How Much Does a Divorce Cost in Wisconsin?
Dissolution of marriage is usually a complicated and expensive process for both parties, so most couples start worrying about the cost of divorce in Wisconsin long before filing with the court. How much does a divorce cost in Wisconsin? Typically, an uncontested simple divorce results in significantly lower expenses than contested cases with many disputed divorce issues to decide on.
To help you understand the divorce cost in Wisconsin, this article will explain what factors affect it most and how the online divorce cost can differ from the price of the usual offline filing.
If your case is uncontested, and you want to reduce divorce costs by avoiding hiring a lawyer, contact our online service. We offer fast and reliable preparation of divorce documents at a budget-friendly price.
Average Cost of a Divorce in Wisconsin
According to the latest financial statistics, the cost of divorce in Wisconsin may range from $1,500-$3,000 to $10,000-$25,000, depending on the type of marriage dissolution. Many circumstances may influence the difference in expenses.
How much does it cost to get a divorce in Wisconsin if your case is uncontested? Expenses will range from $300 to $1,000 if you file with the clerk’s office yourself and from $700 to $3,000 and above if you hire a lawyer to prepare the papers and/or represent you in court. An agreed-upon simple divorce means that you have no disagreements over marriage termination issues and can act independently without the intervention of lawyers or mediators. An uncontested divorce cost in Wisconsin mostly depends on the filing fee required in the county. Even if you submit paperwork for your marriage dissolution jointly, your online divorce cost may be slightly higher as you will have to pay an extra fee for using the e-filing system.
The average cost of a divorce in Wisconsin for a contested case is usually much higher, starting at $3,000-$5,000 and reaching $15,000-$20,000 or more. If you cannot agree on child-related and property division divorce issues with your spouse, you will need to engage mediators or lawyers to help. Therefore, the more disputes you have, the more expensive your divorce will be. A contested divorce cost consists of filing fees and expenses on attorneys, appraisers, and other specialists that should be involved. In addition, you may need to pay for serving the other spouse or attending parenting programs which are necessary if you have minor children.
Contested dissolutions can last for a long time and necessitate multiple court appearances, which will significantly raise your expenses on legal representation, so predicting the average cost of divorce is very difficult.
Average Fees for a Divorce Lawyer in Wisconsin
The cost of divorce in Wisconsin greatly depends on attorney fees, which may range from $1,000 to $10,000. Divorce lawyer cost can be calculated on the basis of an hourly rate that averages between $200 and $350 or a fixed fee that can vary from $500 to $5,000 or more.
If you have agreed on all divorce issues and are filing for a simple divorce jointly, your total divorce cost in Wisconsin will not change significantly if you involve a lawyer for partial assistance with the case.
If there are many disputes between you and your spouse and you cannot resolve them on your own, the average fees for a divorce lawyer in Wisconsin will range from $3,000 to $7,000 or more. In such a situation, your expenses on hiring an attorney will make up a large part of an overall divorce cost.
Filing for an uncontested divorce without a lawyer is much cheaper than hiring one for extended legal battles. To reduce offline or online divorce costs and avoid spending time preparing for the process yourself, you can use our online service and get a set of papers for submitting to court independently.
Average Filing Fees in Wisconsin
The average filing fees in Wisconsin revolve around $200 but may vary depending on the county where you file. For a simple divorce without a request for support or maintenance, you will need to pay $184.50 and add $10 for an additional claim.
If you file through the e-filing system, the online divorce cost will be $20 higher for each spouse, regardless of whether you have any contested divorce issues. Since average filing fees in Wisconsin differ from county to county, your divorce cost may be slightly higher or lower.
Low-income plaintiffs who cannot afford filing fees can prepare and submit a Petition for Waiver of Fees and Costs to avoid paying them.
Factors That Affect the Cost of a Wisconsin Divorce
Divorce cost within the state depends on many circumstances. Here are the main factors that affect the cost of a Wisconsin divorce the most:
- Type of case. Filing for an uncontested simple divorce is the easiest and the cheapest way to terminate a marriage. If you do not have any disputes, you do not need to hire a lawyer, and your expenses can remain at the level of filing fees. Hiring lawyers to settle disagreements can increase the overall cost of the case by $1,000-$10,000, depending on the number of unresolved divorce issues.
- Involvement of minor children. If you have children under 18, you will need to attend parenting programs, which will raise the total cost of divorce in Wisconsin. Disputes regarding their custody, visitation, and maintenance will also negatively affect your expenses on marriage dissolution, making them $2,000-$5,000 higher.
- The presence of joint property that needs to be shared. For uncontested cases, the division of marital ownership will increase the divorce cost in Wisconsin if you require evaluators’ help in determining its value. For contested dissolution, you will also need to involve lawyers, whose high rates will significantly affect the total cost and raise it by $2,000-$10,000.
In addition, offline and online divorce costs can be affected by the need to serve the spouse, the number of court hearings, and the filing method.
How We Can Help You
For couples who have an uncontested case and are looking for a way to reduce the overall divorce cost, our online platform can become a solution to prepare for a simple divorce quickly and at a favorable price. If you have already agreed on all divorce issues, you can contact our service to get the necessary paperwork in a few days. We offer 24/7 customer support, only court-approved forms, and filing instructions so you can decrease your offline or online divorce cost and complete the papers reliably, affordably, and without stress.
