Most people who get married believe that their marital relationships will last forever; however, oftentimes, this is not going to happen. Whether it is because of money problems, a lack of trust, or any other issue, many married people sooner or later decide to prepare a divorce applications form. However, what they should do first is to find out if they can afford to get divorced because if they cannot whey will have to look for other ways to resolve their marital disputes instead of ending their marriage on paper.

If you don’t feel like you can save your marriage and break-up seems to be inevitable, you should find out how much an average divorce costs before you make your final decision. Of course, the sum of money that you need to end your marriage depends on many factors, such as the place of your living, legal fees you are required to pay, and others. All these factors will determine whether you will decide to complete divorce online, have your case resolved in court, or separate from your spouse while still being married technically simply because you cannot afford to cover those divorce-related costs. Below, there are the main reasons why you may not be able to end your marriage bonds officially.

Attorney’s fees may be too high for you

Without exaggeration, lawyer rates may rocket sky-high. If you and your spouse cannot resolve your issues amicably, then you will need to hire a lawyer with no doubt. Be ready that his or her costs will be some of the highest ones that you will have to cover during the entire process. Let us say, divorcing people usually pay more than ten thousand dollars to their lawyers for a divorce that costs approximately fifteen thousand. Given the said, your attorney’s fees will be about 80% of the total cost of an average divorce.

If you need your attorney on every stage of the process, make sure that you understand how much money you will have to pay him or her in the long run. Don’t expect your lawyer’s rate to be lower than $200 per hour. However, if you need legal support only to do some paperwork, then your legal expenses will be significantly lower. If you cannot afford to hire an attorney, you can opt for a cheaper alternative, such as using a mediator who will help you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse come to an agreement without an attorney and allow you to save much money after all.

Paperwork fees may be too high for you

Even if you can go without a lawyer and plan on using a divorce do it yourself kit to reduce your legal fees significantly, there are still court expenses that you will have to cover. Take note that paperwork fees may greatly vary from state to state. For example, in Massachusetts, be ready to pay about $250 for filing and serving your papers. In Chicago, this sum amounts to $500, while in NY, you will have to pay no less than $330.

You may also want to pay for an online divorce service like OnlineDivorcer to have your package prepared and sent to you in a day or two. To understand whether or not you can afford to pay paperwork fees, contact your local court or check on your state’s requirements on the Internet.  

You may have a highly contested case

If you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse are on good terms and thus find it easy to settle all your matters amicably, then you will probably have a fast, yet cheap divorce. However, if you two strive to draw each other’s eye-teeth, then you will probably have to pay your lawyer some extra cash.

If you want to spare some cash, then you should do your best to stay out of court. For this, don’t pick fights with another party. However, if your case is doomed to go to trial, be ready to pay up to twenty thousand dollars for your divorce and wait for more than a year and a half until it is over.   

You may not be able to pay child maintenance

If your couple has minor kids in common, it is very likely that you will be required to pay child support. Of course, the amount of money you will have to pay every month will depend on how many kids you have, who they will live with, whether or not your spouse works, and so forth. Roughly speaking, payers are required to pay up to $500 every month. Take this fact into account, especially when you are going to get back to a single income household. Note that if you fail to make regular payments, you are at risk to go to jail. 

You may not be able to rent a new place to live

After you and your former love decide to get divorced, you two will not be able to continue living under one roof, meaning that someone will need to buy or rent a new apartment or house. Can you afford to have your own living quarters? If not, then you probably will ask your spouse if you can keep your marital home. But note that even if you can stay in it, you will have to cover all your home costs by yourself. Can you afford that? You and former soul-mate probably dream of living separately; however, sometimes, it is better to wait until your financial shape gets better so that you two can go your separate ways with ease.

This is a contributed post and therefore may not reflect the views and opinions of this blog or its author.