Last Updated on June 2024
If you are filing for a divorce, you are probably overly stressed due to dramatic events happening in your life. Thinking about the financial side of a divorce can be even more exhausting. Fortunately, there are affordable ways to end your marriage. You just need to choose the one that works for your case. In this article, we will consider all the options for getting a cheap divorce in Virginia.
Affordable Uncontested Divorce in Virginia
For those who cannot afford to hire a lawyer, an uncontested divorce without one becomes a life-saving alternative. However, to file for it, you need to be sure you qualify. An uncontested divorce is only possible when spouses do not have any disputes regarding assets, kids, and finances. For example, if you and your spouse cannot decide on custody over your child, you will need to hire lawyers and bring this issue to court.
On the contrary, if you have resolved all the issues and reached the full agreement concerning child custody and support, decided how to split your assets, and so on, it means that you do not need a lawyer’s help and can proceed with the all the divorce steps on your own. Taking into account the fact that the average attorney’s fee is $350 per hour, you will save a fortune.
And the best part is that you can get a cheap divorce in Virginia online. OnlineDivorceVA has been helping couples in Virginia to get a quick and smooth marriage dissolution for years. We charge only $139 for a complete package of forms and a filing guide. This will help you save the time and resources that you could spend looking for and filling out all the needed papers on your own. Besides, with clear instructions, you will move through the legal process without hesitation and mistakes.
See all the benefits and pricing below.
| Online Divorce Services: $139 | Installment Plan: $75+$65 | Delivery options: |
| Full set of court-approved forms chosen based on your answers. | The terms are negotiable. | E-delivery: Free |
| No additional fees for a divorce with children. | Convenient payment methods. | Forms available for download from your account as a part of a package. |
| Filled out and ready-to-be-filed paperwork. | Access to the service after the first payment. | Standard shipping: $35 |
| A filing guide is provided together with the papers free of charge. | Receive your documents via mail in 5-6 days. | |
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Divorce Filing Fees
When you file your paperwork with the circuit court of your county, you will have to pay the court fees. The Virginia court filing fees are approximately $80-90. The precise fee varies from county to county. However, there is also a possibility to minimize the cost of divorce in Virginia and obtain a fee waiver if you cannot pay these costs. You will have to fill out Petition for Proceeding in Civil Case Without Payment of Fees or Costs and present it to the court. If the judge does not approve it, you will need to cover the legal fees for divorce.
Attorney’s Fees
In general, the most expensive part of any marriage dissolution is divorce attorney fees. If you have an uncontested divorce but still choose to work with an attorney, you need to be ready to spend approximately $4,000 for your marriage dissolution, which is the average amount across the state. Contested cases are always more expensive, amounting to an average of $15,000 to $22,000 in cases involving children.
The cost of a lawyer depends on many factors, such as:
- Location. Attorneys in big cities usually charge more than their colleagues in smaller towns.
- Lawyer’s experience. Those lawyers who have lots of successful cases can charge more than $400, while less experienced ones can have more affordable rates.
- Case specifics. The more disputes there are and the more complex they turn out to be, the more you’ll spend. With little to no disputes, a typical average price is a few thousand.
If you need legal assistance but cannot afford to cover a lawyer’s costs, you may try to get free legal aid from your local organizations. However, such organizations usually help individuals from specific groups, such as family abuse victims or veterans, and can only offer short consultations or free legal materials.
In agreed-upon cases, you have a few ways to divorce for cheap.
What is the Cheapest Way to Get a Divorce?
There are several ways to get an inexpensive divorce in Virginia: file it completely on your own, hire a mediator, or work with a reliable online divorce provider.
Do-It-Yourself Divorce
A DIY divorce is a popular option among US couples which helps to save lots of money. If you manage to get a fee waiver, you can practically end your marriage for free. However, you need to be ready to spend your free time searching for divorce-related information, collecting forms, filling them out correctly, and taking care of many other things. You will also need to familiarize yourself with the legal process to finalize your marriage dissolution without any issues. Therefore, before choosing a DIY dissolution, make sure that you have enough time and resources to go through all the steps alone.
Divorce Mediation
Mediation is an alternative to a divorce lawyer and a good option for couples who require help in reaching a full agreement needed for an uncontested marriage dissolution. You and your spouse will have consultations with an impartial third party that will advise you on how to agree on your divorce conditions, taking into account the interests of both parties.
A mediator in Virginia charges $300 hourly on average. The cost of mediation depends on such factors as the number of issues you need to resolve and their complexity, the willingness of spouses to cooperate, and the experience of a divorce mediator. Some experts offer a flat fee for a set number of sessions. In the end, the total costs can reach $8,000, which is still less expensive than working with a lawyer on a contested case. The fees are usually split between spouses.
Online Divorce with OnlinDivorceVA.com
Very often, couples only need help with their forms and do not wish to work with a lawyer to get them. In this case, ordering paperwork from OnlinDivorceVA is the best way to have a quick and easy divorce online, which is also the cheapest among other options.
In order to get a package of court-approved forms prepared for your case, you only need to fill in a questionnaire providing the essential information about your divorce and wait for a few days to get your paperwork. Then, you will only need to sign and file them with the court. Our detailed guide that will be in your form package will include information on the necessary steps to take further to finish the divorce process successfully.
