Cost of divorce in Florida

The clerk's line and the statute's cap

Each Florida county clerk of court publishes its own schedule. Section 28.241(1)(a) sets the ceiling on the basic filing fee and allows a few other charges on top; that is how Miami-Dade reaches $409 for a dissolution. A case closed and later reopened, for example to modify support, costs $50 in Miami-Dade. A counterpetition costs $295, an amount that surprises respondents who thought only the filer pays. An answer alone carries no fee.

Simplified dissolution, and its limits

The Supreme Court's form 12.901(a) is the cheapest route the law offers. Joint petition for simplified dissolution (Fla. Fam. L. R. P. Form 12.901(a)) when both spouses agree the marriage cannot be saved, have no minor or dependent children and the wife is not pregnant, have agreed on the division of assets and debts, seek no alimony, waive trial and appeal, and both attend the final hearing. There is no separate fee level: the filing line is the ordinary dissolution fee. The trade-off is that the simplified route waives discovery, trial and appeal, so it fits couples whose finances are simple and fully disclosed to each other. Anyone with a pension to split, a business or a house with contested value usually files the regular petition, with the mandatory financial affidavits.

Twenty days, six months, one course

No final judgment of dissolution may be entered until at least 20 days after the petition is filed, unless the court finds injustice would result (Fla. Stat. § 61.19). The 20 days are a floor rather than a forecast: the hearing date depends on the court's calendar. One of the parties must reside 6 months in Florida before the petition is filed (Fla. Stat. § 61.021). The six months must be met when the petition is filed, not by the hearing, so someone who has just moved to Florida waits before filing rather than after.

All parties to a dissolution with minor children must complete the Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course before final judgment; the court may excuse a party (Fla. Stat. § 61.21(4)). The course is offered by approved providers, in person or online, for a fee the provider sets. Leaving it to the last week can hold up an otherwise agreed Florida case at the very end.

An example budget

Picture a Miami couple with one child who settle their parenting plan in mediation. The mediator's $600 and a lawyer's 6 hours at $300 are made-up placeholders; type the quotes you receive into the calculator. The clerk's share remains $409, and the estimate reaches $2,809 before the parent course. Child support follows the income shares schedule on the Florida child support page, and spousal support is covered on the Florida alimony page. Across the state line, a Georgia divorce works with a different clock.