Estimate the total cost of a divorce in Texas. The filing fee is only the start. What really moves the number is whether the divorce is uncontested or contested, and how many hours an attorney spends on it.
A do-it-yourself uncontested divorce in Texas costs about $300 to $500, mostly the court filing fee of $250 to $400. An uncontested divorce with a lawyer preparing the paperwork runs $1,500 to $5,000. A contested divorce with an attorney typically costs $10,000 to $20,000 without children, and $15,000 to $30,000 or more with children. Attorney hours are the main driver.
The court filing fee gets all the attention, but it is the smallest part of most divorces. The real cost is legal time. A divorce where both spouses agree on everything can be done for a few hundred dollars. A divorce where they fight over children, a house, or a business can run into the tens of thousands. The single biggest lever you control is whether the case stays uncontested.
| Route | Typical total | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Uncontested, DIY | $300 to $500 | Filing fee, forms, service |
| Uncontested, with a lawyer | $1,500 to $5,000 | Filing fee plus flat or limited-scope legal work |
| Contested, no children | $10,000 to $20,000 | Filing fee plus attorney hours, discovery, mediation |
| Contested, with children | $15,000 to $30,000+ | The above plus custody and support disputes |
| High-conflict or high-asset | $50,000 to $200,000+ | Experts, valuations, extended litigation |
For the version covering other states, see the main divorce cost calculator. If children are involved, also run the Texas child support calculator and the Texas alimony calculator.
Sources: Texas county district clerk fee schedules; Texas family law attorney fee surveys, 2026.
These are educational estimates, not quotes. Costs vary widely by county, attorney, and case complexity. Get a written fee agreement from any attorney before hiring, and ask exactly what the retainer covers.
To start a divorce in Texas you file an Original Petition for Divorce and pay the district clerk a filing fee. The amount is set by each county, so it varies. As a rule, larger counties charge more.
Filing fees run from about $250 in smaller counties to $400 in the largest. Harris County is around $350 to $365. Budget roughly $300 to $350 for most urban counties. There may be small extra charges for issuing a citation or for a jury.
Texas lets low-income filers submit a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs. If the court approves it, the filing fee and service costs are waived. This is a real option, not a technicality.
The other spouse must be formally notified. Service by a constable or private process server usually costs $75 to $150. It is free if the other spouse signs a waiver of service, which is common in agreed divorces.
An uncontested divorce is one where both spouses agree on everything: property, debts, and any children. It is by far the cheapest and fastest path, and it is realistic for many couples, especially without significant assets or minor children.
If you handle the forms yourself, your cost is essentially the filing fee plus service, so about $300 to $500. If you use an online service or a lawyer for a flat fee to prepare the paperwork, expect $1,500 to $5,000 depending on complexity. Even a contested case that settles early can drop back toward this range, which is why settlement saves so much.
Texas still requires a 60-day waiting period from filing before the divorce is final, so even the simplest uncontested divorce takes at least two months.
Contested divorces are expensive for one reason: attorney hours. Texas family law attorneys charge about $250 to $350 per hour on average, and you typically pay a retainer up front that the lawyer bills against.
Disputes over custody and possession, disagreements about what is community property and how to divide it, discovery such as document requests and depositions, temporary orders hearings, mediation, and, in a minority of cases, a trial. Children add cost because custody and support have to be litigated on top of the property division.
Most Texas courts order mediation before trial. Mediators charge $200 to $500 per hour, and a session runs $1,000 to $3,000 total. It is an added cost, but it settles many cases and avoids the far larger cost of trial.
High-asset divorces add business valuations, forensic accountants, or custody evaluators. These push costs well past $50,000 and are the reason the top of the range is so high.
The biggest savings come from staying out of court. A few practical moves make a large difference.
Every issue you settle between yourselves is an issue your lawyers do not bill for. Even a partial agreement narrows the fight and the cost.
For an agreed divorce, many attorneys or online services will prepare the paperwork for a flat fee rather than an open-ended hourly retainer. Ask specifically for this.
Going to mediation before positions harden can settle the case for the price of one session instead of months of litigation.