Divorce cost · NJ
Cost of divorce in New Jersey
New Jersey runs divorce through the Family Division of the Superior Court with one statewide fee list, and charges the defendant as well as the plaintiff.
Rules read on official New Jersey pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Filing fee
- $300
- statewide
- Response fee
- $175
- Waiting period
- None
- Fees read on
- October 8, 2026
A New Jersey divorce costs $300 to file the complaint in the Family Division of the Superior Court, the same in every county. The defendant pays $175 for a first filing such as an answer or counterclaim, so a case in which both spouses take part carries $475 in fees. When the couple has minor children, an extra $25 pays for the parenting workshop the parties must attend, unless a restraining order exists between them or a signed property settlement agreement is filed with the first pleading. There is no waiting period after filing, but the grounds carry their own clock: irreconcilable differences must have lasted six months, and separation as a ground requires eighteen months apart. For a no-fault divorce one spouse must have lived in New Jersey for twelve consecutive months. Low-income filers request a fee waiver under Court Rule 1:5-6.
Estimated cost of a divorce in New Jersey
$300
of which $300 in court fees
| Court filing fee (petition) | $300 |
Low income? Court fees can be waived in New Jersey: Fee Waiver form (Court Rule 1:5-6; Directive #03-17, Fee Waivers Based on Indigence).
Court fees are the official New Jersey amounts; attorney, mediation and service costs are the figures you enter. How this is calculated.
A fee for each side
The Judiciary’s divorce help page lists $300 for the complaint and $175 for the defendant. That second fee is easy to miss: in many states answering is free, but in New Jersey a defendant who files anything, even an answer that agrees with the complaint, pays it. A defendant who files nothing lets the case proceed by default, which is cheaper and gives up the chance to shape the judgment.
The parenting workshop and its two exits
Parties with minor children must pay the $25 fee and attend a parenting program, unless a temporary or final restraining order exists between them or a signed property settlement agreement is filed with the complaint, answer or other first filing. The second exception rewards early settlement: spouses who have already signed a property settlement agreement and file it with the complaint or answer skip both the workshop and its $25. A family with children and no agreement yet, by contrast, pays $500 in court fees once both sides have filed.
Grounds that set the timeline
No statutory waiting period after filing. The irreconcilable-differences ground requires that the differences have existed for at least 6 months; the separation ground requires living apart for at least 18 months (N.J.S.A. 2A:34-2). The six months of irreconcilable differences are measured before the complaint, and the plaintiff states them in the complaint. It needs no proof of fault and no period living apart, which keeps a cooperative case short.
For a no-fault (irreconcilable differences) divorce, the plaintiff or the spouse must have lived in New Jersey for 12 consecutive months before filing (NJ Courts self-help page; N.J.S.A. 2A:34-10). The twelve months are counted back from the filing date.
No short form
No simplified or summary divorce procedure; uncontested divorces follow the regular Family Division process. Agreed cases still go through a complaint, service or an acknowledgment of service, and a judgment, so the paperwork is the same as in a disputed case even when the fees stop at the two filings.
Example
Imagine a Newark couple without children. Both file, and the plaintiff pays a lawyer $375 an hour for 10 hours; that rate and those hours are only for illustration, so use your quote above. The court collects $475 and the total is $4,225. A spouse with little income files the fee waiver request. New Jersey child support uses the guideline on the New Jersey child support page; New York across the Hudson charges in stages instead.
The New Jersey fees and rules this calculator applies
| Court fee | New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Petition for divorce | $300 |
| Response or answer | $175 |
| Parenting workshop fee (cases with minor children) | $25 |
Filing fee. Superior Court, Family Division: complaint for divorce $300 (plaintiff); defendant's filing fee $175; an additional $25 parenting workshop fee when there are minor children (NJ Courts self-help page 'Divorce'). source
Fee waiver. Fee Waiver form (Court Rule 1:5-6; Directive #03-17, Fee Waivers Based on Indigence). source
Residency. For a no-fault (irreconcilable differences) divorce, the plaintiff or the spouse must have lived in New Jersey for 12 consecutive months before filing (NJ Courts self-help page; N.J.S.A. 2A:34-10). source
Waiting period. No statutory waiting period after filing. The irreconcilable-differences ground requires that the differences have existed for at least 6 months; the separation ground requires living apart for at least 18 months (N.J.S.A. 2A:34-2). source
Simplified procedure. No simplified or summary divorce procedure; uncontested divorces follow the regular Family Division process. source
Parenting class. Parties with minor children must pay the $25 fee and attend a parenting program, unless a temporary or final restraining order exists between them or a signed property settlement agreement is filed with the complaint, answer or other first filing. source