Published on September 25, 2022

How Much Does a Divorce Cost in Washington State?

If you are facing a divorce, you have more than enough concerns on your mind, and a primary focus is likely to be how much your Washington State divorce is going to cost. The fact is that divorce prices can range considerably, and while it is impossible to know what yours will cost prior to moving through the process, having a better understanding of the basics can help you accurately calculate what you can expect to pay for your divorce. One of the most important steps anyone who is seeking a divorce can take is reaching out and consulting with an experienced Washington State divorce attorney early in the process.

Divorce Process Costs

While there is no one-size-fits-all price when it comes to divorce, there are average costs that can help you get a general idea. According to The Ascent, the following averages applied across the country in 2020, which you can expect to guide your own costs as adjusted for inflation:

The average cost for a divorce is $12,900.
If your divorce involves minor children and their custody or child support are contested, you can expect the cost to increase significantly.
The issue of alimony can also increase your divorce costs considerably.
Divorces that end up in court regarding two or more terms of divorce cost an average of $23,300.
Divorces take an average of 12 to 18 months to finalize.

If you and your divorcing spouse are able – with the skilled guidance of your respective divorce attorneys – to resolve each of the terms of your divorce between yourselves, you may be able to reduce the cost of your uncontested divorce considerably.

Legal Fees and Paperwork

The cost of filing for divorce alone is about $400 and includes the cost of all the following:

Filing the Petition for Divorce (Dissolution)
Serving your spouse with the divorce papers
The judicial surcharge and court facilitator expenses

A dedicated divorce attorney can handle all the administrative tasks, including ensuring that you pay the necessary legal fees and accurately complete and file the necessary paperwork.

Every time that any of the following occur, you can expect to incur additional expenses:

Paperwork needs to be submitted, such as for filing a petition
A response to your spouse’s motion needs to be made
You are required to appear in front of a judge

The more contentious your divorce and the more complicated the terms of your divorce are, the higher you can expect the attendant cost of legal fees and paperwork to be.

Attorney Fees

Attorney fees tend to be the most considerable expense when it comes to divorce, and there is one very important reason for this – your parental rights and your financial future hang in the balance. Without the professional legal guidance of a seasoned Washington State divorce attorney in your corner, navigating the complexities of a divorce is not only overwhelming but can also prove disastrous in terms of the outcome.

The more terms that need to be resolved and the more complex they are, the more legal guidance you are likely to need. Consider the following basic terms of divorce and some of the most common associated challenges:

The Division of Your Marital Property – High assets, business ownership, and complicated financials that are interwoven with separate assets can all prove exceptionally challenging when it comes to this division of your marital property (called community property in Washington).
Your Child Custody Arrangements – Washington State addresses child custody in terms of legal custody (primary decision-making authority) and parenting time, and if both you and your divorcing spouse are pursuing primary custody, which means being awarded the majority of parenting time, it can significantly increase the amount you’ll spend on attorney fees.
Child Support – Although child support is calculated according to the state’s exacting process, the court has considerable discretion in the matter, and obstacles to a smooth determination can arise.
Alimony – While alimony does not apply in all divorces, it is a common sticking point in those divorces in which it does.

The more applicable terms remain unresolved in your divorce and the more complicated each is, the more skilled legal guidance you’ll require – in pursuit of divorce terms that honor your rights and work for you.

Most divorce attorneys charge a fee for the initial consultation, and from there, an hourly rate applies. While you can expect your attorney fees to increase in direct correlation to your divorce’s level of complexity, there are things you can do to help manage these costs, including:

Gather all your financial documents ahead of time and keep them organized and accessible throughout the process
Prepare for your meetings and calls with your attorney ahead of time, thus maximizing your legal dollars
Do as much of the divorce legwork as you can, including gathering documentation and taking anything else off your attorney’s plate that you can
Instead of reacting to every communication your divorcing spouse lobs your way, save your questions and concerns in list form to share with your attorney when you have a scheduled meeting or phone call
Fill out the forms required of everyone going through a divorce prior to your initial consultation with your attorney, including the Certificate of Dissolution – Vital Statistics and the Confidential Information Form

Does Each Spouse Pay Their Own Legal Fees?

The matter of who will be paying for whose legal fees in a divorce can be confusing. The divorce process tends to be challenging overall, and the matter of expense is one of the most difficult concerns. Generally, divorce costs are addressed in the same way other household expenses are. If, for example, one of you earns considerably more than the other and covers the majority of your household expenses, this spouse is likely to be responsible for the cost of your divorce in its entirety. If you and your spouse, however, have similar incomes and cover household costs between you, you may each be responsible for covering your own legal fees. Regardless of your situation, this is an excellent topic to discuss with your divorce attorney.

Post-Divorce Costs

The cost of finalizing your divorce is finite, and you will put it behind you. There are associated expenses, however, that can extend well beyond the divorce itself.

Child Support

The State of Washington requires both parents to continue supporting their children financially, and the tool they implement to ensure each parent shoulders their own financial responsibility fairly is child support, which is designed to cover primary needs, such as your children’s food, clothing, and home. When one parent is the primary custodial parent and has the majority of overnights with the children, the other parent typically has the child support obligation. Even if you and your children’s other parent, however, receive an equal division of overnights with your shared children, the higher earner between you will likely pay child support.

Spousal Support

Spousal support or alimony only plays a role in those Washington divorces in which one spouse – after the division of marital assets – is left with a financial deficit or in which there is a significant difference in the spouses’ abilities to earn. Every alimony determination is made on a case-by-case basis, and some of the factors the court considers include:

The financial resources and obligations of the spouse seeking alimony
The length of the marriage
The standard of living achieved during the marriage
The age and overall physical and mental health of the spouse seeking alimony
The ability of the spouse who is required to pay alimony to remain financially independent while doing so
The amount of time the recipient would need to obtain the education or job training necessary to gain greater financial independence

As of January 1, 2019, alimony is no longer considered taxable income by the IRS, and the payor can no longer deduct the amount from their taxable income.

Credit Score and Debt

Divorce is a major transition in the life of everyone who experiences it, and it is the kind of event that can significantly affect your credit score. The cost of divorce can be difficult to absorb, and the chaos created by divorce can make staying on top of your finances far more difficult. To make matters that much more challenging, the fact of your divorce does not automatically change any of your financial obligations – this is something you will need to address on your own, including any of the following that apply:

Removing your own or your ex’s name from your mortgage – if one of you will be remaining in the family home
Getting your car in your name alone
Removing your ex from your beneficiary designations on financial tools such as life insurance policies, retirement accounts, and more

Just as you will need to take care of your assets, you will also need to address your marital debt, which includes disentangling any shared credit cards and ensuring that you have credit in your name alone. The surest way to go about dividing your marital debt and protecting your credit score is by including specific divorce terms that guide you and your spouse’s actions related to these matters.

Moving Costs

Divorce generally takes a considerable amount of time, and by the time yours is finalized, you’re likely to be living apart. Often, however, these are temporary arrangements, and you may be facing a move, which can lead to immense expense. The cost of simply running a home on your own – even if you remain in your family home – can also be overwhelming, which makes taking all these post-divorce expenses into careful consideration paramount as you move forward with the divorce process.

An Experienced Yakima Divorce Attorney Can Help

The cost of a Washington divorce is a common concern that the trusted divorce attorneys at Dobbs & Young in Yakima take seriously. We take immense pride in our proven track record of effectively and efficiently guiding cases like yours toward advantageous outcomes, while managing overall costs. For more information about how we can help you, please don’t hesitate to contact or call us at 509-577-9177 today.