With every divorce, finances and costs are a large factor within the disputes that arise between the parties and is also a large concern and fear of many individuals entering or contemplating a divorce. Therefore, people seek out an itemized list that they may need to prepare and account for when considering a divorce. Although, your Florida Divorce Attorney cannot provide you with an itemized list, as every divorce is different and can confront a myriad of different issues that may result in higher or lower costs, they can provide you with information regarding a stable factor in every divorce, court costs.
When initiating your divorce case, you will file a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. With this petition you are required to pay a fee to the Clerk of Court, this is known as a filing fee. In Leon county the filing fee for a Dissolution of Marriage action is $397.50. After filing the initial petition, you will ask the clerk to issue a summons to begin service of process on your spouse. The fee for the issuing of a summons in Leon County is $10. Therefore, as the petitioner, your first payment to the court will total $407.50. This will initiate the case, notify the court of the action, have you assigned to a judge, and have a summons issued to you in your case. If you fail to pay the required fee, your case will not be accepted, or assigned until payment has been received. If you cannot afford these costs, you may file an Application for Determination of Indigent Status, however, if you are able to afford an attorney it is unlikely the court will find you indigent and unable to pay the necessary costs.
After you serve your spouse, they are required to file an answer. The filing of an answer by your spouse does not require further court cost to be paid. However, if they wish to file a counter claim or counter petition, they will be required to pay another filing fee of $392.50. These costs are the only costs you will likely see from the court until the finalization of your divorce. After your divorce is final you may need to pay a fee to Record the Final Judgment which costs $10.50. Finally, if you need to reopen your case, in order to modify a judgment, regarding an alimony award, child support, child custody, or to petition for relocation, the court cost fee is only $50.
If you are concerned about affording these court costs, discuss your options with your Florida Divorce Attorney. We may be able to negotiate the payment of the court costs by your spouse, or request an award of payment or reimbursement for the court costs through a judicial order. Do not let finances prevent you from moving forward with your life.
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