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How much does a divorce cost in Maryland?
Di Goodman
Maryland managing attorney at Marble Law
Key Takeaways
The cost of a divorce in Maryland can range from about $5,500 to almost $25,000 and more.
Fees associated with filing, service of process, temporary support, discovery, mediation, trial and working with an attorney all contribute to the cost of divorce.
Uncontested divorce in Maryland is significantly cheaper due to less attorney and court time.
Currently, divorce in Maryland can cost anywhere from about $5,500 to almost $25,000 and above. Below is a breakdown of what goes into these sums.
Costs of divorce in Maryland
Although attorney fees are often the most significant charge in a divorce, there are many other fees to be aware of. Below are the main costs of divorce in Maryland.
Attorney fees
The average hourly rate for a Maryland attorney is currently $260 to $325. Note that some lawyers may charge a flat fee for their services.
Filing fees
When someone files a complaint for absolute divorce in Maryland, they owe a filing fee. The exact amount varies by county, but currently it’s typically around $200. Some people may qualify to waive this fee.
Service fees
You must notify your spouse about your divorce filing by serving them with your divorce complaint and any other paperwork that goes with it. You can’t serve the papers yourself. You must ask an adult who isn’t part of your case or hire a professional process server or the sheriff. Currently, this may cost you about $40 to $100, depending on your location.
Temporary orders of support
Since divorce can take months (or longer) to finalize, courts sometimes issue pendente lite orders for support during the process. This may mean you owe (or receive) child support or alimony while the divorce is pending.
Discovery
For this step, each party gathers and exchanges information relevant to the divorce case. This may require paying a minimal fee for documents from government agencies, financial organizations and healthcare institutions. It may also mean paying expert witnesses, such as child psychologists or forensic accountants, for their work and testimony under oath.
Mediation
During this process, the spouses work with a neutral third party mediator to help them reach an agreement on some or all of the issues of their divorce. The couple—often with the help of an attorney—then writes a divorce settlement agreement. If this document addresses all divorce matters, and the agreement terms are fair and reasonable, the family court may make it part of the divorce decree and finalize the divorce without a lengthy trial.
Though you need to pay the mediator and any lawyer you work with during this time, the overall fee is typically much less than going to court.
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Trial
The cost of a divorce trial often depends on the complexity of your divorce. The more issues you have to settle and the more complicated those issues are, the longer it may take, and the more you may have to spend on attorney fees and discovery costs. Also, you might lose wages when you attend a divorce trial and have significant expenses to travel to and from the court.
What is the cheapest way to get a divorce in Maryland?
There’s no foolproof way to cheaply divorce in Maryland. However, it’s good to be aware of what factors may make your divorce fall lower or higher on the cost spectrum. This includes:
Contested divorce vs. uncontested divorce: If you and your spouse can agree about all the relevant issues in your divorce, you have what’s called an uncontested divorce. You can usually submit a signed settlement agreement and avoid going to trial. However, if you and your spouse disagree about any terms of the divorce, you have a contested divorce. In this instance, you’ll need to spend time in discovery, working with a lawyer and going to trial to present your case and have a judge decide those terms of the divorce. Because of the time a contested divorce often takes, it typically costs significantly more than an uncontested divorce.
Children: A divorce that involves minor children tends to cost more because the divorce court must determine child support obligations and custody rights. To do so, you’ll likely need to hire an attorney and may also need the help of child psychologists or other experts.
Property division: Figuring out what rightfully belongs to which spouse can require the help of a forensic accountant, who can cost several hundred dollars per hour.
Spousal support: Though this occurs after your marriage is officially over, spousal support can be a temporary or a long-term cost reaching hundreds or thousands of dollars each month.
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