How to Get an Inexpensive Divorce in California

By
How to Get an Inexpensive Divorce in California
(Photo : pixabay)

The best way to get a cheap divorce in California is to go for an uncontested divorce. This will help the spouses manage fees and the cost of the divorce. This way, the husband and the wife can save up some money to be used in taking care of the children going forward. In this article, we shall be examining significant ways to get an affordable divorce in California for both spouses and how to go about it.

1. Prepare the Divorce by Yourself

One of the best ways to go about filing a divorce when looking to cut costs is to prepare the divorce by yourself. This will save you the expense of getting an attorney to get the job done for you. By being able to prepare the papers by yourself, all you need to pay for will be the court fees. To do this, you would have to invest a lot of time in careful research and make sure that every one of the divorce papers filed is done correctly.

As we all know, the law does not give room for ignorance as an excuse for mistakes.

2. Make Use of Online Services

In line with the rapid advancement in technology, the internet offers a wide range of services, and that includes offering divorce services to clients. By making use of online divorce services to carry out an uncontested divorce, you can save some money as it costs only a few hundred dollars. Considering that many of the services carried out by these online platforms don't require leaving your home, that also reduces the cost.

The cost of these online divorce services also varies depending on the platform that is providing such services. Before choosing an online divorce service, make sure you compare it with others. 

How to Get an Online Divorce

It is not enough to know that online divorce services offer inexpensive divorce; it is also essential to understand how to go about divorce over the Internet. Not knowing how online divorce works might result in you spending a lot of money, as you would if you were to hire an attorney. While some online divorce services make it easy for spouses to apply for divorce, others do not. Some online divorce platforms in California will require you to provide extra information. 

You will be required to sign-up to the platform so that a unique account can be created for you. This sign up process varies from one divorce platform to another but generally requires that you provide necessary information about you and your marriage. You will also be required to provide your contact information to make it easy to reach out to you when the papers have been prepared.

  • The next step will require that you provide the platform with your place of residence, presence or absence of children and properties. All this information makes it easy for these platforms to fast track the whole process of divorce while helping you to save cost in the best possible way.

  • You could also be asked to provide relevant information about your spouse as well as their whereabouts. Here, you will also be asked for the reason(s) why you want the divorce.

  • The final thing in the account creation process will require you to indicate the payment process that is best for you and confirm the same. When all of these have been done, you have a unique account of your own, and then you can successfully commence the divorce process.

3. Saving Time Helps to Save Money

One of the several things that makes divorce quite expensive in California is the time it takes for it to be completed. Going by the law, it takes an average of 6 months for a divorce case to be achieved. This time covers all the processes involved from when the petition was filed, served and responded to, up until the final decision is made. There are undoubtedly many other factors that can lengthen the divorce process, and they include, among others:

  • Child Custody

  • Visitation Rights & Alimony

  • Property Division

With an attorney and all of these issues present, a divorce in California can take as long as 15 months to have it completed. This is why spouses looking to have an inexpensive divorce in California are advised to settle many of these issues amicably without an attorney before commencing the divorce process. Online divorce services are the best option for spouses who look to save time because these platforms can help you come to a reasonable resolution within a month or two.

4. Apply for a Fee Waiver

Spouses who have a lot of money many times don't care about the cost of divorce provided they can get it done. Many times, spouses who look for inexpensive divorce in California are either those receiving public benefits or those whose income falls below the required threshold. When this happens, it becomes difficult for such a spouse to afford his/her basic needs, much less an expensive divorce. If such is the case with you, you can apply for a fee waiver with specific qualifications.

To be eligible for a fee waiver, you have to be earning below the minimum income threshold. This minimum income threshold is about $1,200 per month for a single person household and about $3,500 per month for a 6-person family. Despite earning above the minimum income threshold, it is still possible to be eligible for a fee waiver after a careful analysis of your earnings, holdings, expenses and deductions.

5. Consider the Out-Of-Court Divorce Option

While there are many ways to get an inexpensive divorce in California via the court system, the best way spouses can cut costs is not to go to court. When you think of the necessary divorce documents that are to be filled; the time it takes to have it completed, and the psychological effect it can have on both spouses, then it is best to settle out of court. The out-of-court divorce option is always best when it is an uncontested divorce and spouses have agreed on essential terms in the divorce which includes partitioning of properties, custody of children and visitation. This doesn't just help to save cost; it also saves time making the whole process a lot easier.

In doing this, you can engage the services of close family members or a single lawyer to represent both the husband and the wife. Spouses can also make use of an online attorney to prepare the documents for both husband and wife to ensure that they understand its contents. When this is done, and the contents are unanimously agreed upon, the attorney can go on to carry out all the required legal activities involved in finalizing the whole process.

Divorce, we have come to know, is not the desired end of many spouses even though they eventually find themselves at that point. There are sometimes many overriding factors that neither spouse has control over that result in the divorce. This is why both spouses should find the best possible option to save cost when carrying out the divorce. Divorce shouldn't be an option, but when it becomes inevitable, then all your money shouldn't go into it. A lot has been spent on the wedding, and that shouldn't be repeated for the divorce. So, if you have been looking for how to get an inexpensive divorce in California, we hope that the information provided above can help you with all the necessary information needed in filing for divorce at a low cost.

Join the Discussion
More Law & Society News
IRS Reinstates $300 Monthly Child Tax Credit Payments Under Biden's New Family Assistance Plan

IRS Reinstates $300 Monthly Child Tax Credit Payments Under Biden's New Family Assistance Plan

Ohio Woman Sentenced for Massive Social Security Scam Involving Dead Child's Identity

Ohio Woman Sentenced for Massive Social Security Scam Involving Dead Child's Identity

How To Prepare for Survivor's Penalty and Avoid Higher Taxes After Losing a Spouse

How To Prepare for Survivor's Penalty and Avoid Higher Taxes After Losing a Spouse

NY Attorney General Letitia James Plans to Collect $454M by Freezing Trump's Bank Accounts, Properties

NY Attorney General Letitia James Plans to Collect $454M by Freezing Trump's Bank Accounts, Properties

Real Time Analytics