A divorce can cost as little as several hundred dollars and as much as seven figures, though most cases cost somewhere in between. Calculating your cost of divorce before it happens isn’t very feasible. How much it will cost is largely contingent upon others involved in the case, including the judge, master, your spouse and their lawyer, and also other family members. While you might not know exactly the cost of your divorce beforehand, you can still get a pretty good idea how complex and costly it will be based on answering these questions.

How Much Property?

All property owned by both parties in the marriage must be actualized during the divorce process. This includes cars, retirement plans, real estate, businesses, and any debt attached to these properties. Then, appraisal and valuation are done to the properties and the wealth could be redistributed due to the equity and fairness principles.

If little property is owned between spouses, then this could be beneficial for both as there won’t be as many disputes. Those who do have a great deal of assets though can still get through the process more efficiently by releasing all the financial details. Problems occur when this doesn’t happen.

Is There Child Custody/Support Involved?

Frequently, parents are able to come to an agreement regarding child support and custody. The situation becomes more convoluted when there are disputes regarding who will get the children, who they will live with, which school they will attend, and how it will be determined which religion they are associated with, how they are raised, and what type of education they are to receive. The court will interfere when the process drags on without a solution from the parents. Then, child psychologists and possibly attorneys could get involved to represent the children.

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Will You Have To Pay Attorney’s Fees?

Another factor that will determine how much it will cost to get a divorce is whether or not you will have to pay attorney’s fees. If a spouse earns far less income than the other, then they may be awarded attorney’s fees at the onset or and during the case so they can have representation. The judge makes the final decision on whether a portion or all legal bills will be paid for. So, the cost of divorce could be more if you have to pay the fees, or less if your spouse does.

Of course, there is a possibility that a divorce lawyer won’t be needed for either party. Sometimes an agreement is made between the two parties and a lot of money can be saved. Though, if there are enough assets involved, then this may not be possible. If one spouse has hired a lawyer, then the other will have to also.

The way to avoid the cost of divorce however is to stop your divorce from happening.