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How much does it cost to file for divorce?

The court filing fee for a divorce runs from $97 to $435 across the states that publish a statewide figure — before service of process, and before the add-ons some states charge when minor children are involved. Every figure below comes from the official schedule named in the state guide.

The filing fee is only the first layer

Budget four things. The filing fee (this page). Service of process — your spouse must be formally served in most cases; a sheriff or constable is usually the cheapest route, a private process server typically charges $50–$100. Children-related add-ons where they apply: Hawaii adds a $50 parent-education surcharge when minor children are involved ($265 total instead of $215), Michigan adds an $80 custody/parenting-time fee ($255 instead of $175), and New Jersey adds a $25 Parents' Education Program fee. Certified copies of the final decree, which you will need afterwards.

Cheapest verified statewide divorce filing fees

Rhode Island's $120 is a statutory base — Judiciary e-filing add-ons apply on top where applicable, as its guide explains.

Most expensive verified statewide divorce filing fees

The county-set states

In Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, there is no honest single statewide number: the total is built from a state base plus county surcharges, or set outright by the county or parish clerk. Each of those state guides gives a verified county example (for instance Miami-Dade County, Florida at $409, and Fulton County, Georgia at $220) and names the clerk whose schedule it came from. Anyone quoting you one flat "Florida divorce fee" is guessing.

Contested vs uncontested: what changes

The filing fee is the same either way — courts charge for opening the case, not for how much you argue. What a contested case adds is everything else: additional motion and hearing fees in some courts, mediation fees where the court orders it, and attorney fees, which are outside this site's scope. In New York, for example, the index number is $210, and even an uncontested divorce reaches a minimum of $335 in court fees once the $125 Note of Issue is added.

Can't afford the fee?

Every state has a fee-waiver procedure for filers who cannot pay — see the fee waiver guide. A waiver covers the filing fee; it does not usually cover a private process server, which is one reason sheriff service matters.

Sources: U.S. Courts — District Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule (federal comparison). Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court clerk.

State figures: see each state guide for its named official source.