End your marriage on your own terms.
You can file your own divorce. We give you every form you'll need and walk you through each step.
Start Your Divorce
Pick your state first.
It's more doable than you think
Your divorce roadmap
File your petition and summons
Serve your spouse
Exchange financial disclosures
Sign your agreement
Get your final decree
The first move matters
You cannot finish a divorce today. But you can start it today.
The case usually begins with a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, often called a Complaint for Divorce. Once that opening document is filed with the right court, the divorce process is officially underway.
You do not need every answer settled before you begin. You need the correct starter form for your state or county, and you need to know where to file it.
We help you identify the filing path and documents to prepare before you go to court.
- The right opening form Your local court may require its own official petition or complaint. If it does, use that form.
- The right place to file Divorce is filed in the court that handles family cases for your county, district, parish, or borough.
- A clear next step After filing, you move into service, disclosures, agreements, and final judgment paperwork.
Start here
First, your state and county set the rules
This is the single most important thing to understand about a DIY divorce: there is no national process. Each state, and often each county, has its own forms, residency rules, waiting periods, and filing steps. Pick your state to see the specifics that apply to you.
Select your state above and we'll show you the residency rule, waiting period, court, grounds, and the official source for your state's forms.
Filing for divorce in your state
Residency requirement-
Waiting / separation-
Where you'll file-
Grounds for divorce-
Parenting classMany courts require parents of minor children to complete an approved class before the divorce is finalized. Check whether yours does.
Filing feeSet by your county; commonly about $100-$450. Confirm the current fee with the clerk and ask about a fee waiver if you cannot afford it.
Official forms source-
For your state, specifically
Confirm these with your local court before you file
- The exact filing fee and whether you qualify for a fee waiver.
- Whether your county requires its own cover sheet or supplemental forms.
- Whether you must e-file or file in person, and how many copies the clerk needs.
- If you have minor children: whether a parenting class is required.
- The deadline to exchange financial disclosures with your spouse.
These are general details to help you orient, not legal advice, and they can change. Always confirm the current rules and forms with the clerk of the court in the county where you'll file.
The process
Your divorce, in 11 plain steps
Every state follows the same basic arc. Tap any step to see what happens and which forms you'll use. Form names vary slightly by state, and your local court may call them something a little different.
Your documents
The complete divorce forms checklist
Here's the full set of documents a self-filer may need, grouped by stage. Not every form applies to everyone. Check off the ones that fit your situation to build your personal list.
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Tip: If you have no minor children and few shared assets, your list is short, often just the petition, summons, financial affidavit, settlement agreement, and final decree. Children, real estate, and retirement accounts add the conditional forms above.
Fallback templates
General divorce documents courts may accept
These LegalTemplates documents can help when your state or local court does not require its own official version. Confirm the accepted form with your clerk before filing.
Use with caution: state and county court forms control. Use these only as fallback templates when your court allows a general document or does not publish its own required form.
Marital Settlement Agreement
Put the full agreement in writing for property division, debts, support, and other settlement terms.
Parenting Plan
Map custody, decision-making, parenting time, exchanges, holidays, and communication rules.
Financial Affidavit
Summarize income, expenses, assets, debts, and financial obligations in one sworn statement.
Schedule of Assets and Debts
List property, accounts, vehicles, retirement assets, loans, and other debts for easier review.
Child Support Agreement Worksheet
Organize support amounts, payment timing, medical costs, child care, and shared child expenses.
Petition for Dissolution of Marriage
Draft the opening request asking the court to start the divorce and grant the divorce terms.
Divorce Summons
Notify the other spouse that the divorce case was filed and explain the response deadline.
Clerk Cover Letter
Tell the clerk what you are filing, what you need processed, and how to return copies.
Divorce Filing Checklist
Track required forms, copies, fees, service, and follow-up steps before filing.
Child support planning
Estimate how child costs may be shared
Child support is set by state guidelines, but the same core facts usually matter: each parent's income, parenting time, child care, health insurance, and other child-related costs. Use this as a planning estimate before you open your state's official worksheet.
We'll use this only to link you to the official state source. The math below is a planning estimate, not a state guideline calculation.
Use the monthly payment option for the most common child-support order.
Ordinary recurring costs before child care, health insurance, and other add-ons.
Daycare, after-school care, or babysitting needed so a parent can work, look for work, or attend job-related training.
Leave both direct-payment fields blank to estimate from parenting time.
Estimated monthly payment
$0
Enter income and monthly child costs to estimate a monthly payment or contribution gap.
Enter income and child costs to see the calculation.
Father income share0%
Mother income share0%
- Combined monthly income$0
- Entered child-related costs$0
- Cost formula$0 basic + $0 child care + $0 insurance + $0 other
- Direct payments countedEstimated from parenting time
- Support setupOne parent pays the other
- Estimated payer-
This is not a court guideline calculation. Every state has official child-support rules and worksheets, and courts can account for taxes, other support orders, benefits, special needs, and parenting schedules. Open your state's official source.
Official Court Forms - Source URLs by State
Free, current divorce forms are published by state courts and court-approved self-help sources. Find your state below and link directly to the official source.
Showing 51 of 51 jurisdictions
| State | Court | Official source | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Circuit Court | Alabama Administrative Office of Courts | alacourt.gov |
| Alaska | Superior Court | Alaska Court System - Family Law Self-Help Center | courts.alaska.gov/shc/family |
| Arizona | Superior Court | Arizona Judicial Branch - Self-Service Center | azcourts.gov/selfservicecenter |
| Arkansas | Circuit Court | Arkansas Judiciary (and your county Circuit Clerk) | arcourts.gov |
| California | Superior Court | California Courts - Self-Help Guide | selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/divorce-forms |
| Colorado | District Court | Colorado Judicial Branch - Self-Help | coloradojudicial.gov/self-help |
| Connecticut | Superior Court | Connecticut Judicial Branch | jud.ct.gov |
| Delaware | Family Court | Delaware Courts - Family Court | courts.delaware.gov/family |
| District of Columbia | DC Superior Court | DC Courts - Family Court | dccourts.gov |
| Florida | Circuit Court | Florida Courts - Family Law Forms | flcourts.gov - Family Law Forms |
| Georgia | Superior Court | Georgia Courts - Self-Help Resources | georgiacourts.gov/a2j/divorce-forms |
| Hawaii | Family Court | Hawaii State Judiciary - Self-Help | courts.state.hi.us/self-help |
| Idaho | District Court | Idaho Court Assistance Office | courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Forms/divorce |
| Illinois | Circuit Court | Illinois Courts - Approved Forms | illinoiscourts.gov/forms/approved-forms |
| Indiana | Circuit or Superior Court | Indiana Judicial Branch - Self-Service Legal Center | in.gov/courts/selfservice |
| Iowa | District Court | Iowa Judicial Branch - Court Forms | iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/court-forms |
| Kansas | District Court | Kansas Courts - Self-Help | self-help.kscourts.gov/Divorce |
| Kentucky | Circuit Court | Kentucky Court of Justice - Legal Forms | kycourts.gov |
| Louisiana | District Court | Louisiana Law Help (and your Parish Clerk of Court) | louisianalawhelp.org |
| Maine | District or Superior Court | Maine Judicial Branch - Court Forms | courts.maine.gov/forms |
| Maryland | Circuit Court | Maryland Courts - Family Law Forms | mdcourts.gov/family/forms |
| Massachusetts | Probate & Family Court | Massachusetts Probate & Family Court | mass.gov/probate-and-family-court |
| Michigan | Circuit Court | Michigan Legal Help (Michigan Courts forms) | michiganlegalhelp.org |
| Minnesota | District Court | Minnesota Judicial Branch - Court Forms | mncourts.gov/GetForms |
| Mississippi | Chancery Court | Mississippi Judiciary - Self-Help | courts.ms.gov |
| Missouri | Circuit Court | Missouri Courts - Dissolution Forms | courts.mo.gov - Dissolution Forms |
| Montana | District Court | Montana Courts - Self-Help Law Center | courts.mt.gov/forms |
| Nebraska | District Court | Nebraska Judicial Branch - Self-Help | supremecourt.nebraska.gov/self-help |
| Nevada | District Court | Nevada Supreme Court - Self-Help Center | selfhelp.nvcourts.gov/divorce |
| New Hampshire | Circuit Court - Family Division | New Hampshire Judicial Branch | courts.nh.gov |
| New Jersey | Superior Court - Family Part | New Jersey Courts - Self-Help (Divorce) | njcourts.gov/self-help/divorce |
| New Mexico | District Court | New Mexico Courts - Self-Representation | selfrepresentation.nmcourts.gov/divorce |
| New York | Supreme Court | New York Courts - Divorce Resources | nycourts.gov/divorce |
| North Carolina | District Court | North Carolina Judicial Branch - Divorce Help | nccourts.gov/help-topics/divorce |
| North Dakota | District Court | North Dakota Courts - Legal Self-Help | ndcourts.gov/legal-self-help/divorce |
| Ohio | Court of Common Pleas (Domestic Relations) | Ohio Supreme Court - Uniform Domestic Relations Forms | supremecourt.ohio.gov - domestic-forms |
| Oklahoma | District Court | Oklahoma State Courts Network (OSCN) - Forms | oscn.net/static/forms |
| Oregon | Circuit Court | Oregon Judicial Department - Divorce Forms | courts.oregon.gov - divorce forms |
| Pennsylvania | Court of Common Pleas | Pennsylvania Courts - Representing Yourself | pacourts.us/learn/representing-yourself |
| Rhode Island | Family Court | Rhode Island Judiciary - Family Court Forms | courts.ri.gov - Family Court Forms |
| South Carolina | Family Court | South Carolina Judicial Branch - Forms | sccourts.org/forms |
| South Dakota | Circuit Court | South Dakota UJS - Self-Help (Divorce) | ujs.sd.gov - Divorce Self-Help |
| Tennessee | Circuit or Chancery Court | Tennessee Courts - Court-Approved Divorce Forms | tncourts.gov - Court-Approved Divorce Forms |
| Texas | District Court | TexasLawHelp.org (Texas court-approved self-help forms) | texaslawhelp.org - divorce |
| Utah | District Court | Utah Courts - Online Court Assistance Program (OCAP) | utcourts.gov - family/divorce |
| Vermont | Superior Court - Family Division | Vermont Judiciary - Family Division | vermontjudiciary.org - family/divorce |
| Virginia | Circuit Court | Virginia's Judicial System - Forms | vacourts.gov/forms/circuit |
| Washington | Superior Court | Washington Courts - Court Forms (Dissolution) | courts.wa.gov - Dissolution forms |
| West Virginia | Family Court | West Virginia Judiciary - Self-Represented Forms | courtswv.gov - family self-represented |
| Wisconsin | Circuit Court | Wisconsin Court System - Forms | wicourts.gov/forms1/circuit |
| Wyoming | District Court | Wyoming Judicial Branch - Representing Yourself | courts.state.wy.us - representing-yourself |
No states match your search. Try a different term.
About these links. These are official judicial-branch or court-approved self-help sources where current divorce forms are published. Forms, fees, and procedures vary by state and county, and links can move; always confirm current requirements with the clerk of the court where you plan to file. This page provides self-help legal information, not legal advice.
Is DIY right for you?
An honest gut-check
Filing on your own is a great fit for many couples, and the wrong call for some. Here's how to tell.
DIY usually works well when...
- You both agree it's over and want an uncontested divorce.
- You can agree on dividing property and debts.
- You have no children, or you agree on custody and support.
- Your finances are relatively straightforward.
- You're both willing to sign the paperwork.
Talk to a lawyer first if...
- There's any domestic violence or you feel unsafe.
- You disagree about custody or support.
- There are significant or hidden assets, a business, or pensions.
- Your spouse has a lawyer and you feel out-matched.
- Your spouse won't cooperate at all and the case is contested.
Ready to take the first step?
Build your personalized divorce packet for free. Answer a few questions, get the right forms for your state, and follow the steps at your own pace.
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