The cost of a divorce in North Carolina can vary depending on several factors, including attorney fees, court fees, and the complexity of the case. According to a survey conducted by Lawyers.com, the average cost of a divorce in North Carolina ranges from $8,000 to $12,000.
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While North Carolina is not the most expensive state for divorce, the marriage termination costs can be very high and reach $10,000 and more, depending on individual case specifics. Most often, contested divorces require much more financial resources than uncontested ones.
Involvement of minor children, type of divorce – with or without a lawyer, and the presence of joint property and assets also affect the final cost.
In North Carolina, marital property and assets are divided according to the equitable distribution principle, which is not always 50/50. Distributing assets between spouses can be a complicated process as each party may argue that they deserve more than 50%, and the judge should then decide on what is considered equitable in such a case. The more assets spouses have, the more expensive a divorce is likely to be. The marital property to divide usually includes:
If you have many assets to distribute and disagree with your partner, you will likely need to involve third-party experts, such as property evaluators, and attend several court hearings, leading to additional expenses.
A contested divorce means that spouses cannot agree on one or several following issues:
Disagreements between spouses typically necessitate legal representation or mediation services, and they are usually paid for based on hourly rates.
Legal assistance is often required during a divorce, especially a contested one, and usually comes at a high cost. Lawyers typically charge hourly rates, so the more issues to resolve, the more time a lawyer should spend on the divorce case, and the higher the overall price for their services is.
When it comes to complicated contested divorces, hiring separate lawyers to fight for spouses’ rights in court can lead to significant expenses reaching several thousand dollars and more for each party.
Besides, spouses may need to involve mediators, child custody experts, property evaluators, etc.
The average cost of divorce in North Carolina is from $500 to $1,000 for uncontested cases and from $8,000 to $20,000 or more for contested ones. This difference is explained by the high price of legal services required in complex divorce situations.
Usually, the costs of uncontested divorces range from $500 to $1,000. If spouses have no children and joint property or are able to reach an agreement on child-related matters and asset division on their own, they can proceed without a lawyer, which will save a lot of money.
The price will also depend on whether spouses complete the paperwork on their own or ask a lawyer or online services to prepare it.
In general, the cost of an uncontested divorce consists of the following expenses:
The cost of a dissolution involving lawyers in North Carolina starts at $5,000 and can reach more than $20,000 in the most difficult cases. The overall divorce expenses will include the NC divorce filing fee, other court fees such as making copies and serving your spouse, and attorney’s costs.
The average cost of a divorce lawyer in North Carolina is between $250 and $500 or more per hour. The prices differ depending on the following:
How much it costs to file for divorce in NC may depend on the county where you file, but it is typically around $225.The other court fees that impact the cost of divorce in NC are:
Spouses that cannot afford to pay court filing fees can submit a Fee Waiver, proving their financial hardship.
