By Larry Schott, Florida Family Law Attorney  |  Schott & Tolchinsky, P.A.

Cost is one of the first things people want to understand when a divorce becomes a real possibility. It is also one of the questions most attorneys dance around. The answer depends on a number of factors specific to your situation, but there are real numbers and real ranges that help you plan and make informed decisions. This guide walks through what a divorce actually costs in Florida, broken down by divorce type and the factors that drive costs up or keep them down.

1. Mandatory Court Costs: What Everyone Pays

Every Florida divorce begins with mandatory court fees that apply regardless of the type of divorce, whether you have an attorney, and whether the case is contested or not. These are fixed costs set by the state and county.

If your spouse signs a waiver of service, you avoid the service of process fee. Fees for additional motions, certified copies, and other documents are extra. For the full current Broward County fee schedule, see the Broward County Clerk of Courts website.

2. How Much Does It Cost to Get a Divorce If Both Parties Agree in Florida?

When both spouses agree on all terms before filing, Florida law gives them a significantly faster and less expensive path. Depending on whether you have children and how you handle the legal paperwork, costs range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand.

Simplified Dissolution of Marriage (No Children, No Alimony, Full Agreement)

If you meet all the requirements for a simplified dissolution, including no minor children, no alimony sought, and complete agreement on all assets and liabilities, the base cost is the court filing fee of $409 plus the summons fee. If you handle the paperwork yourself without an attorney, your total out-of-pocket expense is typically $420 to $470 in mandatory fees.

Even in a simplified case, having an attorney review the marital settlement agreement before you sign it is worth considering, particularly if there are any real property, retirement accounts, or debt of significance. A document review by an attorney typically costs $500 to $1,500 depending on complexity. See our full guide: How to File a Simplified Divorce in Broward County.

Uncontested Divorce (With Full Agreement, May Include Children or Alimony)

An uncontested divorce follows the standard dissolution of marriage process but with both parties in full agreement before filing. It is the appropriate route when children are involved, when alimony is agreed upon, or when there are significant assets to address. The process requires more paperwork than a simplified dissolution but still avoids the cost of litigation.

Attorney-assisted uncontested divorces in Florida typically cost between $1,500 and $5,000, depending on complexity. Cases involving retirement accounts requiring a Qualified Domestic Relations Order, significant real property, or a business interest may fall above that range even when fully uncontested, because those documents require additional legal work to prepare correctly.

For a complete breakdown of what an uncontested divorce requires and what can go wrong if something is overlooked, see our guide: Uncontested Divorce in Florida: What It Takes and How to Do It Right.

3. How Much Does a Divorce Cost in Florida With a Child?

Divorces involving minor children are more expensive than those without them, regardless of whether the case is contested. There are additional legal requirements, additional documents to prepare, and additional issues to resolve that simply do not exist in a childless divorce.

Additional Costs Specific to Divorces With Children

• Parenting Plan preparation A court-approved Parenting Plan is mandatory in every dissolution involving minor children. Drafting a comprehensive plan that covers time-sharing, holiday schedules, decision-making authority, communication protocols, and dispute resolution takes attorney time and adds cost. If the parents agree on all terms, this cost is modest. If time-sharing is disputed, it becomes the most expensive part of the entire case.
• Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course Florida Statute 61.21 requires both parents to complete a state-approved parenting course before the final judgment can be entered. The course runs approximately four hours and costs between $25 and $60 per parent depending on the provider chosen.
• Child support calculation and documentation Florida uses a statutory formula under Florida Statute 61.30 to calculate child support. When income is straightforward, this is a simple calculation. When one or both parents are self-employed, have variable income, or own a business, establishing accurate income figures takes additional attorney and sometimes accountant time.
• Guardian ad litem In contested custody cases where the court needs an independent evaluation of the child’s best interests, a guardian ad litem may be appointed. Guardian ad litem fees vary widely but commonly run $2,000 to $10,000 or more depending on the complexity of the custody dispute and the time involved.
• Parenting coordinator or child psychologist When parents have significant conflict over time-sharing, courts sometimes appoint a parenting coordinator to help resolve ongoing disputes. In high-conflict cases, a child psychologist may be retained to evaluate the family situation. These professionals typically charge $150 to $300 per hour.

Cost Ranges for Divorce With Children in Florida

These ranges reflect attorney fees plus court and professional costs. Cases at the higher end involve guardian ad litem appointments, custody evaluations, multiple hearings, and trial preparation. The numbers can increase further when one party acts in bad faith, hides assets, or repeatedly files motions without merit.

4. How Much Does a Contested Divorce Cost?

A contested divorce is one where the spouses cannot agree on one or more significant issues and the court must ultimately resolve them. The cost of a contested divorce in Florida is driven almost entirely by how far apart the parties are and how long it takes to resolve the disputed issues.

These are per-party estimates. In a contested case both spouses are spending legal fees simultaneously, which means the combined cost of a fully litigated divorce in Florida can easily exceed $100,000. The court does not reimburse legal fees simply because you prevailed on a given issue. Each party generally pays their own attorney unless a fee award is ordered under Florida Statute 61.16 based on financial disparity or bad faith conduct.

5. Attorney Fees: What to Expect

Attorney fees are the largest variable in the total cost of a Florida divorce. Most family law attorneys in Broward County charge hourly rates, and most require a retainer paid upfront before work begins.

Hourly Rates in South Florida

Hourly rates for family law attorneys in Broward County and the surrounding South Florida area typically range from $350 to $500 per hour, with rates for highly experienced attorneys in complex cases reaching $600 or more. The rate you pay reflects experience, reputation, and the complexity of the work involved. A first-year associate handling routine paperwork costs less per hour than a board-certified family law attorney handling a high-asset trial.

Retainers

Most attorneys require an upfront retainer before beginning work. For uncontested divorces, retainers commonly run $1,500 to $3,500. For contested cases, initial retainers of $3,500 to $7,500 are typical, with the understanding that additional funds will be needed as the case progresses. Retainers are held in a trust account and billed against as the attorney works. When the retainer is depleted, the client replenishes it. The total amount billed by the end of the case may be significantly more than the initial retainer.

Flat Fees

Many law firms, including this one, offer flat-fee arrangements for uncontested divorces. A flat fee gives both the attorney and the client cost certainty from the start. Flat fees for uncontested divorces in Florida typically range from $1,500 to $4,000 depending on whether children are involved and the complexity of the assets. Flat fees are generally not available for contested cases because the attorney cannot predict how many hours the case will ultimately require.

6. Mediation Costs

Mediation is mandatory in all contested Florida divorces before the case can be set for trial. Even in cases that ultimately settle, the cost of mediation is a real expense that both parties share.

Private mediators in Broward County typically charge $150 to $400 per hour per party, with sessions commonly running three to six hours. A single full-day mediation session might cost each party $600 to $1,800 in mediator fees alone, not counting the attorney time billed preparing for and attending the session.

Court-connected mediation programs are available at reduced rates for parties who qualify based on income. Rates through court programs typically run $60 to $120 per session per party. These programs are a meaningful cost-reduction option for qualifying families.

Mediation fees are normally split equally between the parties unless the court orders otherwise.

7. Expert Witness and Professional Costs

Complex divorces involving significant assets, business interests, or contested custody frequently require professional experts whose fees add substantially to the total cost.

• Forensic accountant Used when income is disputed, assets are complex, or there is concern about hidden assets. Hourly rates of $300 to $600 per hour are typical, with total fees commonly ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 depending on the volume of records reviewed and whether the accountant is called to testify at trial.
• Business valuator Required when one or both spouses own a business interest that is subject to equitable distribution. Business valuations cost $3,500 to $15,000 depending on the size and complexity of the business.
• Real estate appraiser Needed when the value of the marital home or other real property is disputed. Residential appraisals typically cost $400 to $800 per property.
• Child custody evaluator A mental health professional appointed to evaluate the family and make recommendations on time-sharing and parental responsibility. Custody evaluations commonly cost $2,500 to $10,000.
• QDRO specialist or actuary A Qualified Domestic Relations Order is required to divide employer-sponsored retirement plans. QDRO preparation by a specialist typically costs $500 to $1,500 per account.

8. What Drives Costs Up

Understanding what increases the cost of a divorce helps you make decisions that keep expenses proportional to what is actually at stake.

• Disagreement on major issues Every contested issue requires attorney time to research, negotiate, brief, and potentially litigate. The more issues in dispute and the further apart the parties are, the higher the cost.
• High-conflict behavior A spouse who files unnecessary motions, refuses to cooperate with discovery, or uses litigation as a tool to harass or delay drives up costs for both sides. Courts have tools to address this behavior, including fee sanctions, but the damage to both parties’ wallets is real by the time sanctions are ordered.
• Hidden or complex assets When one spouse conceals assets or income, investigating and uncovering the truth through forensic accounting and discovery is expensive but necessary.
• Custody disputes Time-sharing conflicts are consistently the most expensive component of a Florida divorce. When parents cannot agree on the children’s schedule, courts must evaluate the best interest factors in detail, which takes significant attorney and court time.
• Multiple court appearances Emergency motions, temporary relief hearings, case management conferences, and pre-trial hearings all require attorney preparation and appearance time that adds to the total bill.
• Appeals If either party appeals the final judgment, costs increase substantially. Appellate work in Florida family law commonly adds $10,000 to $30,000 or more per party.

9. How to Keep Costs Down

There are real strategies for managing the cost of a Florida divorce without sacrificing the quality of your outcome.

• Agree on as much as possible before filing Every issue resolved by agreement before or during mediation is an issue that does not need to be litigated. Even in a contested case, narrowing the disputed issues saves significant money.
• Gather and organize your financial documents early Attorney time spent gathering records you could have assembled yourself is expensive. Coming to your first meeting with organized documentation reduces billable hours significantly.
• Use attorney time strategically Your attorney is a legal advisor, not a therapist or a messenger. Keeping communications focused on legal issues and handling routine logistics yourself keeps the bill proportional to the work actually needed.
• Take mediation seriously Approaching mediation with realistic expectations and genuine willingness to negotiate frequently results in full settlement, avoiding trial entirely. The cost of a failed mediation followed by trial is many times the cost of a successful one.
• Avoid unnecessary motions Filing motions that are unlikely to succeed wastes money and generates opposition filings. An experienced attorney can tell you when a motion is worth pursuing and when it is not.

10. What If You Cannot Afford the Fees?

Florida law provides two meaningful options for people who cannot afford the cost of divorce.

First, if your spouse earns significantly more than you, you can file a motion for temporary attorney’s fees under Florida Statute 61.16. The court can order the higher-earning spouse to contribute to your legal fees so both parties have similar access to competent legal counsel. This motion can be filed at the very beginning of the case, before significant costs have already been incurred. For a full explanation of how this works, see our guide: Who Pays Attorney Fees in a Florida Divorce? 

Second, if your income falls below certain thresholds, you may qualify for a court filing fee waiver through an Application for Determination of Civil Indigent Status. If approved, the $409 filing fee is waived. Broward County Legal Aid also provides family law services to qualifying individuals who cannot afford private representation.

Related Articles:

• Uncontested Divorce in Florida: What It Takes and How to Do It Right
• Contested Divorce in Florida
• How to File a Simplified Divorce in Broward County
• Who Pays Attorney Fees in a Florida Divorce?
• Step-by-Step Guide to Getting a Divorce in Broward County
• Working With a Florida Divorce Lawyer