask your personal adviser what your council covers; changing your name as a care leaver has more.

Outside care leaver support, we found no council or national scheme that pays for a deed poll when we looked in October 2026.

Can a charity or support worker help?#

Yes, in two ways. Several charities publish guidance on changing your name, and charities that can help you change your name lists them by situation, with what each offers. A listing is not a recommendation.

We also give charities and support services a private code for 15% off the whole order at our checkout, which their staff pass on to the people they support. We never publish the codes, so if you have a support worker, ask whether their service has one. With it, a deed poll at £18.50 sent by second class post comes to £18.27 instead of £21.49. We never ask anyone why they are changing their name, with a code or without one. If you work for a charity, for charities explains how a service gets a code.

What if my child's name needs a court order?#

If the other parent will not agree to a child's new name, the court route in England and Wales is a specific issue order on form C100, and the family court fee is £270. HMCTS says you may pay nothing, or get money off, if you have little or no savings, get certain benefits or have a low income; it calls this help with fees. Changing a child's surname without the other parent's consent explains the rest.