Before you opt to terminate your marriage, it is necessary to understand whether you can afford it. Divorce can have a severe impact on your personal budget and bring you a range of financial hurdles. That is why it is essential to precalculate your divorce cost and plan your finances accordingly. Learn about the average cost of divorce, discover how to make the process cheaper, and estimate your upcoming spendings without hurdles.
Average Divorce Cost
Before you choose to appeal to online divorce NY or file your case to the local court, you should get to know the current prices of the marriage termination processes. Generally, the average divorce may take between 10 and 15 thousand dollars out of your pocket. Yet, you may become poorer by up to 100 thousand dollars. It all depends on the complicacy of your process, the issues included in the trial, the number of hearings, the services you are going to use. Review different divorce situations and the respective cost fluctuations, and decide which option is the best for you.
Divorce with a Lawyer
The most common choice is a divorce with a lawyer. A family law attorney will help you organize your divorce from the very first to the very last step and lead you to the best possible outcomes. Yet, the more you involve the law specialist in your case, the more you pay for divorce in the end. Here are the lawyer-related payments you are to consider:
Hourly fees – most attorneys apply hourly fees. They are on average between 300$ and 350$. Plus, many attorneys charge higher fees for court time than for office time.
Retainer fees – don’t expect that you will pay separately for every hour you spend with your attorney. Instead, you have to cover a retainer fee before the case goes rolling. You will pay the discussed sum of between 1.5 and 3.5 thousand dollars on average, and it will be deducted from the final cost after the end of your process. The amount of retainer fees depends on the complicacy of your case.
Mind, that you may be tempted to choose an attorney who offers flat fees, a fixed amount to pay disregarding your case details. This sum may seem smaller than the expected sum of a retainer and hourly fees. But in the end, similar offerings contain a list of hidden fees that make the final sum leave you penniless.
Marriage Termination via Mediation
If you know that hiring a lawyer is an unnecessary waste for you and you can put an end to your marriage more or less peacefully, it is recommended to opt for mediation. A mediator will optimize and direct the discussion of top essential divorce issues with your partner so that you can come to a mutually beneficial agreement.
The mediator may charge hourly or request payment for a session which is usually around two hours. The cost of mediation may be anywhere between 100$ and over a thousand dollars per hour. It greatly depends on the complicacy of your case and the number of issues discussed. But remember that while you have to pay for attorneys separately, the mediation expenses may be shared between two partners.
Official Divorce Fees
Another obligatory expense you are to cover in the course of divorce termination is official filing fees. They are different for every state and may be below a hundred and over three hundred dollars. You have to pay the fees together with filing for divorce. If you don’t have the possibility to cover them, you can request the reduction of fees or make your spouse pay for you within a specific official request.
Low-cost End of a Marriage
Still, the expenses related to the divorce case shouldn’t be a turn-off for you deciding to terminate your marriage. Instead, it is necessary to search for ways to make your case cheaper and more affordable for you. Check out some of them:
Online platforms – online platforms offer you a divorce pack containing automatically completed forms for around 130$ up to the filing, serving your spouse, and specialist consultation included for around 700$. Yet, their services are usually applicable for uncontested divorce only.
DIY divorce – obviously, the more you do for your divorce yourself, the less you will spend. You can collect the docs, fill out the forms, file for marriage termination, and more on your own so that you won’t waste a penny at least during the initial steps.
Official sources – often local courts offer their services for free. You can get the divorce papers and complete filing on the official website of your county.
Free legal aid – you can also get free legal assistance from law students or social services. Sometimes, they are not of the highest quality, but you will get your basic divorce needs pleased for free.
Looking for a cheap end to your marriage, you can lose your priorities. What is really important is your personal and your kids’ wellness the divorce outcomes should guarantee. And if you opt for the cheapest services you will lose in quality significantly and probably worsen the aftermath of your marriage finalized.
Get an Estimation
In spite of guessing your future divorce cost or relying on your friend’s experience, it is better to ask for a professional estimate. Many law companies and specialists offer a no-charge estimation of the divorce cost complemented with the suggested plan of action.
Cooperate with professionals, save for your divorce in advance, and get your marriage to the end with the beneficial results only.
