Plan the costs, not the verdict
What might the divorce process cost?
Compare four illustrative scenarios: self-representation, limited legal help, private mediation and contested representation. Choose your costs or both parties’ combined budget, then replace the assumed rates and hours with real quotes.
This is not the financial price of leaving a marriage: assets, debts, child/spousal support, taxes and housing rights are separate questions governed by facts and state law. This tool does not check eligibility, deadlines or procedure availability.
Illustrative scenarios, not market averages or legal advice. The $300/$350 lawyer rates, $200 mediator rate, work hours and other starting allowances are hypothetical comparison inputs. Replace them with professional quotes. The cheapest route may not fit your case.
Compare illustrative process costs
Same entered rates, fees and shares; hours reset to the illustrative model and billing set to hourly. These are not equivalent legal outcomes or a recommendation to choose the cheapest.
Self-represented
$558
Selected share and contingency included
Agreed terms, self-prepared paperwork. Zero attorney fees do not mean this route fits your case.
Limited lawyer review
$2,628
Selected share and contingency included
Advice or document review, not full case representation.
Private mediation
$4,468
Selected share and contingency included
A neutral mediator plus separate lawyer review for each party in this model.
Contested with lawyers
$21,258
Selected share and contingency included
Illustrative negotiation and court work. Prolonged litigation can cost substantially more.
When cost is not the main priority
If there are threats, abuse, coercion, hidden money or fears for a child, prioritize individual advice and safety planning. Joint mediation may not be appropriate; do not choose it solely because an example costs less. A neutral mediator is not a substitute for your own independent lawyer. ABA · Process options and limitations.
Formula, sources and limitations
Lawyer cost = rate × hours or an entered flat fee. Pooled costs = main and extra court fees + service + documents + experts + mediator. An individual budget uses the entered share of pooled costs, plus the whole personal lawyer fee and “other” amount. The combined budget adds separate lawyers and counts pooled costs once. The selected contingency is then added. Advances are shown separately and do not duplicate fees.
Hours are editorial assumptions, not measured case durations: 0 without counsel; 6 for review or mediation; 60 for contested work. Parenting issues add 2/30 hours and complex assets add 3/40 (review or mediation / contested work). Mediation uses 8 hours + 4 for parenting issues + 4 for complex assets. Manual hours take priority. These numbers are not minimum, average or maximum case costs; no savings or outcome is guaranteed.
- New York Courts · Uncontested divorce filing — at least $335 in court fees, excluding counsel and various extras. Verify your county and case type.
- California Courts · Filing / Response — filing and a separate response may each carry $435–$450 fees. Not the total divorce cost; the response example starts at 0 and must be checked and added.
- American Bar Association · Hiring a family lawyer — billing methods and additional expenses. Not a source for our rates or hours; clarify fees, advances and package scope.
- USAGov · Find courts — official route to state and local courts. The calculator does not invent fees for other states.
Sources checked October 19, 2026. Not legal advice. Rates, fees and local rules change. No court or ABA affiliation or endorsement claimed.
Questions before paying
- What exactly is included, and what triggers extra billing?
- How is the advance credited, and what happens to unused funds?
- What needs independent advice: children, housing, retirement accounts or taxes?
- Who pays which costs now, without assuming what a court will order later?