Divorce can be expensive not to mention stressful. If you wondering what does divorce cost we will break down the most common areas of what a divorce would cost.
One of the major decisions behind getting a divorce is the cost associated with it. In 2019 the average cost for a person to get a divorce is 15,000. This would include court cost, attorney fees, outside third-party evaluators like real estate appraisers and tax advisers.
What factors play a role in the cost of divorce
There are many factors that play a role in the cost of a divorce. What state are you in? Yes, depending on where you are married will play a role in the cost of your divorce. Below are a few factors that will impact the cost of a divorce.
- What state you are married
- Child custody
- Alimony
- Mediation cost
- Contested or uncontested divorce
- Lawyer fees
Divorce cost with an attorney
When using an attorney to get a divorce it will be more money. A few things are in play with this. Once, attorney fees. It just will add on to the cost of the entire process. Two, when an attorney is involved it typically means that both parties are not agreeing on terms or one party is contesting the divorce. Also, there are probably more items to split within the divorce. Homes, cars, and other assets. Not to mention if children are involved.
Lawyer fees are typically billed by the hour. These can range from a few hundred dollars an hour to over 500 dollars an hour. Keep this in mind. Almost all communications will add up in your divorce cost with an attorney. Phone calls, emails, visits, research, interviewing, and more that is part of a divorce will all be billable hours.
If you have an uncontested divorce it still will run you around 1000 dollars or more with an attorney involved. Areas like Florida can be upwards of 5000 dollars for an uncontested divorce. It depends on where you are located. If you a divorce has to go to trial then you can expect to pay upwards of 20,000 or more with a bulk of that money going to attorney fees.
When children are involved things can get even more complex and expensive.
who pays for attorney fees in a divorce?
Cost of divorce without an attorney
How much does divorce cost if both parties agree and you decide not to use an attorney? This will depend on a few things. If you and your spouse agree on everything and the divorce is uncontested the most expensive part of the divorce process would be the filing fees. The highest filing fees for a divorce would be in California. Fees are roughly $435 with the lowest around $70 in Wyoming.
Filling for divorce without an attorney happens, but is not typical. This is because most cannot mutually agree on the split of assets. When a marriage is short and cars and home are rented and no children are involved than filling for a divorce without an attorney is more likely.
The filing fee will have to happen by one person in the marriage. The fees stated above are from the lowest to the highest someone could be depending on where they are located. A legal petition for dissolution of marriage would need to be filed with the clerk of courts
Divorce papers will need to be served. This can happen in person or by mail. If you are in the position and doing the divorce online and by yourself, you still need to submit the petition and summons your spouse with the papers. This can be done by having the local Sheriff station summons your spouse with the petition or you can use a private service that will also deliver the petition to your spouse. look to pay anywhere from 50 to 100 dollars to have the petition summons.
How long does divorce take?
Typically a divorce can take anywhere from 3 to 24 months. A big factor in time will be if the divorce is contested or uncontested. In terms of averages for each, the contested divorce typically takes about 12 months. The Uncontested takes about 3 months.
For an initial contested case the time could average like so:
- Prepare case time: About 4 weeks
- Petition and summons: 1 to 3 weeks
- Answer period: 20 days approximately
- Financial Disclosure: 90 days
- Mediation: 4 to 5 months
Divorce Statistics in the United States
Divorce is easier and more prevalent then it was years ago. Nowadays it is not uncommon for you or someone you know to be divorced. Or even divorced multiple times. Years ago it was not as common to get divorced. You would work through it, or stay married because of finical reasons or because it was just not as expected as it is today.
It is said that western culture has about a 90 percent marriage rate of people that reach age 50, and out of that 40 to 50 percent of people will be divorced. Read more about startling divorce facts and what you could expect your rate to be if and when you marry.
Divorce is never an easy thing. Combine the process with children and assets and it becomes one of the most stressful events while the process is taking place. If you can agree on most things before an attorney gets involved it came things less expensive and quicker, if not, get ready for a longer more stressful event sorting things out.
