How Much Divorce Will Actually Cost You in 2020

Lawyers’ fees vary wildly according to the lawyer’s experience, the size of the firm and where the firm is based. According to Canadian Lawyer magazine’s 2019 Legal Fees Survey, an uncontested divorce can cost you between $600 and $1,600 in lawyer’s fees. Remember though that this is for one lawyer and that each party in the divorce usually has their own lawyer. An uncontested divorce is one where both parties agree on all the issues, from child support to who gets what. It’s not only a cheaper and faster option but it’s less emotionally draining, so exes can be friends afterwards.

A good way to avoid having to go through a contested divorce is to opt for family mediation. A mediator will help both parties of the divorce negotiate a settlement so that they don’t have to battle things out in court. Mediators usually charge an hourly rate and this can vary wildly depending on factors like whether it’s a government-funded mediator or a private one, as well as your income. In Ontario, for instance, off-site government-funded family mediation fees can be as little as $5 per hour but can go up to $105 per hour.

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In a contested divorce, the two parties disagree on some issues, such as who gets what, who’ll pay child support and how much they’ll pay, and child visitation rights. This type of divorce takes longer to finalize, is more stressful and is much more expensive too. Canadian Lawyer magazine’s 2019 Legal Fees Survey reveals that the lawyer’s fees for a contested divorce can be anything from $7,500 to $15,000.

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A separation agreement sets out in detail both parties’ rights and responsibilities regarding all aspects of the divorce, from who gets the house and who gets the kids to how you will go forward with the divorce proceedings. The lawyer’s fee for a separation agreement, according to Canadian Lawyer magazine’s 2019 Legal Fees Survey, can range from $1,500 to $3,000.

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If you have children, you and your future ex need to agree on who gets custody of them and who will pay what towards their upbringing. You may even decide to follow the example of celebrity exes who are co-parenting. The lawyer’s fee for a child custody and support agreement, according to Canadian Lawyer magazine’s 2019 Legal Fees Survey, is between $1,500 to $2,500.

One of the things you should never ask your significant other to do is to quit their job. If nothing else, it can cost you dearly after a divorce. A spousal support agreement describes the terms by which one party will pay alimony to the other. Getting a lawyer to draw up one of these will cost you between $800 and $2,400, according to Canadian Lawyer magazine’s 2019 Legal Fees Survey.

A division of property/assets agreement clarifies who gets what in the divorce. The lawyer’s fee for drawing up one of these is between $1,801 and $2,800, according to Canadian Lawyer magazine’s 2019 Legal Fees Survey.

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If there are aspects of your divorce that you and your spouse can’t agree on, the case may have to go to trial. This is where your legal fees really add up and there’s also the risk that you may be ordered to pay the other party’s legal fees on top of your own. For a trial that lasts up to two days, lawyer’s fees can range from less than $13,000 to as much as $27,000, according to Canadian Lawyer magazine’s 2019 Legal Fees Survey.

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If your divorce is especially complicated, the case may have to go to trial for a longer period. Some of the most expensive celebrity divorces involved long court battles and lots of dirty laundry. Canadian Lawyer magazine’s 2019 Legal Fees Survey reveals that the lawyer’s fee for a trial up to five days can be from less than $26,000 to $53,000. It’s worth remembering that if you go to trial, there is a risk that you may be ordered to pay the other party’s legal fees too.

If you’re going to court, you may want to hire the services of an expert. For example, you may need a psychologist’s report if there are accusations of abuse or in a custody battle, or you may need the services of a private investigator to help you catch a cheater. National Bank says that the services of an expert can cost anything from $2,000 to $15,000.

When you can no longer ignore the signs your partner is planning to divorce you, it’s time to start the legal proceedings for ending your marriage. To do this, you need to file a divorce application. The fee for this varies, depending on the province or territory. In Manitoba, for instance, it’s $135 while in Quebec it’s $302.

When you file that initial divorce application, you need to pay $10 on top of the application fee that the province or territory charges you. This extra fee is to be registered in Justice Canada’s Central Register of Divorce Proceedings.

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Serving legal documents usually require the services of a bailiff. Being a bailiff may not be one of those feel-good jobs that bring home the big bucks but as long as people get divorced, they won’t be out of work. How much you’ll need to pay the bailiff depends on the province or territory. For example, in Ontario the fee is $100 per person being served while in Quebec, the fee is determined by kilometre travelled.

Additional court fees vary by province or territory, since each has its own rules on the divorce process. In Quebec, for instance, you’ll have to pay $140 per additional application while in Ontario, your additional fees amount to $420.

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You may want to legally change your name after the divorce. For instance, maybe you took your spouse’s last name when you tied the knot and now you want to go back to the last name you had before. After all, the richest self-made women in the world seldom use their spouse’s last name. The process and fees for legally changing your name vary by province or territory. In Ontario, for instance, you need to pay $137 when sending in all the required documentation.

If you and your partner agree to sell the house and split the profits, remember that you’ll have to pay lawyer’s fees for that. According to Canadian Lawyer magazine’s 2019 Legal Fees Survey, the lawyer may charge you between $701 and $800 for that.

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If you don’t want your ex to get any of your most prized possessions after the divorce, you probably don’t want them to get any of these items upon your death either. To draw up an individual will can cost you between $300 and $1,700 in lawyer’s fees, according to Canadian Lawyer magazine’s 2019 Legal Fees Survey. The fee depends on the complexity of the will, so you may want to avoid going the route of weird celebrity wills.

While the divorce process itself is quite expensive, there are many other possible hidden costs to think of once you’ve split up. You may need to pay for a second household in the form of child support or alimony, for instance, or you may have to pay for childcare while you work. You may lose the benefits of special rates on family mobile phone packages, multi-car insurance, and the like. How much these cost will be depend entirely on your particular situation.

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