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Massachusetts court costs guide

Filing for divorce in Massachusetts costs $215 in court filing fees. This guide covers the verified filing fees for divorce, name change, general civil cases, and probate in Massachusetts — every figure from the official schedule or statute named at the foot of the page.

Massachusetts at a glance	Figure
Court	Probate and Family Court · Superior Court (civil)
Divorce filing fee	$215 total — $200 complaint filing fee plus the $15 surcharge, on the Probate and Family Court fee schedule.
Name change filing fee	$165 total — $150 petition plus the $15 surcharge. Add a $15 citation fee only if the court issues an Order of Notice.
Name-change publication	Only if the court orders it — Not routinely required — the court may decide the petition administratively with no notice. Only if it issues an Order of Notice (form CJ-P 130) may newspaper publication be ordered, at least 7 days before the return date.
General civil filing fee	$240 filing fee per plaintiff in Superior Court. The schedule's line also references a $20 security fee (G.L. c. 262, §4A) and the $15 §4C surcharge — confirm the all-in total with the clerk.
Probate filing fee	Probate and Family Court schedule: formal probate, informal probate, and supervised administration petitions $375 + $15 surcharge; a Voluntary Administration Statement is $100 + $15.

Divorce filing fees

$215 total — $200 complaint filing fee plus the $15 surcharge, on the Probate and Family Court fee schedule.

See the national picture — including the states where the fee is set county by county — in our divorce filing cost guide.

Name change: fee and publication

$165 total — $150 petition plus the $15 surcharge. Add a $15 citation fee only if the court issues an Order of Notice.

Publication: Not routinely required — the court may decide the petition administratively with no notice. Only if it issues an Order of Notice (form CJ-P 130) may newspaper publication be ordered, at least 7 days before the return date.

Publication is the step readers most often get wrong, because the rule changed recently in several states. The full state-by-state picture is in our name change cost guide.

General civil filing fees

$240 filing fee per plaintiff in Superior Court. The schedule's line also references a $20 security fee (G.L. c. 262, §4A) and the $15 §4C surcharge — confirm the all-in total with the clerk.

Probate court costs

Probate and Family Court schedule: formal probate, informal probate, and supervised administration petitions $375 + $15 surcharge; a Voluntary Administration Statement is $100 + $15.

How filing works in Massachusetts

Prepare the petition or complaint for the Probate and Family Court — most Massachusetts courts publish the forms on their self-help pages.
File with the clerk and pay the filing fee above. Keep the stamped copy; it is your proof of filing.
Arrange service of process on the other party where the case requires it (divorce and general civil cases do; a name change usually does not).
Complete any publication the rules require — for a Massachusetts name change: only if the court orders it.
Attend the hearing or, in uncontested matters, submit the proposed decree for the judge's signature.

Worked total: what a divorce filing costs

Item	Cost
Filing fee	$215
Service of process (typical private process server)	$50–$100
Estimated total to file	$265–$315

Filing fee plus service for one respondent, before any mediation, parenting-class, or copy charges described in the guides. Run your own combination in the cost calculator.

Sources: Mass.gov — Probate and Family Court filing fees · Mass.gov — How do I file a change of name for an adult? · Mass.gov — Superior Court filing fees. Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court clerk.

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