How Much Does a Divorce Cost in Connecticut?

The dissolution of marriage is a difficult legal procedure due to the number of issues to regulate. Also, it is often quite pricey. One of the most common questions divorcing spouses have is, “How much does a divorce cost in CT”?

The cost of divorce in CT depends on numerous aspects. Starting from the court fee and finishing with the complexity of the case, every factor may affect the final divorce cost. If you have an uncontested simple divorce, the marriage dissolution process can be less complicated and less expensive than in highly contested cases.

In this article, we have gathered information about the divorce cost in Connecticut and how divorce issues influence the final bill.

If you can agree with your spouse on all the divorce terms, it is possible to get your papers completed by our affordable online service and decrease the final offline or online divorce cost. With properly prepared documents, you can start your case without a lawyer, reducing your overall cost of divorce in CT.

The Average Cost of a Divorce in Connecticut

According to StangerLaw, the average cost of divorce in Connecticut ranges from $12,900 to $15,000.

Every case is unique, so answering the question, “How much does it cost to file for divorce in CT?” will be based on multiple factors. Everything depends on the circumstances of marriage dissolution and its type. A simple divorce with no children and with the preliminarily agreed property division terms will be of the lowest cost, given spouses do not involve lawyers.

The need to resolve divorce issues like child support, parenting plan, and visitation increases the cost of divorce in CT significantly. Also, a large amount will be added to the divorce cost in CT if spouses can’t reach a settlement regarding alimony and marital property division.

Handling disagreements through a trial can easily increase the average cost of a divorce in CT to $25,000 or more. During a contested case, it is mostly impossible to do without a lawyer and other professionals. It will likely require more than one hearing to finalize, and the longer the process is, the more expenses it will take.

So, the key factor influencing the offline or online divorce cost in CT is the type of divorce. Below, we will discover the divorce cost differences for uncontested and contested marriage dissolutions.

Cost of Uncontested Divorce in Connecticut

On average, an uncontested divorce in CT costs from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The final price will greatly depend on your decision to deal with the case on your own or hire a lawyer.

The cost of uncontested divorce in Connecticut can be quite affordable. When you and your spouse can settle all the issues by yourselves, there is no need to go through court battles.

By choosing to proceed with a marriage dissolution on your own, you can save a lot in terms of the divorce cost. The expenses for an uncontested divorce will include:

ordering the forms from an online divorce service, if required;
paying a filing fee of around $350 and other court expenses;
covering a sheriff’s fee of around $50 if serving the other spouse is necessary.

The average final cost of this simple divorce ranges from $875 to $6,000. It varies depending on whether you require any legal assistance when handling divorce issues like alimony calculations, child support terms, etc.

The beneficial fact about the uncontested divorce procedure is that there is no need to involve an attorney. Since you can prepare for document filing by yourself or with the help of an online service for a reasonable price, it makes the average cost of divorce quite moderate.

Cost of Contested Divorce in Connecticut

The average cost of a contested divorce in Connecticut is around $15,500. The final bill can be from $10,000 to $34,000, on average, depending on the divorce issues to settle. It is much more expensive than filing for an uncontested divorce. Below, we will explain why the divorce cost may reach such high numbers.

The contested divorce refers to the case when two parties cannot agree on major issues, like property division or custody of children, and let the court decide the outcome.

If there were fault-based grounds for divorce, like adultery or physical or moral abuse, it would take longer for a court to decide on the case and find a rational solution. The price will go up as the lawyer will need more time to find evidence and prove the guilt of the other spouse. Some complicated issues may even require the involvement of other professionals like detectives to join the investigation.

When spouses possess high-value items, valuable assets, or real estate, addressing their distribution during the divorce process will likely lead to additional hearings, especially if parties cannot agree. Usually, spouses require a professional lawyer’s help and assistance from other specialists, such as evaluation experts, forensic accountants, etc., to resolve disagreements.

The more contentious issues are present in the case, the more time the trial takes, and consequently, the higher the contested divorce cost in CT gets. So, agreeing on all terms and going through a simple divorce procedure is the best decision for spouses who would like to reduce their offline or online divorce cost.

Average Fees for a Divorce Lawyer in Connecticut

According to CBS News, the average fee for a divorce lawyer in Connecticut is $417 per hour. The attorney fees depend on a lawyer’s location, professionalism, experience in the field, and track record of success. If an attorney is involved in the case, the overall cost of divorce in Connecticut can start from several thousand dollars and reach $15,000-$20,000 and more.

Usually, lawyers charge per hour and take money after the work is done, but some require a retainer, which is a sum of money paid in advance. The lawyers then calculate the price of their services and get funds from the retainer.

These are the common criteria by which divorce lawyer cost is calculated:

The number and difficulty of divorce issues to resolve;
The average offline and online divorce cost for the legal services in the specific location;
The duration of the process.

The divorce cost in Connecticut with the attorney’s help is usually high. In a simple divorce, the divorce cost can be lower since you may not hire a lawyer, deal with the process completely on your own, or get the documents filled out by a professional online service.

Average Filing Fees in Connecticut

The average filing fees in Connecticut are $350 both for a simple divorce and cases with multiple divorce issues to decide on. As of 2023, the court expenses, in addition to those for submitting documents, usually include:

paying for copies of papers,
$50 for serving the other spouse, if necessary.
$125 for an obligatory parenting class for spouses with minor kids.

If you don’t have the possibility to pay a filing fee due to financial struggles, you can waive it by submitting a fee waiver form to the court.

In simple divorces without a lawyer’s involvement, the overall divorce cost can be equal to or a bit higher than the average filing fees in Connecticut if spouses deal with the case completely on their own.

Factors that Affect the Cost of a Connecticut Divorce

There are multiple aspects that can influence the final bill for the dissolution of marriage. The following are the factors that affect the cost of a Connecticut divorce:

The type of divorce: uncontested or contested. The average divorce cost for an uncontested dissolution starts from several hundred to several thousand dollars. For a contested case, the cost will rise since lawyers will represent parties in court and handle all the divorce issues.
Presence of children. In cases involving minor kids, the divorce cost is higher since spouses have to attend paid parenting classes. In addition, it is necessary to decide on custody, the amount of child supportand the parenting plan. The divorce cost will increase significantly if you don’t agree with your spouse on the visitation schedule, who has to financially support children, with whom they will live, etc., since a trial will be required.
Marital assets to divide. The more property spouses have, the longer the court procedures can last. Even in a simple divorce scenario, it may be necessary to involve professional evaluators and other specialists in financial matters to estimate the value of all property and then divide it between the two parties fairly. Such services will surely add to the overall divorce cost.
Business relationships. The process gets more complicated and expensive when spouses own a business. It will require a professional evaluation, profits calculation, and division. Business ownership is always a tough decision that can negatively affect the marriage dissolution expenses unless the couple can agree on this issue in advance.

As you can see, the cost of divorce in Connecticut is affected by numerous aspects of a specific case and can be a relatively moderate sum or reach $20,000 or more. If you and your spouse agree on all the issues before starting the divorce process, you can significantly save time and decrease offline or online divorce cost.

How We Can Help You

The divorce cost doesn’t have to be burdensome. If your case is uncontested, meaning you are in agreement with your spouse, you can reduce the overall offline or online divorce cost using a reliable document preparation service. There is no need to involve a lawyer for paperwork assistance. We can help you fill out the necessary forms for your simple divorce. For a reasonable price, you will get the papers completed according to the state legal standards within the deadline you choose. Additionally, we will provide you with free instructions on how to file documents in court.