Getting divorced through the Washington court implies filing a decent number of forms that are often challenging to fill out correctly. If you can hardly afford a lawyer, you can get divorce papers prepared online to save you up to $2000. It is the average price for an attorney’s assistance in preparing the divorce documentation. Here is a short how-to guide for filing a DIY divorce.
Types of Divorce In Washington
According to state family law, a person can apply for divorce only on a no-fault basis. The petitioner is not eligible to blame the respondent for ruining the marriage. The only legitimate grounds for divorce are “irretrievable breakdown” or “irreconcilable reasons.” Nevertheless, the dissolution of marriage can be one of two types:
- Contested divorce: if the couple cannot agree in the post-divorce distribution of property, splitting debts, arranging custody, spousal support, and other children-related issues, it is considered a contested divorce. In this case, both spouses have to hire lawyers and go to trial so that a judge could resolve their discrepancies.
- Uncontested divorce: if the husband and wife have reached an agreement on all divorce issues, it qualifies as an uncontested divorce. Such a divorce process is significantly more straightforward than the contested one. It allows ending a marriage without an attorney and trial. The cost of divorce for uncontested cases is much lower. That is why 9 of 10 couples in the USA aim to reach an agreement without legal battles.
An uncontested divorce is a win-win option for ending a marriage in Washington state. It implies simpler and faster legal proceedings and affordable alternatives to expensive lawyer’s assistance. You can even prepare your application for divorce online, avoiding red tape and having to travel to a local court.
Ways to Get Divorce Documents Ready
If you and your ex are motivated to finish your separation with minimum effort and expenses, choose the uncontested scenario. In this case, you only need to fill all required documents correctly and send them to the local court in your county. There are three ways to do that:
- Hire an attorney to collect all necessary information and fill in all forms required for your case.
- Learn the field and do it entirely by yourself.
- Generate all documents for divorce over the internet using online services recognized in your state.
The first option has one obvious drawback: lawyers charge over $1,000 for paperwork alone. It may take a couple of weeks in a best-case scenario. If you decide to do it yourself, you risk missing important details while preparing the documents. For example, you can forget to specify some property items or financial terms for your agreement. As a result, you can lose part of your assets after the divorce is finalized. If the documents are filled out incorrectly or some papers are missing, the court will return them, and you’ll have to correct them again and again.
The best option for fast, cheap, and correct filing for divorce is using specialized online document helpers. These services allow getting correctly filled documents ready for court review. You won’t need to go anywhere or spend days and nights learning legal requirements. Online divorce companies charge around $100 – $300 and guide you through the remaining steps with detailed instructions.
How to Complete Divorce Online
First of all, discuss all divorce-related issues with your spouse. Ensure you have found the shared vision regarding joint property division, alimony, debt splitting, child custody, etc. When everything is peacefully agreed upon, you can start filing an online divorce. There is no need to attend any establishments to make necessary arrangements. Do it comfortably from home, following these steps:
- Verify whether you meet the residency requirements for getting a divorce in Washington state. If there are no children in your marriage, there is no mandatory residency period. Otherwise, you have to live in WA for a minimum of 6 months before.
- It is enough for one of the spouses to live in the state.
- Choose the appropriate internet divorce service. It must be able to produce the documents fully according to the acting laws of your state.
- Fill in all necessary information going through the step-by-step questionnaire. The system will use this data to generate your documents package.
- Get your electronic documents for divorce ready. Usually, the waiting period is from 2 hours to 2 days based on the case complexity.
- File the documents with the court of your county.
- Wait until the judge checks all your papers and signs the dissolution decree.
There are counties in Washington that accept filing by mail. Some of the counties do not even require a person to be its resident for filing divorce documents. That is why every WA resident can do it over mail.
To secure yourself from unreliable service providers, choose among the ones that offer a money-back guarantee. If you get your papers rejected by a court, you will be able to save your money. Some services provide 100% document court approval. In case of problems, the support specialists make all necessary corrections for free.
How Much Does Web Divorce Cost?
According to the latest reports, the average divorce cost per spouse is $11,300. The divorce lawyer’s hourly rate starts from $100. Online divorce is a quick and inexpensive alternative to the traditional divorce proceeding. You need to pay only filing fees and fees for online document generation. The filing fees in Washington state vary from county to county, being around $300. The online uncontested divorce document preparation can cost you from $130 to $500. You may spend $430 – $800 in total for both spouses, which is a massive cost cut compared to the traditional divorce.
Takeaways
If you are looking for a budget-friendly and straightforward divorce in Washington state, choose to get the required legal forms online. It will save tons of time and guarantee that the court will approve the prepared documents. This half-DIY approach takes minimum time to finalize the divorce process and costs significantly less than traditional attorney’s assistance.
