Services and Costs
Basic Processing:
Our Basic Processing service covers complete document preparation and continuing procedural assistance covering the entire four-step court process.
Your total cost for Basic Processing (not including the $300 court filing fee, if applicable) depends on the payment schedule you select (as explained below):
- $225 (Single-payment schedule)
- $250 (Split-payment schedule)
- $195 (Low-income schedule)
The amount of your beginning deposit depends on how you choose to provide us with the information we need to generate your signable first-step documents:
- $0 if you use our questionnaire
- $45 if you use our paper intake form (form downloaded or mailed to you)
Basic Processing begins when you return to us your signed first-step documents accompanied by a court fee payment and your selected payment for Basic Processing. Your selected initial Basic Processing payment places you on one of three possible payment schedules:
- Single-payment schedule: select $225*; add $300 court fee payment
- Split-payment schedule: select $150*; add $300 court fee payment
- Low-income schedule: select $195*; no court fee
- *Deduct from these amounts any beginning deposit you have paid.
If you select either the single-payment or low-income schedule, you will have no other payments for Basic Processing.
If you select the split-payment schedule, you incur a $25 surcharge; with your completed third-step documents, you will receive notice of a final $100 Basic Processing payment that includes this surcharge.
Special Services
Your special circumstances may require one or more of these special services.
Marital Settlement Agreement:
- Purpose: An enforceable contract to be made part of the divorce record.
- When needed: You have children to support, and/or you have property or debts that you will divide only after the divorce becomes final.
- Payable to us:
- Children, no property: $175 minimum
- Property, no children: $175 minimum
- Children and property: $225
- Payable to court: $0
Sheriff or private process service:
- Purpose: Proof of Service
- When needed: Spouse won't sign Acknowledgment of Service
- Payable to us:
- Spouse in New Jersey: $0
- Spouse out of state but in U.S.: $30
- Spouse in foreign country: varies
- Payable to process server:
- Spouse in New Jersey: $24 to $30+ (depends on municipality where spouse is served)
- Spouse out of state but in U.S.: est. $35 (varies)
- Spouse in foreign country: varies
- Purpose: Proof of Service by advertisement of summons
- When needed: Spouse can't be located for notification purposes
- Payable to us: $125 (for Certification of Inquiry and placement of ad)
- Payable to newspaper: est. $75 (varies)
Reinstatement to court docket:
- Purpose: Request court to reinstate an incomplete divorce proceeding
- When needed: Court has dismissed a case pending for too long a time
- Payable to us: $75 (for Motion to Reinstate documents)
- Payable to court: $30