Divorce in Illinois, start to finish
See a different stateIllinois
Illinois calls it “dissolution of marriage,” not divorce — and it gives you the statewide forms for free. What it doesn’t give you is one clear path: Cook County runs its own self-help process, the fast track has hard numeric cutoffs almost nobody checks first, and the deadlines that matter most aren’t on any form. That’s this.
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
Illinois has a real fast lane — the Joint Simplified Dissolution Procedure under 750 ILCS 5/451–454 — and it has hard numeric cutoffs written into the statute itself. Every one of them has to be true at once. Where one is not, a court can bounce the petition, and the case starts again on the standard track.
Residency first. 750 ILCS 5/401(a) requires one spouse to have lived in Illinois — or to have been stationed here on military orders — for 90 continuous days before the court can enter judgment. The requirement has to be met by the time of the finding, not before filing, so a case can often be filed while the 90 days run in the background. How a particular county schedules hearings relative to that date is a question for the circuit clerk.
Joint Simplified Dissolution
750 ILCS 5/451–454
No case management conference, no separate parenting requirements, one short hearing. Both spouses file together as joint petitioners and both appear in person. Both must certify that they have disclosed all assets, debts and tax returns to each other, and there has to be a written agreement dividing everything worth over $100 — including who keeps any pets.
Available only where all of these are true:
- The marriage or civil union has lasted 8 years or less.
- No children were born to or adopted by either spouse during the marriage, and neither spouse is pregnant by the other.
- Neither spouse has any ownership interest in real estate.
- Neither spouse has any retirement account other than an IRA, and the combined IRA balance is under $10,000.
- The fair market value of everything owned together, minus debts, is under $50,000.
- Combined income is under $60,000, and neither spouse individually earns more than $30,000 a year.
- Both spouses fully waive any right to spousal maintenance.
- Both file together as joint petitioners and both appear in court.
There is no single statewide Joint Simplified petition. Each county publishes its own. This kit carries Cook County’s version; anywhere else, the county’s own version comes from its circuit clerk. See Section 7.
Standard dissolution
750 ILCS 5/401; Illinois Supreme Court approved statewide forms
The route for every case that does not meet all eight statutory conditions above. Standard does not mean contested — most standard-track Illinois divorces are entirely uncontested and self-represented. It means the summons, response and, where there are children, parenting-education machinery in Sections 4–5 applies.
This is the route wherever any of these is true:
- The marriage or civil union has lasted more than 8 years.
- Children were born to or adopted by either spouse during the marriage, or there is a pregnancy.
- Either spouse owns real estate, or a retirement account other than an IRA, or the combined IRA balance is $10,000 or more.
- Property or income exceeds any of the statutory caps.
- Maintenance is on the table.
- The spouses are not filing jointly.
A cooperative spouse can skip formal service entirely by signing and filing their own Divorce Appearance form (ATJ 111.5) — no sheriff, no waiting for service to complete. The Financial Affidavit (ATJ 251.5) is sworn under penalty of perjury and needs no notary; the Certification Agreement does need one.
2 · Every form Illinois publishes for a divorce
The complete list, not a shortlist — because which forms are needed depends on facts only you and, if you need one, your lawyer can weigh. Most come from the Illinois Supreme Court’s statewide “Approved Forms” catalog, the same forms every circuit in the state must accept. Where Illinois genuinely does not have a statewide form, the row says so rather than pretending one exists. Each row carries the route it belongs to and the revision date clerks check. Every one is free.
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 Illinois handles divorce, and every form below is published free by Illinois itself — you do not have to buy anything from anyone to get them. If your situation is not straightforward, a consultation with a Illinois family lawyer costs far less than fixing a filing that went wrong.
| Form | What it is | Route | Rev. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statute | 750 ILCS 5/451–454 — Joint Simplified Dissolution Procedure (the eligibility rules themselves) | Joint Simplified | — | Download |
| CCDR 0019 | Joint Petition for Simplified Dissolution — Cook County version | Joint Simplified | 12/24 | Download |
| — | Other counties: that county’s own Joint Simplified petition, from its circuit clerk | Joint Simplified | — | see clerk |
| ATJ 103.4 | Petition for Divorce (no children under 18) | Standard — no children | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 105.3 | Petition for Divorce (with children) | Standard — with children | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 123.3 | Additional Children — Petition (if more than one child) | Standard — with children | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 138.1 | Other Information about Children — Petition | Standard — with children | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 108.4 | Parenting Plan | Standard — with children | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 134.4 | Additional Parenting Time (if needed) | Standard — with children | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 113.8 | Summons (Divorce) | Standard | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 115.2 | Letter to the Sheriff (Serving a Summons and Forms) | Standard | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 111.5 | Divorce Appearance | Standard | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 1402.7 | How to Answer or Respond to a Court Case (instructions, for the responding spouse) | Standard — where the spouse is served | 09/25 | Download |
| ATJ 1403.6 | Answer or Response (the responding spouse files this, if they contest) | Standard — where the spouse is served | 09/25 | Download |
| ATJ 140.1 | Motion for Default, if the other spouse never responds | Standard | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 141.1 | Order for Default | Standard | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 250.3 | How to Complete a Financial Affidavit (instructions) | Standard | 06/25 | Download |
| ATJ 251.5 | Financial Affidavit (Family & Divorce Cases) — sworn by penalty of perjury, no notary | Standard | 06/25 | Download |
| ATJ 109.4 | Additional Debts and Liabilities (if you run out of room) | Standard | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 110.4 | Additional Personal Property and Bank Accounts (if needed) | Standard | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 127.3 | How to Get an Order for Support (instructions) | Standard — with children | 09/25 | Download |
| ATJ 129.5 | Order for Support | Standard — with children | 09/25 | Download |
| ATJ 128.4 | Support Information Sheet | Standard — with children | 09/25 | Download |
| ATJ 150.2 | Certification Agreement (No Children) — must be signed in front of a notary | Standard — no children | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 122.3 | Certification Agreement — must be signed in front of a notary | Standard — with children | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 104.4 | Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage/Civil Union (no children) | Standard — no children | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 106.2 | Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage/Civil Union (with children) | Standard — with children | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 139.1 | Additional Children — Judgment (if more than one child) | Standard — with children | 03/25 | Download |
| ATJ 601.9 | Application for Waiver of Court Fees (Civil), if needed — statewide | All | 08/25 | Download |
| — | IDPH Instructions — how to complete the Certificate of Dissolution | All | 03/23 | Download |
| — | Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage/Civil Union (IDPH form) | All | — | Download |
Every one of these is free. Download fresh each time — form revisions change and clerks check the footer date. Full catalog: ilcourts.info/forms.
3 · Getting the forms and filling them in
Illinois’s process looks different from other states in one big way: you barely need a notary. Here’s what actually happens, in order.
You are expected to e-file Required of you
- Portal
- eFileIL
- Paper
- Still accepted — you can file over the counter.
- What it costs
- No mandatory statewide e-filing fee. The AOIC's official flyer states that two providers charge nothing extra: 'Odyssey and i2File do not charge extra fees for using their services.' The judiciary's EFSP list shows Odyssey eFileIL, Odyssey Guide & File, 1 eFile, FileTime and i2File as free (i2File free 'if the Circuit Clerk is subscribed to i2File.net'); other EFSPs charge.FSP list shows Odyssey eFileIL, Odyssey
- Account
- Yes — a self-represented filer needs an account with an EFSP; free options exist (Odyssey eFileIL, Odyssey Guide & File, i2File).
- With a fee waiver
- Fee waivers for the court's filing fees 'may be requested through e-filing by submitting an Application for Waiver of Fees.' Because free EFSPs exist, an indigent filer need not pay a service fee.
- Worth knowing
- Illinois is the clearest example of a state that DOES require self-represented parties to e-file — the mandate in Rule 9 applies to 'all documents in civil cases,' divorce included, not just to attorneys. But the escape hatch is broad and self-declared on a standard form, and the form itself is filed in person or by mail, so a pro se filer who cannot e-file can still walk into the clerk's office. Payment is by credit card or eCheck online; 'Cash payments may be accepted at some, but not all, courthouses.'eys. But the escape hatch is broad and self-declared on a standard form, and the form itself is filed in person or by mail, so a pro se filer who cannot e-file can still walk into the clerk's office. Payme
Step one — download them free
Illinois’s statewide approved forms — the ones every circuit court must accept — live here:
illinoiscourts.gov — Divorce, Child Support & Maintenance forms (also reachable at the shorter ilcourts.info/forms)
Every form’s approval date is printed in its footer (for example, “ATJ 117.4 (03/25)”). These get revised — the Answer/Response forms and the Financial Affidavit suite were both updated in 2025 — and clerks reject superseded versions.
Step two — you probably don’t need a notary for most of this
Illinois lets you sign most pleadings under 735 ILCS 5/1-109 — a “verification by certification” that you’re stating the truth under penalty of perjury, printed right on the form. Your Petition and your Financial Affidavit both use this. Type your name, no notary required.
There is one real exception: the Certification of Agreement — the form both spouses sign to tell the judge you agree on everything and don’t need a full appearance to finalize — must be signed in front of a notary public, and so does the Joint Simplified petition’s verification page. That’s the one document in this whole process worth booking a notary appointment for. Remote online notarization is legal in Illinois for this, same as most banks and UPS Store locations offer in person.
Like every sworn document, signing before you’re actually in front of the notary invalidates it. This is easy to miss because most of this process doesn’t involve a notary at all — so people forget the one form that does.
Step three — file, mostly online
Illinois runs one statewide e-filing system, Odyssey eFileIL (reachable at ilcourts.info/efile), and most self-represented filers are expected to use it. You’re not required to if you qualify for an e-filing exemption — no home internet, a disability, difficulty with English, or a sensitive case type — in which case you file paper at the Circuit Clerk’s counter using a Certification for Exemption from E-Filing form.
They can skip being served entirely by filing a Divorce Appearance form on their own. No sheriff, no fee for finding them, and in some counties their Appearance is even filed for free if it’s filed the same day as your case.
Step four — what happens after you file
The moment your spouse is served — or the moment they file an Appearance, whichever comes first — a dissolution action stay takes effect automatically under 750 ILCS 5/501.1. Neither of you needs to ask for it and no judge has to sign anything. It bars both of you from harassing, striking, or interfering with each other or the kids, and from hiding a minor child from the other parent, until the case ends. Violating it is contempt of court.
If your spouse does nothing for 30 days after being served, you can move for a default. If they respond, the court sets a status date, and you either work out a full agreement and do a short “prove-up” hearing, or — if you disagree on something — go to trial on just that issue.
4 · Your deadlines, calculated
Illinois doesn’t run on a single statewide waiting period the way some states do — there’s no fixed floor between filing and judgment beyond the 90-day residency requirement. But once your spouse is served, real clocks start, especially if you have children. Put in your dates and we’ll turn the rules into an actual calendar — then add all of it to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook in one click.
5 · The order it actually happens in
6 · Illinois’s trap
This is the single most common misunderstanding about Illinois divorce, and it costs people months for no reason. 750 ILCS 5/401(a-5) says that if you’ve lived separate and apart for 6 continuous months before your judgment is entered, there’s an irrebuttable presumption that “irreconcilable differences” has been met — meaning the judge can’t second-guess it. That’s a shortcut for proving your case, not a prerequisite for filing it.
If you haven’t hit 6 months apart yet, you can still file today. At your prove-up or trial, you’ll simply need to tell the judge that you and your spouse can’t get along, that you’ve tried to work it out (or that trying would be pointless and bad for the family), and that reconciliation isn’t realistic. That’s it — no fault has to be proven, and nobody has to move out first. Plenty of people delay filing for months because they’ve heard “you have to be separated 6 months,” and that’s simply not the law anymore.
7 · The county fragmentation problem
This is the part official guides tend to gloss over. Illinois centralized most divorce forms statewide in 2023–2025 — but not all of them.
Cook County’s Domestic Relations Division publishes its own Joint Simplified Dissolution petition (form CCDR 0019), its own fee schedule, and its own self-help guidance separate from the state’s standardized suite. If you’re filing in Cook County, use Cook County’s forms. If you’re filing anywhere else, your county’s circuit clerk almost certainly publishes its own version — check with your county circuit clerk rather than assuming Cook County’s form works statewide, or that another county’s works in Cook.
8 · What this costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Filing fee — Cook County (new case, including Joint Simplified) | $388 |
| Appearance fee — Cook County (your spouse’s filing, if separate) | $250 |
| Filing fee — DuPage County (with or without children) | $350 |
| Appearance fee — DuPage County | $225 |
| Filing fee — Lake County | $334 |
| Appearance fee — Lake County | $209 |
| Sheriff service of process, per person (varies by county) | $30–$60 |
| Parenting education program, per parent (if minor children) | ~$40–$150 |
| Notary for the Certification of Agreement | $0–$25 |
Filing and appearance fees confirmed against each county’s own published fee schedule. Every other Illinois county sets its own — check with your county circuit clerk for the exact number where you’re filing.
These are not official figures — they’re the kind of range our members have reported for context, not a quote. A fully uncontested Illinois divorce with an attorney handling the paperwork has run roughly $1,500–$4,000; a contested case that goes to trial has run $10,000–$30,000+ per side, and climbs fast with custody disputes or business valuations. Get an actual quote before assuming either number applies to you.
File the statewide Application for Waiver of Court Fees (Civil) — form ATJ 601.9. If your household income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, or you receive benefits like SNAP or Medicaid, you generally qualify. It does not automatically cover your spouse’s separate Appearance fee if they file one — they’d need to request their own waiver.
What this is. A guide to Illinois’s own process, built from the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS 5/, including §§ 401, 403, 404.1, 451–454, and 501.1), the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure (735 ILCS 5/1-109), Illinois Supreme Court Rules 923 and 924, and the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts’ approved statewide forms published at illinoiscourts.gov, cross-checked against the Cook County, DuPage County, and Lake County Circuit Clerk fee schedules. The forms themselves 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 choice is right for your particular situation — only what Illinois requires of each path. If your case involves contested custody, a business, hidden assets, domestic violence, or a spouse with a lawyer, talk to an attorney; many offer free consultations. Court staff, including circuit clerks, are not permitted to give legal advice.
Confirm current numbers with the clerk. Filing fees, parenting-class costs, and county-specific procedures change, and Illinois’s 102 counties don’t all move at the same pace. Where this kit could not verify an exact figure, form, or deadline statewide, it says “check with your county circuit clerk” rather than guessing. Free help: Illinois Legal Aid Online offers a free guided Easy Form for divorce paperwork, and Illinois Court Help (833-411-1121) answers process questions — neither is legal advice, but both are free and official.
Need a vetted attorney, mediator, or financial analyst in Illinois?
Browse The Cusp’s professional directory — rated only by verified clients, never ranked by who paid the most.
Browse the directory →The Cusp · All 50 state kits · Find a professional · About
Ask for an introduction to an agent → — who we would introduce you to, what the referral fee is and who pays it, and why the answer is sometimes that you should not sell at all.
Everything we have written about Illinois specifically. Every figure on these pages is quoted from Illinois’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.