How much does a Florida divorce cost?

How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? How long is a piece of string? It depends. If the divorcing couple can come to agreements about how to divide their assets and debts; and agree on their mutual responsibilities to their children, our services are ideal. A typical base price for a document preparer to prepare divorce documents is around $299. with some add ons depending on your situation. If you have children, then you'll need a Parenting Plan which may be an additional $75 or so; and if you need a Marital Settlement Agreement to divide your property and debt, that may also be an additional cost. Most document preparers also prepare the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, and the Family Law Financial Affidavit for an additional fee. (You usually have the option of preparing any of these yourself, to avoid the fee.) There are some other possible add ons which you may or may not need. So, all told, using a document preparation service, your divorce might cost around $500 - $600 for the prepared documents. The filing fees, which are paid directly to the court are $408.; and if you need to have the other spouse served by a sheriff, an additional $50. So, using a document preparation service, the document preparation fees and court filing fees combined are usually around $1000.

A thousand dollars may sound like a lot of money, but if you look at what you might spend with an attorney – you'll change your mind. According to Lawyers.com on average, a Florida divorce, using an attorney, costs $13,500. which includes $10,700. in attorneys' fees. So, on average, consumers spend over $2,800. over and above the $10,700. attorneys' services and fees. According to the linked article: “After attorneys' fees, the rest of divorce costs come from expenses, which includes fees for court filings, mediation, and the cost of copying and serving documents. Expenses also include compensation for expert witnesses and consultants, such as child custody evaluators, appraisers, or financial analysts. Average expenses in Florida divorces were $2,800.”

We would never tell anyone whether they should or should not hire an attorney. Sometimes there is no other way. But, we will tell anyone and everyone that if there is any way that a divorcing couple can come to agreements about their assets, debts, and children; they'll have more dollars left over to secure their assets; pay down their debts; and take care of their children.