Cost of Divorce in Florida

What will my divorce cost? This is a fairly standard question, and it is a reasonable one to ask. Unfortunately, when it comes to traditional attorney representation, it is a question not easily answered. This is because several factors go into determining the total cost of a Florida divorce.

Many factors affect the cost of a divorce in Florida. Those include court fees, attorney fees, document preparation fees, trial fees, and other expenses. For these reasons, you should look at the entire process that you are venturing into when analyzing the total cost of your divorce.

The most predictable cost in any divorce is the court filing fee. This entire court filing fee is payable to the court. In Florida, the current filing fee is $408. This court fee is mandatory unless you qualify for a waiver. You can apply for a fee waiver if your income is below a certain level. If you choose Fast Florida Divorce for your divorce, we will provide the fee waiver application to you upon request, or we will provide it to you when we see it may be appropriate based on the income information you provide to us.

The most unpredictable cost is the cost of the services provided by attorneys.

In traditional attorney representation, most attorneys charge by the hour. Hourly rates for attorneys in Florida who practice family law can range from $225 to $325 per hour. It is very hard for an attorney to be able to accurately predict how much time they will spend on your case. At a minimum, even with an agreed divorce, an attorney could easily spend four to six hours on your case. This would include an initial meeting, possibly some follow up telephone calls, emails, or meetings, and then the time spent drafting and preparing your documents. Thus, an attorney with an hourly rate of $225 who spends four (4) hours on your case would charge you $900.00 for your agreed divorce. This is a reasonable amount of time to expect for a divorce that does not include dependent children.

In reality, many attorneys charge a flat fee for an uncontested or agreed divorce. That flat fee typically ranges from $1,250 to $2,500 or even higher, depending on the attorney. There are usually different rates depending on whether there are dependent children or not.

At Fast Florida Divorce, we charge $195 regardless of whether you have dependent children or not. We also offer a two payment option -- $99 each payment – for a total amount paid of $198. That’s it.

Our services for $195 (or two payments of $99) will provide you with all of the documents needed to start and then finish your divorce. And all of the documents you receive will have been prepared for you with the information you provided to us.

We also provide other services, and for those there are additional charges. However, those services are not necessary for you to get your divorce completed. (See below for a list of those additional services.)

How can I save money on my Florida divorce?

The first way to save on your divorce in Florida is by reaching an agreement with your spouse. This is not always possible, but for many reasons it is absolutely worth trying to see if agreement can be achieved.

By reaching an agreement, you do not have to pay professionals (like attorneys or mediators) to resolve disputed issues. You and your spouse can also have total ownership of your agreement and resolution.

By not overpaying for attorney and other professional services and related fees, you can control the overall financial cost of your divorce.

Even when paying for traditional representation by an attorney, most divorce cases resolve by agreement. Even for those individuals spending (tens of) thousands of dollars preparing for a court battle, almost all cases are resolved before the attorneys end up in front of the judge. In such cases, you spend a significant amount of your money paying an attorney to negotiate with your spouse’s attorney (who also costs money). Before going down that path, think hard and decide if you believe you and your spouse can reach an agreement on all issues. If you both believe you can, then it is worth giving it your very best attempt.

Once you and your spouse have reached agreement on all issues, Fast Florida Divorce is another way to save money, time, and stress. Through our comprehensive questionnaire, you provide us with the information and the agreements you’ve reached. With the information you’ve provided to us, we then prepare all of the documents you need. You and your spouse receive the attorney prepared paperwork online. This paperwork will reflect your agreements with your spouse. You and your spouse then may print the paperwork, have it notarized, and then file it with the court. Or, you can sign and notarize the paperwork online through our E-Notary service. You can also opt to have us file E-file your case for you.

For most of the cases we E-File, the divorce is completed within about 20 days of the initial filing. When you choose the E-Notary and E-Filing options, your divorce will be completed with out needing to leave your home in order to complete any of the required steps!

What is an agreed divorce?

A divorce is considered an agreed divorce or uncontested divorce when you and your spouse have reached agreement on all of the issues that must be addressed in your divorce at the time you file for divorce. This means that you and your spouse are in agreement on how all property will be divided; how all debts will be divided; and whether one of you will pay or receive alimony. If you have children, it means that you are in agreement regarding your time-sharing schedule (residential schedule) and the amount of child support that will be paid.

What does this website offer?

Through this website, you can complete an agreed divorce 100% online. The website makes the process as simple and easy as possible. You answer a series of questions online and then submit your answers. The online attorney reviews and then prepares all the paperwork for you based on your situation and circumstances. Then, you and your spouse review and approve the documents. Next, you and your spouse will sign and notarize the paperwork online. Our online notary service is convenient and can be completed using a smartphone, tablet, or computer. After the documents are signed and notarized, we E- file all your paperwork. We file your case in Lee County, Florida, because they offer the fastest court processing in the state. The online attorney manages communications with the court and judge in order to finalize your divorce. It’s really that simple, provided your spouse cooperates, and you both are in

What does your service cost?

Our comprehensive online divorce service is offered at a pay-per-step pricing model. This approach allows you to manage the cost of your divorce and the timing of your payments according to your schedule and financial ability. This flexible payment option makes it easier to proceed with your divorce at a pace and budget that suits you.

Our service is broken down into two phases: (1) Case Initiation $195 and (2) Case Finalization $202. The pricing is simple, affordable, and fair. Again, we manage your agreed divorce for you from start to finish. Others simply draft documents that may or may not be sufficient and require you to navigate the court processes and communications alone.

STEP 1: (Case Initiation)

1. Qualification: You answer questions to determine if you qualify for divorce in Florida and complete an agreed divorce online.
2. Online Questionnaire: You answer a series of questions about your situation and circumstances.
3. Attorney Review and Paperwork Preparation: An online attorney reviews all your answers and prepares all necessary paperwork.
4. Review and Approval: You and your spouse review and approve the prepared documents.

Step 2: (Case Finalization)

1. Signing and Notarization Documents: Most counties accept online notarization, allowing you to sign and notarize documents via smartphone, tablet, or computer.
2. Court E-Filing: The service e-files all your paperwork with the appropriate Circuit Court.
3. Court Communications: The online attorney manages all communications with the court and judge to finalize the divorce.
4. Divorce Granted: The judge will grant your divorce, ending your marriage.

There is a mandatory court filing fee, which is separate from our service fees. The court filing fee is about $422.28. The court fee is same in every county in Florida. Some people choose to pay the court fee at the same time they pay their Step 2, the final service fee. You can pay them separately, but Step 2 can’t be started until you have paid both the final service fee and the court fee. The court fee is paid to us, and we pay the court when we e-file your paperwork with the court..

Court fees are non-refundable once we pay them to the court. The court does not issue refunds for any reason whatsoever. Our service fees are non-refundable, but we often make an exception and refund some of the service fee should you choose to stop the process for any reason. The refund amount is based on how far in Step 1 or Step 2 you get before stopping your case. For example, if you start Step 1 and then decide to stop your case, and the attorney hasn’t drafted your paperwork, we will issue you a 50% refund.

In addition to our online divorce pay-per-step pricing, we offer highly discounted pay-per-need services.

Pay-Per-Need Optional Services:

Quitclaim Deed: $99

Parenting Plan, Child Support Calculation and Order: $55

Vehicle Power of Attorney: $25

Unnotarized Document Revisions: $50

Notarized Document Revisions: $80

Motion to Dismiss: $45

Filing Fee Waiver: $0