How Much Does a Divorce Cost in Florida?
The court filing fee to open a Florida divorce is $409 in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. A simple uncontested divorce often totals $1,500–$4,000; a contested divorce with attorneys typically runs $10,000+, depending on disputes over assets, support, and children. Cost tracks contested issues: property under Fla. Stat. § 61.075, alimony under § 61.08, time-sharing under § 61.13, and fee-shifting under § 61.16. The Miami-Dade filing fee is $409.00.
“How much does a divorce cost in Florida?” is the first question almost everyone asks — and the honest answer is “it depends.” This tool turns that into a real number. Choose whether your case is uncontested or contested, add the factors that apply, and it estimates your likely total cost range — court fees, the parenting course, and attorney fees — using published Florida figures. It updates as you choose.
Divorce Cost Estimator
Choose your situation. The estimate updates instantly. These are typical Florida ranges, not a quote.
Your Estimated Cost Range
This is only an estimate — your actual case depends on your specific circumstances.
Talk to Nadia About Your Situation →Confidential consultation · (305) 482-1262 · Bilingual · Hablamos Español
This is a planning estimate built from published Florida figures: a court filing fee of about $409, a parenting course of roughly $25–$75 where children are involved (Fla. Stat. § 61.21), and attorney time at the hourly rate you enter. Your actual cost depends on your attorney’s fee structure, the level of conflict, and the specific facts of your case. It is not a quote or legal advice.
This calculator provides an estimate only. It is not a guarantee of what your divorce will cost. Actual costs depend on your attorney’s fee structure, the level of conflict, and the specific facts of your case, and may differ from this estimate. Using this tool does not create an attorney-client relationship.
How Much Does a Divorce Cost in Florida?
There is no single price for a Florida divorce, but the numbers cluster into two very different worlds. An uncontested divorce — where both spouses agree on property division, support, and a parenting plan — typically costs about $1,500–$3,500 total. A contested divorce, where a judge or mediator has to resolve disputes, commonly runs from about $5,000 to $50,000 or more per spouse. The difference is almost entirely attorney hours.
Every divorce shares a few fixed costs. The court filing fee to open a dissolution of marriage case in Florida is roughly $409 (set by the Clerk of Court). If you have minor children, Florida law requires both parents to complete a state-approved parenting course under Fla. Stat. § 61.21, which usually costs about $25–$75. Beyond those, the cost is driven by your attorney’s time and any experts your case needs.
What Are the Divorce Filing Fees by County?
Filing fees are set by each county’s Clerk of Court, so the exact number depends on where you file. Across the three South Florida counties we serve, the fee to open a dissolution of marriage case is currently the same:
- Miami-Dade County (Eleventh Judicial Circuit) — $409.00
- Broward County (Seventeenth Judicial Circuit) — $409
- Palm Beach County (Fifteenth Judicial Circuit) — $409
Service of process, certified copies, and the parenting course required when minor children are involved are separate costs, and clerks can change their fees — confirm the current amount with the clerk in your county before filing. For the full procedure from petition to final judgment, see our step-by-step guide to how to file for divorce in Florida.
What Drives the Cost
The single biggest factor is whether your case is contested or uncontested. After that, specific complications add attorney hours and sometimes expert fees:
- Contested custody / time-sharing — parenting disputes are among the most time-intensive issues, often requiring guardians ad litem, evaluations, and additional hearings.
- Business or professional practice — valuing a closely held business usually requires a forensic accountant ($3,000–$10,000+) and significant attorney time.
- Complex or hidden assets — tracing, disclosure fights, and discovery to uncover or value assets all add hours.
- Alimony disputes — because Florida uses a discretionary, factor-based test under Fla. Stat. § 61.08, contested alimony can require extensive financial proof.
- Additional real estate — investment properties or out-of-state real estate add valuation and titling work.
You can estimate any combination of these in the tool above. For how the assets themselves get split, use our Marital Asset Division Calculator; for support, see the Alimony Calculator and Child Support Calculator.
How to Lower the Cost of Your Divorce
The most reliable way to cut cost is to keep the case uncontested — agreeing on the major issues before filing avoids the attorney hours that make contested cases expensive. Two paths help:
- Mediation — a neutral mediator helps you settle issues for a fraction of the cost of a trial. See our divorce mediation overview.
- Flat-fee uncontested divorce — when you qualify, a fixed price removes the uncertainty of hourly billing. See flat-fee divorce and our uncontested divorce guide.
Flat Fee vs. Hourly Billing: Which Costs Less?
Florida family lawyers generally bill one of two ways. Under an hourly arrangement — typical for contested cases, at roughly $250–$500 per hour in South Florida — the total depends on how long the dispute lasts, so every extra month of litigation adds cost (estimate how long your case may run with our Divorce Timeline Estimator). A flat fee — common for uncontested divorces — fixes the price up front, which is why agreeing on the major issues before filing is usually the single cheapest decision you can make. Neither billing structure changes the court’s power under Fla. Stat. § 61.16 to order one spouse to pay a reasonable amount of the other’s fees based on need and ability to pay.
What Florida statutes drive the cost of a divorce (§ 61.16 and § 61.075)?
Cost in a Florida dissolution is almost entirely a function of how many statutory questions are contested. The filing fee is fixed; everything above it is litigation over § 61.075 (property), § 61.08 (alimony), § 61.13 (time-sharing) and § 61.30 (child support).
What does it cost to file for divorce in Miami-Dade County in 2026?
The circuit-court filing fee for a petition for dissolution of marriage in Miami-Dade County is $409.00. Service of process, certified copies and a parenting course (required when minor children are involved) are additional and are not attorney’s fees. Fees vary by county; confirm the current figure with the clerk in your circuit before relying on it.
Which statutes must be satisfied before a Florida case can even proceed?
§ 61.021 requires that one of the parties have resided in Florida for 6 months before filing. § 61.052 supplies the ground — that the marriage is irretrievably broken — so Florida is a no-fault state and no proof of misconduct is required or paid for. § 61.19 bars entry of a final judgment until at least 20 days after the petition is filed unless the court finds that injustice would result from the delay, which sets the practical floor on how fast even an agreed case can close.
Can one spouse be ordered to pay the other’s attorney’s fees under § 61.16?
Yes. § 61.16 authorizes the court to order one party to pay a reasonable amount for the other’s attorney’s fees, suit money and costs after considering the financial resources of both parties. The leading construction is Rosen v. Rosen, 696 So. 2d 697 (Fla. 1997), which holds that the trial court may also consider litigation conduct — including the parties’ positions and whether the litigation was needlessly prolonged — not just relative need and ability to pay. Read the full statutory text with our plain-English annotations on the § 61.16 attorney’s fees page.
Why does contested property division cost more?
“the court must begin with the premise that the distribution should be equal, unless there is a justification for an unequal distribution based on all relevant factors” — Fla. Stat. § 61.075(1)
Everything that follows — classification under § 61.075(6), the coverture-fraction computation in (6)(a)1.c, business valuation at fair market value under (6)(a)1.f, and the § 61.075(7) cut-off date — is fact-intensive. Appraisers, forensic accountants and depositions are what actually move a divorce from four figures to five or six.
Why does contested time-sharing cost more?
“there is a rebuttable presumption that equal time-sharing of a minor child is in the best interests of the minor child” — Fla. Stat. § 61.13(2)(c)1.
Rebutting that presumption means litigating the twenty best-interests factors in § 61.13(3) and obtaining specific written findings. Child support then follows the guideline in § 61.30(1)(a) and the overnight gross-up in § 61.30(11)(b)8..
How does mediation under § 44.102(2)(c) reduce cost?
§ 44.102(2)(c) allows a court to refer to mediation any contested family matter, and § 61.183 authorizes referral of contested issues in a chapter 61 case. Confidentiality under § 44.405 is what makes candid settlement discussion possible; § 44.406 supplies civil remedies for breach of that confidentiality. See the Florida divorce mediation cost breakdown.
Primary sources: Fla. Stat. § 61.16 · Fla. Stat. § 61.021 · Florida Courts — Family Law Forms
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a divorce cost in Florida?
An uncontested divorce typically costs about $1,500–$3,500 total, including the ~$409 filing fee. A contested divorce usually runs from about $5,000 to $50,000+ per spouse, driven mainly by attorney hours and complications like a business valuation or custody dispute.
How much does an uncontested divorce cost in Florida?
When both spouses agree on everything, an uncontested or simplified divorce commonly costs about $1,500–$3,500 total. The filing fee is about $409, and with minor children a parenting course adds roughly $25–$75 under Fla. Stat. § 61.21.
What makes a Florida divorce more expensive?
Conflict and complexity. A contested case multiplies attorney hours, and factors like a business valuation, a contested custody fight, hidden assets, an alimony dispute, or extra real estate each add hours and sometimes expert fees such as a forensic accountant ($3,000–$10,000+).
How can I lower the cost of my divorce?
Keep it uncontested by agreeing on property, support, and a parenting plan up front, and use mediation instead of litigation. A flat-fee uncontested divorce gives you a fixed price and avoids the hourly billing that makes contested cases costly.
Is a flat-fee divorce cheaper than hourly billing in Florida?
Usually, for uncontested cases. A flat fee fixes the price up front, while hourly billing (about $250–$500 per hour in South Florida) grows with every dispute and every month the case runs. Contested cases are typically billed hourly because no one can predict how long the other side will fight.
How much is the divorce filing fee in Miami-Dade County?
$409.00 for a petition for dissolution of marriage in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit (Miami-Dade). Service of process, certified copies and the parenting course required when minor children are involved are separate. Filing fees are set locally, so confirm the current amount with the clerk in your county.
Can a Florida judge make my spouse pay my attorney’s fees?
Possibly. Fla. Stat. § 61.16 lets the court order one party to pay a reasonable amount toward the other’s attorney’s fees, suit money and costs after considering both parties’ financial resources. Under Rosen v. Rosen, 696 So. 2d 697 (Fla. 1997), the court may also weigh litigation conduct, not only relative need and ability to pay.
What is the fastest a Florida divorce can be finalized?
Not sooner than 20 days after filing. Fla. Stat. § 61.19 prohibits entry of a final judgment of dissolution until at least 20 days after the date the petition is filed, unless the court finds that injustice would result from the delay. Court calendars and the § 61.021 6-month residency requirement usually control the real timeline.
Does proving adultery change what a Florida divorce costs?
Rarely, and not as a ground. § 61.052 makes an irretrievably broken marriage the ground, so fault need not be proven. § 61.08(1)(a) does allow the court to “consider the adultery of either spouse and any resulting economic impact in determining the amount of alimony,” and dissipation of marital assets is a § 61.075(1)(i) factor — but pursuing fault for its own sake adds cost without changing the ground.
Get a Clear Price for Your Florida Divorce
Pazos Law Group helps Miami-Dade and South Florida clients with flat-fee uncontested divorces and predictable pricing for complex cases.
Schedule a Confidential ConsultationThe information and estimates on this page are for general informational purposes only and do not constitute legal or financial advice, and are not a quote. Reading or using this tool does not create an attorney-client relationship with Pazos Law Group. Court fees, course costs, and attorney rates vary and change over time; please consult a licensed Florida attorney about your specific situation.
Want a real number for your case?
Pazos Law Group offers flat-fee uncontested divorces and clear, predictable pricing for contested cases. We will tell you what your case should realistically cost.
Schedule a Confidential Consultation →