How Much Does a Divorce Cost in Georgia? Filing Fees, Pauper's Affidavits and Cost Drivers

Last reviewed: October 17, 2026. This article is general information, not legal advice. Georgia divorce filing fees vary by county, so confirm the current amount with your Superior Court clerk before you file.

If you're asking how much a divorce costs in Georgia, start with the parts you can pin down. The court costs are posted by each county's Superior Court clerk and are a few hundred dollars. What's harder to predict is everything after filing, which depends mainly on how much you and your spouse agree on. For other states, see our guides to Florida, Texas and Virginia.

Short answer: Filing for divorce in Georgia costs roughly $217 to $223 in the metro Atlanta counties we checked (Fulton $223, DeKalb $217), plus $50 if the sheriff serves your spouse. If you can't afford it, you can file a pauper's affidavit instead of paying. Some circuits add a parenting seminar fee (Gwinnett charges $52 per person). An uncontested divorce can stay close to these costs; a contested one can cost many times more, mostly in attorney fees.

Georgia divorce filing fees

Divorces are filed with the clerk of the Superior Court in the proper county. Georgia law sets the clerk's core fee, and other statutes add charges on top:

• O.C.G.A. 15-6-77(e)(2) sets the clerk's total for services in civil cases (which include divorce) through entry of judgment at $58, and says that sum isn't required from a party who files an affidavit of indigence.
• O.C.G.A. 15-6-77.4(a) says that "for filing each divorce case, the clerk of superior court shall charge an additional fee of $5.00." That's why Fulton's divorce fee is $5 higher than its general civil fee.
• Other state-mandated add-ons bring the total you actually pay to a little over $200.

Here's what three clerks posted when we checked on October 17, 2026:

DeKalb's schedule also notes a credit card surcharge (2% plus $1) and that out-of-county service fees are paid to the serving officials. Because fees change (DeKalb's divorce fee, for example, went up on July 1, 2024), check your clerk's current fee schedule before filing.

Pauper's affidavit: Georgia's fee waiver

Georgia's fee waiver is simple in principle. Under O.C.G.A. 9-15-2 (quoted above), if you sign an affidavit that because of your indigence you can't pay the costs, you're relieved from paying them, and your rights are the same as if you had paid.

• The form: the statewide self-help form is titled Affidavit of Eligibility to Proceed in Forma Pauperis. It states that "because of my indigent status, I am unable to pay the costs of this proceeding." It's published by the Georgia courts' Administrative Office; your clerk can also tell you what to file.
• It can be challenged: under 9-15-2(a)(2) another party can contest the affidavit, and under 9-15-2(b) the court can inquire and, after a hearing, order the costs to be paid.
• It helps with other fees too: for example, Gwinnett County's parenting seminar offers a fee waiver to parties who filed under a pauper's affidavit.

Serving your spouse

Your spouse must be formally served with the divorce papers unless they acknowledge service. Under O.C.G.A. 15-16-21(b)(1), the sheriff's fee for "Serving copy of process and returning original, per copy" is $50. If your spouse lives in another county, you pay that county's sheriff directly.

If your spouse is cooperative, they can acknowledge service instead, which avoids the sheriff's fee. Uniform Superior Court Rule 24.6(A) refers to granting a divorce by written consent "any time 31 days after service or filing acknowledgment of service."

What drives the rest of the cost

Uncontested vs contested

Georgia requires that one spouse has been a bona fide resident of the state for six months before filing (O.C.G.A. 19-5-2), and that at least 30 days pass after service before a no-fault divorce is granted. Under Uniform Superior Court Rule 24.6:

• an agreed divorce can be granted any time 31 days after service or acknowledgment of service;
• an unanswered case can be granted any time 46 days after service;
• a case served by publication can be granted 61 days or more after the first publication.

In an uncontested divorce, costs are mainly the filing fee, service (or acknowledgment), and drafting a settlement agreement and final decree (with more paperwork if you have children). A contested divorce adds discovery, depositions, expert valuations, temporary hearings and possibly trial. For help deciding which issues are worth a fight, see is it worth contesting a divorce.

Children and the parenting seminar

Uniform Superior Court Rule 24.8 lets courts "require any or all parties to attend an educational seminar of no more than four hours in any domestic relations action." Each judicial circuit decides whether to require it. Rule 24.8(D) allows a fee as long as there's a waiver for indigent parties, and Rule 24.8(E) warns that failing to complete a required seminar can mean "withholding the final decree of divorce".

In Gwinnett County, the four-hour "Navigating Family Change: Parenting" seminar must be completed within 31 days of service, and "Payment is $52.00 per person." Disputed custody adds lawyer time and can involve evaluations or other professionals, which add cost.

Mediation

Mediation, where a neutral person helps you and your spouse negotiate, is usually far cheaper than a trial. In Gwinnett County, the court's ADR page says "The mediators set their own fees, and fees range from $100 to $300 dollars per hour. The fee for a mediation session is divided by all of the parties." Mediation fees elsewhere differ, so ask your court's ADR office.

Lawyer fees: hourly vs flat fee

We haven't found an official, reliable average for Georgia divorce lawyer fees, so we won't quote one. Arrangements you'll commonly see:

• Hourly billing with a retainer, the norm for contested divorces;
• Flat fees for uncontested divorces where the spouses already agree;
• Limited-scope help, such as drafting or reviewing a settlement agreement.

The key factors are how many issues are disputed, whether children are involved, the complexity of your property and debts, and the lawyer's experience and location. Each spouse usually pays their own lawyer, but courts can shift fees in some situations; see who pays for a divorce.

Practical ways to keep a Georgia divorce affordable

• Agree on as much as possible and put it in a written settlement agreement.
• Have your spouse acknowledge service instead of paying the sheriff.
• File a pauper's affidavit if you can't afford costs.
• Complete any required parenting seminar early so your decree isn't delayed.
• Try mediation before litigating disputed issues.

Other states

See how much a divorce costs in Florida, Texas, New York, California and Virginia.

Sources

• O.C.G.A. § 9-15-2, affidavit of indigence: FindLaw
• O.C.G.A. § 15-6-77, clerk's fees: FindLaw
• O.C.G.A. § 15-6-77.4, additional divorce fee: FindLaw
• O.C.G.A. § 15-16-21, sheriff's fees: FindLaw
• O.C.G.A. § 19-5-2, residency: FindLaw
• O.C.G.A. § 19-5-3, grounds for divorce: FindLaw
• Uniform Superior Court Rules (Rules 24.6 and 24.8): georgiacourts.gov
• Affidavit of Eligibility to Proceed in Forma Pauperis: georgiacourts.gov
• Fulton County Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts, fee schedule: fultonclerk.org
• DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk, civil and family: dksuperiorclerk.com
• DeKalb County civil/family filing fees (effective October 10, 2025): dksuperiorclerk.com
• Gwinnett County Superior Court, fees: gwinnettcourts.com
• Gwinnett County, parenting seminar: gwinnettcourts.com
• Gwinnett County, ADR processes: gwinnettcourts.com