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Most Asked Divorce Questions

How long does it take to get divorced?
Depending on the state it could take 2 weeks to 6 months to finalize your divorce.

Do I have to go to court?
See if your state requires you to attend a court hearing. If it does, see our tips for surviving your day in court.

Divorce Filing Fees and Filing Fee Waivers
How much does it cost to get a divorce in your state?

Your Spouse's Role in the Divorce
What is the non-filing spouse's role in an uncontested divorce? What do they sign? Do they need to go to court?

U.S. Divorce Residency Requirements
In which state and county do I file for divorce?

Where do I file for divorce?
Which clerk's office handles divorce filings in your county?

Filing for Divorce in Los Angeles County
In L.A. County the correct courthouse for filing your divorce depends on your zip code. Make sure you get it right.

Can we get divorced while living together?
See if your state allows you to live in the same house with your spouse while you go through a divorce.

Do-It-Yourself Divorce
The basics of getting a divorce without a lawyer

Can I Get Married Right After Getting Divorced?
It used to be common for states to make you wait to remarry after a divorce.

Is my divorce uncontested?
Know the difference between uncontested and contested divorce.

Divorce and Protective Orders
Can you represent yourself in a divorce when a protective order is in place?

Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs)
With a few exeptions, if you're splitting a pension or 401(k), you need a QDRO signed by the judge and approved by the plan administrator to make it official.

Minor Children

Child Support Calculators by State
Links to child support calculators to estimate how much you or your spouse might owe.

Parenting Classes
Parenting classes and which states require them when getting a divorce.

How Does a Child's Preference Affect Custody?
Do children have a say in which parent they will live with? It depends on the state and how old the children are.

How To Enforce Child Support Orders
What do you do when your spouse stops paying child support? There are a lot of options.

Opting-Out of Michigan Friend of the Court Services
The Michigan Friend of the Court (FOC) is involved in divorces with children. Make sure you realize what you are giving up if you opt-out; the FOC can help enforce child support and custody orders.

2017 Illinois Child Support Calculation
See the big new change in how child support is calculated in Illinois. Applies to all divorces after July 1, 2017.

Reasons to Exclude Minor Children from Pennsylvania Divorce
Pennsylvania divorces are easier and cheaper if you don't include your minor children.

Divorce in Texas with Children
A 2018 Texas law makes it harder to modify child support if you deviate from the state calculation.

Filing for Divorce

Top 5 Tips for Interacting with Court Clerks
Follow these 5 tips to make filing your divorce go smoothly.

Editing and Preparing Divorce Papers for Filing
Learn how to open, edit or convert you divorce documents without affecting formatting.

E-Filing Your Divorce Papers
Going to the court house to file paperwork can be a pain. Find out more about uploading your divorce documents electronically.

E-Filing and Michigan Divorce
You still can't start a new divorce case online in Michigan, but in some counties, e-filing can make completing your divorce easier.

E-Filing and California Divorce
Find out which California counties allow you to e-file your dissolution of marriage case. It's not as many as you'd think.

E-filing Divorce Cases in Georgia
E-filng is mandatory for attorneys in Georgia, but if you're filing for divorce without a lawyer, you have more options.

Where do I file for divorce in Cook County?
All divorces must be e-filed in Illinois and the prove-up hearing to finalize the divorce will be held online so the decision of whether to file downtown Chicago or in your municipal (suburban) district is not nearly as important as it used to be. The suburban districts generally have only one judge while the Daley courthouse has at least ten at any given time, although the suburban judges have far fewer cases.

How to Get an Uncontested Divorce in Cook County
In a divorce by agreement, Petitioner can hand-deliver or mail the Petition to the Respondent since Respondent will be signing a notarized Waiver of Service and Consent and an Appearance (and paying the appearance fee). In default divorce, Respondent must be served by the Sheriff or a private process server, and then Petitioner must wait thirty-one (31) days to begin the default process before scheduling the prove-up hearing to finalize the divorce.

State Information

Finalizing Your Uncontested Texas Divorce During COVID-19 Restrictions
Prior to COVID-19 Texas courts required an in person hearing for an uncontested divorce. The pandemic is changing things.

Three Reasons to Exclude Property and Debt from a Pennsylvania Divorce
You may be able to save some money on Pennsylvania court filing fees.

Finalize Your Michigan Divorce without Going to Court
Because of COVID-19 restrictions, getting a divorce in Michigan has never been easier.

Respondent's Role in an Arizona Uncontested Divorce
Should you get an Arizona Consent Divorce or Default Divorce. Learn more about the pros and cons of each type of divorce and the role the Respondent plays in both.

California Divorce
Learn more about the marriage dissolution process in the first state to allow No-Fault divorces.

Simplified Divorce in Florida
Anyone can file for a standard divorce in Florida, but if you have no children and are in agreement with all issues you may qualify for a simplfied divorce.

Rating Uncontested Divorce in Georgia
Georgia scores a 1.5 in our new divorce easiness rating system. See what makes this state simpler than others.

Simplified and Standard Divorce in Illinois
Illinois is one of the few states to offer a simplified dissolution (divorce) along with a standard dissolution. Read more to see if you qualify and help you decide whether the simplified route is right for you.

Cook County, IL Divorce Filing Fee
Cook County has the highest divorce filing fees in Illinois. Learn the tricks for avoiding the unncessesary fees.

Indiana Divorce Made Easy
While divorce will always be a difficult process for couples, it is good to know that in Indiana at least the legal part of divorce is not too complicated.

The Role of Commissioner in Alabama Divorce
Getting divorced in Baldwin, Madison or Mobile County Alabama? Here's what you need to know about having a Commissioner take the Plaintiff and Witness testimony instead of a Notary Public.

Louisiana Divorce
Article 102 vs 103: Which is right for you?

Maryland Divorces Are Now Easier *See October 2023 Update Above*
The expansion of Maryland's mutual consent divorce ground makes divorce quicker and easier for all couples, not just those with no minor children.

Ohio Divorce or Ohio Dissolution
Ohio is unique in that it is the only state where a divorce and a dissolution are different processes. Find out which one is best choice for your case.

Divorce and Pennsylvania's New Public Access Records Law
Pennsylvania's 2018 law concerning confidential information affects uncontested divorce papers in three important ways.

Uncontested Divorce in Texas
Basic information on how to file for divorce in Texas

Bexar County, TX Divorce Delays
Unlike the rest of Texas, Bexar County filers without an attorney must wait several months longer to get divorced.

How To Finalize Your Virginia Divorce
It's easy to avoid going to court in a Virginia no-fault divorce, and as of July 1, 2021, a corroborating witness affidavit is no longer needed.

Online Divorce

15 years of Online Divorce with DivorceWriter
As DivorceWriter turns 15, we look back on how online divorce has changed over the years.

The Leader in Online Divorce
See why DivorceWriter is #1.

Cheap Divorces Online
Why is DivorceWriter so affordable? Or why are so many other online divorces so expensive?

Online Divorce Papers
More and more people are preparing their divorce papers online for the the price, speed, and convenience.

Free Forms or DivorceWriter?
You fill out your forms online by answering simple questions on DivorceWriter. Completed state-specific forms paired with up-to-date filing instructions make getting divorced easier than filling out free forms by hand.

Marriage Length and Online Divorce
DivorceWriter study shows that easy access to online divorce forms is not leading to shorter marriages.

Divorce Rate in America
The 50% divorce rate myth: Americans aren't getting divorced as often as we thought.

Property and Debts

Quitclaim Deeds and Divorce
A quitclaim deed may be needed when one spouse is keeping the house in a divorce, but the house was owned jointly during the marriage.

Top 5 Reasons to Include Property and Debts in Your Divorce
Some couples have been separated for many years with all of their property divided when they divorce. Should they list some of this property that has already been split in their divorce paperwork?

Who Gets What in a Divorce?
Community Property, Separate Property, and Equitable Distribution in Divorce. Depending on what state you live in, it might make a difference on what is legally yours.

Can I use DivorceWriter If There's a Prenup?
Couples with a prenup who want to get an uncontested divorce without an attorney can use DivorceWriter.

Five Most Common Uses for Prenuptial Agreements in 2020
Find ouf the five most common reasons for getting a prenup and why anyone getting married should consider getting one.

How to Value Property in Prenuptial Agreements
Here's how to value property to comply with the disclosure requirement in a prenuptial agreement.

Social Media and Divorce

Facebook Becoming Leading Cause of Divorce
Social media is being blamed for the breakups of more and more marriages.

Serving Divorce Papers on Social Media
A New York judge allows a woman to serve her husband divorce papers in a facebook post.

Cyber Sex and Divorce
Did sexting lead to the end of your marriage?

Holidays

Tips for Co-Parenting on Halloween
After divorce, a happy Halloween for children requires co-parents to plan ahead, and also be mature and flexible.

Preparing to File for Divorce in the New Year
For couples that have been separated for a long period of time, come the New Year it is natural to want to finally end the marriage formally. What can you do right now to prepare for the divorce?

15 Tips for Surviving the Holidays During Divorce
How to manage the Stress of the holidays.

American Divorce Day
Is January 5th the busiest divorce day of the year?

Same-Sex Divorce

Supreme Court Ruling and Same-Sex Divorce
On Friday June 26th the U.S. Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal across the country. What does this mean for divorce?

County Clerks Refusing Same-Sex Couples Despite Supreme Court Ruling
Even though same-sex marriage is legal across the country some court clerks refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. Do clerks have the right to refuse on religious grounds?

Status of Same-Sex Marriage in the US
On October 6, 2014 the Supreme Court decided not to hear appeals for five states attempting to retain their bans on same-sex marriage changing the marriage landscape in the U.S.

Same-Sex Divorce
If you have a same-sex marriage and have moved to a state that doesn't support same-sex marriage, it may not be that straightforward to get divorced.

Troubleshooting

How to Amend Divorce Papers
Sometimes you need to make changes to your divorce papers after they are initially filed. When you fix and refile a document you are filing an "Amended" document. Here are the steps on how to do this.

If a Lawyer Says the Clerk Will Reject Online Divorce Papers
Lawyers and online divorce product providers are competing for your business, so don't expect an attorney to approve your self-prepared documents.

How to Serve Divorce Papers
When your spouse signs a waiver or acceptance of service, formal service isn't necessary. Here's how to serve divorce papers in your state if your spouse won't cooperate.

Building a Successful Second Marriage
Second marriages are even more likely to fail than first marriages. Read more to see what you can do to help prevent a second divorce.

Start Divorce