Divorce in Arkansas, start to finish
See a different stateArkansas
Arkansas never adopted no-fault divorce the way most states did. There’s no box you check that just means “we grew apart” — you either prove one of seven fault grounds, or you prove you’ve already lived completely apart for eighteen straight months. Pick the wrong lane and a judge can send the whole case back to zero. That’s what this kit sorts out first, then the forms, the deadlines, and the one corroboration rule that catches almost every self-represented filer here.
Put in the day you filed and this page works out every deadline in your case, then hands you a calendar file that reminds you a week before each one and again the day before. It opens in the calendar you already use. Free, no account, nothing stored.
1 · The two routes, and what the rule requires
Arkansas divorces run on Ark. Code § 9-12-301 — eight grounds, period. Seven of them require proving that something happened. The eighth just requires proving the spouses have already been apart, completely, for eighteen continuous months. Which of the two applies is the single biggest reason self-represented Arkansas cases stall, because Arkansas will not grant a divorce merely because both spouses want one — a judge can dismiss a complaint for want of grounds even where the other spouse never objects.
Ark. Code § 9-12-307(a)(1)(A) requires one spouse to have actually lived in Arkansas for 60 days before filing — and then to keep living here through at least 3 full months before a judge can sign the decree. There is no shortcut around it.
The 18-month separation ground
Ark. Code § 9-12-301(b)(5)
Where it applies, the statute says the court shall grant the divorce. No fault has to be proven or argued.
This is the ground that does not require proving anything happened — only that the separation is real and unbroken.
Available only where all of these are true:
- The spouses have lived completely separate and apart, without cohabitation — not even once — for 18 continuous months or more.
Even in a fully agreed, unopposed case, Arkansas still requires someone other than either spouse to independently corroborate residency and separation. See the trap in Section 6 before assuming that “uncontested” means only the two of you.
The seven fault grounds
Ark. Code § 9-12-301(b)
Where 18 months of separation has not run, the case has to be built on one of Arkansas’s other seven grounds. Most commonly that is adultery, cruel treatment, or “indignities” — a real legal term here, but one where courts want specific incidents, not just the word.
A fault ground does not make a case contested. Most fault-ground divorces in Arkansas are entirely agreed once both people are ready to put the ground in writing.
The seven fault grounds under § 9-12-301(b) are:
- Adultery.
- Cruel or barbarous treatment endangering the other spouse’s life.
- Indignities that render the other spouse’s situation intolerable — courts want specific incidents.
- A felony or other infamous-crime conviction.
- Habitual drunkenness for a year or more.
- Willful failure to support.
- Impotence at the time of the marriage.
Where neither 18 months of separation nor a provable fault ground is there yet, there is no ground to file on. Two things are available in the meantime: waiting until § 9-12-301(b)(5) becomes available, and separate maintenance under Ark. Code § 9-12-312, which addresses support and living arrangements while the 18 months runs.
A verbal “I won’t fight it” waives nothing under Arkansas law. Where a spouse cooperates, get it in writing — a signed county waiver can replace both a process server and courtroom corroboration testimony (Section 3). Where they do not, budget for sheriff or process-server fees and expect the corroboration and proof requirements in Section 6 to actually get used.
2 · Every form Arkansas publishes for a divorce
The complete list, not a shortlist — because which forms a case needs depends on facts only you and, if you need one, your lawyer can weigh. Unlike Florida or Connecticut, Arkansas has never published a statewide packet of standardized family-law forms; your circuit clerk’s own template, or the free tool built by Legal Aid of Arkansas, does that job instead. Each row says which route it belongs to and where the form actually comes from.
The Cusp is not a law firm and cannot tell you which forms are right for your case. Everything here is general information about how Arkansas handles divorce, and every form below is published free by Arkansas itself — you do not have to buy anything from anyone to get them. If your situation is not straightforward, a consultation with a Arkansas family lawyer costs far less than fixing a filing that went wrong.
| Form | What it is | Route | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic Relations Cover Sheet | Required with every domestic relations filing, statewide, under Administrative Order Number 8 | All | AO8 | Download ↓ |
| Complaint for Divorce | No single statewide form — a verified complaint stating the ground is drafted, or generated with Legal Aid’s free interactive packet (Section 3) | All | — | see clerk |
| Summons | Issued with the complaint; the template comes from your circuit clerk, not a statewide source | All | — | see clerk |
| Affidavit of Financial Means | Sworn financial disclosure, exchanged between the spouses before any hearing that sets or modifies child support or alimony — Administrative Order Number 10 | All | AO10 | Download ↓ |
| Entry of Appearance / Waiver of Service (and Waiver of Corroboration, if uncontested) | Lets a cooperating spouse skip formal sheriff service — ask your circuit clerk for their local version | All | — | see clerk |
| Fee Waiver (In Forma Pauperis) | Where the $165 filing fee cannot be afforded — based on Ark. R. Civ. P. Rule 72 and the federal poverty guidelines | All | Rule 72 | Download ↓ |
| Domestic Relations Disposition Sheet | Filed when the case concludes, recording the outcome — statewide form | All | AO8 | Download ↓ |
The statewide forms above are free. Anything marked “see clerk” genuinely varies by county in Arkansas — that is not this kit being vague, it is how Arkansas built the system. Legal Aid’s free interactive tool (Section 3) is the fastest way to fill that gap for a simple case.
3 · Getting the forms and filing them in
Nobody explains this part for Arkansas specifically, so here it is. There’s no single official source for every document — here’s what’s real, what’s free, and where it actually comes from.
You may e-file, but you do not have to Your choice
- Portal
- eFlex (Arkansas Judiciary Electronic Filing)
- Paper
- Still accepted — you can file over the counter.
- What it costs
- $20 electronic filing fee authorized by Administrative Order 21 (per the official Arkansas eFlex Filer Interface user guide)
- Account
- Yes, and it is unusually burdensome for a pro se filer: one hour of online training, a one-time $100 account registration fee payable to the Bar of Arkansas, an 'Affidavit in Support of Pro Se Request for Electronic Filing Account,' and an online account request at efile.arcourts.gov. for Electronic Filing Account,
- Worth knowing
- Arkansas is the outlier on cost: a self-represented filer who wants an e-filing account faces a $100 one-time registration fee plus a training requirement, which is why most Arkansas pro se divorce filers file on paper. Conventional filing is expressly preserved for self-represented filers. In 'eFiling Lite' counties the case-initiating divorce complaint must be filed conventionally regardless.
Step one — build your complaint
Arkansas doesn’t publish a statewide Complaint for Divorce. You have two honest options: use Legal Aid of Arkansas’s free interactive Divorce Packet, which interviews you and produces a complaint, summons, and proposed decree for a simple, uncontested case — or ask your circuit clerk’s office whether they hand out a local template before you draft one yourself. Whichever you use, your complaint has to be verified (signed under oath, not just signed), and it has to state your grounds with enough specifics that a judge could grant it on the papers alone.
Legal Aid of Arkansas built this specifically so self-represented filers don’t have to draft from a blank page — their own site calls it “highly recommended… to reduce the risk of user mistakes.” It’s built for simple, uncontested cases; if yours is contested or complicated, talk to an attorney instead. arlawhelp.gavel.io — Divorce Packet (a print-only PDF version is also available if you’d rather not use the interactive interview).
Step two — attach the Domestic Relations Cover Sheet
This one is standardized statewide, under Administrative Order Number 8. Every circuit clerk in Arkansas requires it stapled to your complaint for case classification — file without it and expect it bounced back at the counter.
Step three — get your spouse served, or get their waiver
A county sheriff or a private process server can serve the summons and complaint — fees vary by county, so ask when you file. If your spouse is genuinely cooperating, most circuit clerks carry a local Entry of Appearance, Waiver of Service, Waiver of Notice, and Waiver of Corroboration of Grounds form — one signature that skips the process server and, in a truly uncontested case, waives the courtroom corroboration testimony described in Section 6. Ask your clerk for their version; it isn’t the same PDF in every county.
A waiver of service dated before your complaint is filed isn’t valid — the sequencing matters to a clerk even when both spouses are fully on board. File first, then get it signed.
Step four — file it, on paper or through eFlex
Arkansas’s statewide e-filing system is called eFlex. Self-represented filers can request an account, but plenty of circuit clerks still expect paper at the counter for a first filing — call ahead and ask which your county actually wants before you show up (or upload) with the wrong format. The $165 filing fee applies statewide; if you can’t cover it, Rule 72 of the Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure lets you ask to proceed in forma pauperis — see Section 8.
4 · Your deadlines, calculated
Arkansas’s clocks run off up to three dates: when your separation began (if you’re using the 18-month ground), when you filed, and when your spouse was served. Enter what applies and we’ll turn the statute into actual dates — then add all of it to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook in one click.
Not shown above: you must also stay an Arkansas resident through 3 full months before your decree — not just the 60 days before you filed (Ark. Code § 9-12-307(a)(1)(A)). If your residency clock started recently, that rule, not the 30-day floor, may be what actually sets your earliest possible decree date.
5 · The order it actually happens in
6 · The rejection-proofing checklist
This is the part that’s genuinely worth paying attention to. These are the specific things that stall or dismiss Arkansas filings — every one of them costs weeks, and one of them surprises almost everyone who assumes “uncontested” means “just paperwork.”
Grounds and corroboration
Ark. Code § 9-12-306(c) is explicit: proof of your residency, and proof of your separation and its continuity if you’re using the 18-month ground, must always be independently corroborated — by someone other than you or your spouse — even in a fully agreed, unopposed case. It can be a verified affidavit rather than someone showing up in person, but it cannot be skipped by agreement. Line up who that person is before you file, not the week of your hearing.
Forms people forget
Timing
Arkansas allows service by warning order (publication) when personal service isn’t possible. But if your spouse never appears in the case, Ark. Code § 9-12-307 requires you personally to have maintained an actual Arkansas residence for a full 3 months before any decree — the ordinary 60-day-before-filing rule isn’t enough in that situation. Talk to the clerk or an attorney before relying on publication.
7 · The Affidavit of Financial Means — what it requires
Only relevant if child support or alimony is on the table. Required by Administrative Order Number 10, Section IV: “Both parties must complete and exchange this affidavit prior to any hearing” that sets or modifies support — it’s sworn, not just filled in.
The order requires both spouses to complete and exchange the affidavit before the hearing — filing your own copy with the court isn’t the same as your spouse actually having seen it, and judges routinely ask about this at the hearing itself.
8 · What this costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Filing fee, statewide (confirmed at $165 in both Pulaski and Washington County’s published fee schedules; Benton County confirms the fee is set by state law rather than set locally) | $165 |
| Sheriff or private process server, per person served (varies by county — ask your clerk or sheriff’s office when you file) | check locally |
| Notarizing your corroborating witness’s affidavit, if not done at the clerk’s counter | $0–$10 |
| Certified copy of your final decree, per copy (varies by county clerk) | check locally |
| Service by warning order (publication), if you can’t locate your spouse | $100+ |
| Typical all-in, doing it yourselves, uncontested | ~$165–$300 |
File a motion to proceed in forma pauperis under Rule 72 of the Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure. The clerk weighs the federal poverty guidelines against what you own and earn — if approved, the $165 fee and the cost of sheriff service are both waived. See Legal Aid of Arkansas’s fee-waiver guide for the process.
What people report paying an attorney
| County | Member-reported, uncontested | Member-reported, contested |
|---|---|---|
| Pulaski (Little Rock) | ~$1,200–$2,500 | ~$4,500–$12,000+ |
| Washington (Fayetteville) | ~$1,000–$2,200 | ~$4,000–$10,000+ |
| Benton (Bentonville / Rogers) | ~$1,200–$2,600 | ~$4,500–$11,000+ |
Illustrative demo figures only, self-reported by Cusp community members rather than verified against any billing database or bar association survey — treat these as a rough starting conversation with a local attorney, not a quote.
What this is. A guide to Arkansas’s own process, built from Title 9 of the Arkansas Code (particularly §§ 9-12-301, 9-12-306, 9-12-307, and 9-12-312), Rules 12 and 72 of the Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure, Arkansas Supreme Court Administrative Orders Number 8 and Number 10, and forms and guidance published by the Arkansas Judiciary (arcourts.gov) and Legal Aid of Arkansas (arlawhelp.org). The statewide forms this kit links to are free, and this kit links you to them rather than reselling them.
What this is not. The Cusp is not a law firm and does not practice law. Nothing here is legal advice, and nothing here tells you which path is right for your particular situation — only what Arkansas requires of each one. Arkansas is unusually decentralized: many forms genuinely vary by county, filing fees for anything beyond the base $165 can vary locally, and not every judge allows every procedural shortcut described here (divorce by affidavit in particular). If your case involves contested custody, a business, hidden assets, domestic violence, a covenant marriage, or a spouse with a lawyer, talk to an attorney — many offer free consultations, and one hour of advice is cheaper than a dismissed complaint.
Free alternatives you should know about. Legal Aid of Arkansas’s interactive Divorce Packet is free and built specifically for simple, uncontested cases — if that’s your situation, start there before paying for anything. Where this kit could not verify an exact figure, form, or local rule with confidence, it says so and points you to your circuit clerk rather than guessing.
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Everything we have written about Arkansas specifically. Every figure on these pages is quoted from Arkansas’s own statute or its courts’ own published schedule, and carries the date we last checked it.
The most expensive mistakes in a divorce are made in the year after it, by people who thought the case was over. After the divorce is the checklist for that year — the health-coverage clock, the retirement order a decree cannot replace, and the beneficiary form that outranks your will.
Filing is one household becoming two, and the second one starts empty. The two-household list is what to send the people who keep asking how they can help — the second of everything, and the half of it that costs nothing. Some people call it a divorce registry.