{"id":375937,"date":"2020-07-24T15:51:40","date_gmt":"2020-07-24T20:51:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/pennsylvania-law\/how-much-does-a-divorce-cost-in-pennsylvania.html"},"modified":"2020-07-24T23:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-07-25T04:00:00","slug":"how-much-does-a-divorce-cost-in-pennsylvania","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/pennsylvania-law\/how-much-does-a-divorce-cost-in-pennsylvania.html","title":{"rendered":"Divorce in Pennsylvania: How Much Does it Cost?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Divorce in Pennsylvania: How Much Does it Cost?<\/h1>\n
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Created by FindLaw’s team<\/a> of legal writers and editors<\/i><\/p>\n\n | Last updated\n

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The average cost for a divorce in Pennsylvania is about $14,300 if no kids are involved and about $21,500 if kids are involved. However, the amount your divorce will end up costing could be much more or much less than those averages depending on a variety of factors, including how many "contested" issues are involved in your case as well as the divorce route you take.<\/p>\r\n

The more issues you and your spouse cannot agree on, the higher your divorce costs are going to be. That’s because you are generally paying an attorney for their time to help you resolve these issues. On the other hand, if you choose to represent yourself in the divorce, you will likely save a lot of money upfront, but costly mistakes could come back to haunt you.<\/p>\r\n

The following information will give you a clearer picture of what makes divorce expensive, options you have for reducing the cost of your divorce, and when it makes sense to hire an attorney (or go at it alone).<\/p>\r\n

Contested vs. Uncontested Divorce Costs in Pennsylvania<\/h2>\r\n

A contested divorce means there are issues that still need to be resolved, such as property division, child custody, child support, or spousal maintenance. An uncontested divorce means you and your spouse have been able to reach an agreement on your own. There is nothing left to divide or figure out.<\/p>\r\n

In an uncontested divorce, all you need to do is prepare divorce documents, file them with the court, and then wait for a judge to approve.<\/p>\r\n

In a contested divorce, you choose a dispute resolution process to attempt to work out any issues that you and your spouse don’t agree on. Most people start with simple negotiations and perhaps hire a mediator. If you still can’t reach an agreement, you might try other methods of dispute resolution, or you may decide to ask the court to intervene.<\/p>\r\n

Typically, the divorce will get more expensive with each contested issue and with each round of unsuccessful settlement efforts. The issues that are most likely to cause spouses to disagree during a divorce are:<\/p>\r\n