Divorce in Michigan, start to finish
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Michigan gives you some of the forms for free — but not the ones that matter most. The Complaint and the Judgment of Divorce aren’t single statewide PDFs here the way they are in most states, and getting that wrong is the single most common way self-represented filers waste a trip to the courthouse. This guide tells you exactly which forms are real statewide SCAO forms, which ones only exist at your own circuit court, and the 60-day/6-month clock everything else runs on.
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.
Which forms do you actually need?
Your route and its conditions, the forms grouped by route, how filing actually works in Michigan, and the sequence with its costs.
First, which route you are on. Each one opens to the conditions the rule actually sets.
No minor children — 60-day wait
MCL 552.9f
Available only where all of these are true:
- There are no minor children of the marriage, born to either spouse before or during the marriage.
- Neither spouse is currently pregnant.
With minor children — 6-month (180-day) wait
MCL 552.9f
This is the route wherever either of these is true:
- There are minor children of the marriage, born to either spouse before or during the marriage.
- Either spouse is currently pregnant.
Grouped exactly as Michigan labels them, and nothing is added. Every one links to the official PDF.
All 9 forms
- MC 01 — Summons — includes the Acknowledgment/Proof of Service on the back
- MC 21 — Confidential Case Inventory — only where there is a related pending or resolved family-court case
- FOC 10b — Uniform Spousal Support Order — where either spouse is asking the court for spousal support
- CC 320 — Domestic Relations Verified Financial Information Form — served on your spouse, not filed (see Section 7)
- MC 07 — Default Request and Entry — where a spouse never answers
- MC 326 — Notice of Hearing and Motion — used to notice a motion to enter a default judgment
- MC 20 — Fee Waiver Request — only where one is needed
- Judgment of Divorce — From your county circuit court, or Michigan Legal Help’s DIY Judgment tool — see Section 3.
- DCH-0838 — Record of Divorce or Annulment (Michigan Dept. of Health & Human Services)
No minor children 1 form
- Complaint for Divorce (no minor children) — From your county circuit court, or build one free with Michigan Legal Help’s DIY tool — see Section 3.
With minor children 5 forms
- Complaint for Divorce (with minor children) — From your county circuit court, or build one free with Michigan Legal Help’s DIY tool — see Section 3.
- MC 416 — Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) Affidavit
- FOC 23 — Verified Statement — filed by each parent
- FOC 10 / FOC 10a — Uniform Child Support Order — FOC 10 with Friend of the Court services, FOC 10a without
- FOC 100 — Domestic Relations Judgment Information — filed with the Friend of the Court alongside your judgment
You may e-file, but you do not have to
The checklist is not something you file. It is your worktable — what to do, in what order, and what it costs. The forms are what reaches the court, and this is how they get there in Michigan.
- Portal
- MiFILE (statewide e-filing solution)
- Paper
- Still accepted — you can file over the counter.
- What it costs
- An e-filing system fee applies to case-initiating filings only where a fee for commencing a civil action is authorized; the amount is not stated on the SCAO pages reviewed.
- Account
- Only if the self-represented party opts in, or if their court has been approved by SCAO to mandate e-filing for all filers.
- With a fee waiver
- Fee waivers may be requested at the time of filing under MCL 600.1986 and MCR 2.002.
- Worth knowing
- Michigan's default is 'attorneys must, pro se may,' but it is the one state in this batch where a local court can affirmatively opt into mandating e-filing for self-represented parties too (with SCAO approval and an assistance plan). Where e-filing is mandated, courts must provide courthouse workstations. The MC 100 exemption form is the escape hatch, and it exists precisely because some Michigan filers are subject to the mandate.
Each step with the forms it names and the money it costs. The full detail of every step is in the section below. Print this part.
| # | Step | Forms it names | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm residency | None named | — |
| 2 | Get your Complaint and Summons from your own county | MC 416MC 21MC 01 | — |
| 3 | File with the circuit court clerk and pay the fee | MC 20 | $175 · $255 |
| 4 | Get your spouse served Summons expires in 91 days | None named | $26 |
| 5 | Your spouse’s Answer is due 21 days (28 if by mail or out-of-state) | MC 07 | — |
| 6 | Exchange the Verified Financial Information Form within 28 days of the Answer | CC 320 | — |
| 7 | Wait out the statutory period | None named | — |
| 8 | Finish the Friend of the Court paperwork, if you have children | FOC 10bFOC 23 | — |
| 9 | Submit your Judgment of Divorce | DCH-0838FOC 100 | — |
Every figure here is this page’s own, from the costs section below. A fee waiver application is free to file and is listed with the forms above.
| Civil filing fee (MCL 600.2529(1)(a)) | $150 |
| Electronic filing system fee (MCL 600.1986) | $25 |
| Custody/parenting-time fee — only if you have minor children (MCL 600.2529(1)(d)(i)) | $80 |
| Child support fee — instead of the $80, only if child support but not custody or parenting time is to be decided (MCL 600.2529(1)(d)(ii)) | $40 |
| Sheriff service of process, per defendant (MCL 600.2559(1)(a)) | $26 |
| Private process server (market rate, if used instead) | varies by county |
| Typical all-in, no minor children, doing it yourself | ~$175–230 |
| Typical all-in, with minor children, doing it yourself | ~$255–310 |
The short version9 points · tap one to jump to it
- The two routes, and what the rule requires — Michigan does not have a Florida-style “simplified” fast lane.
- Every form Michigan publishes for a divorce — Some of these are true statewide SCAO forms, free PDFs identical in every county; others exist only at your own circuit court, and the table says which is which.
- Getting the forms and filling them in
- Your deadlines, calculated — Almost everything in a Michigan divorce counts from the day you file the Complaint — not from service.
- The order it actually happens in
- The 60-day / 6-month wait, and the hardship exception — This single rule — MCL 552.9f — decides more about your timeline than anything else in the process, and it's the thing people get most wrong.
- The Verified Financial Information Form — Michigan's disclosure rule — Michigan doesn't use a fixed list of "17 categories" like some states.
- The rejection-proofing checklist — These are the specific things that get Michigan filings bounced, dismissed, or delayed.
- What this costs — Michigan's circuit court filing fees are set by state statute (MCL 600.2529 and MCL 600.1986), not by county — so, unlike some states, Wayne, Oakland, and Kent all charge exactly the same court fees.
In this subject 9
Cost to file in Michigan: $175. Where every dollar goes, and the fee waiver1 · The two routes, and what the rule requires
The short version9 points · tap one to jump to it
- The two routes, and what the rule requires — Michigan does not have a Florida-style “simplified” fast lane.
- Every form Michigan publishes for a divorce — Some of these are true statewide SCAO forms, free PDFs identical in every county; others exist only at your own circuit court, and the table says which is which.
- Getting the forms and filling them in
- Your deadlines, calculated — Almost everything in a Michigan divorce counts from the day you file the Complaint — not from service.
- The order it actually happens in
- The 60-day / 6-month wait, and the hardship exception — This single rule — MCL 552.9f — decides more about your timeline than anything else in the process, and it's the thing people get most wrong.
- The Verified Financial Information Form — Michigan's disclosure rule — Michigan doesn't use a fixed list of "17 categories" like some states.
- The rejection-proofing checklist — These are the specific things that get Michigan filings bounced, dismissed, or delayed.
- What this costs — Michigan's circuit court filing fees are set by state statute (MCL 600.2529 and MCL 600.1986), not by county — so, unlike some states, Wayne, Oakland, and Kent all charge exactly the same court fees.
In this subject 9
Michigan does not have a Florida-style “simplified” fast lane. What it has is one hard fork that decides how long the wait for a judgment runs, and it comes down to a single fact: whether there are minor children. Getting the county wrong is the more expensive mistake — Michigan courts treat the county residency rule as jurisdictional, not just venue.
Residency comes first. MCL 552.9(1) requires one spouse to have lived in Michigan for 180 days and in the filing county for 10 days, both immediately before filing, and neither requirement can be waived by agreement. There is a narrow exception to the county rule only (MCL 552.9(2)): a foreign-born or foreign-citizen defendant, minor children of the marriage, and a real risk the children could be taken out of the U.S. The 180-day state residency requirement still applies regardless.
No minor children — 60-day wait
MCL 552.9f
Michigan’s fastest track. With no minor children or pregnancy involved, the statute requires only 60 days from filing before a judgment can be entered.
Available only where all of these are true:
- There are no minor children of the marriage, born to either spouse before or during the marriage.
- Neither spouse is currently pregnant.
Sixty days after filing is the statutory floor, not a target — where property, debts, custody or support are not fully agreed, or where spousal support is on the table, the paperwork itself takes longer than the floor.
With minor children — 6-month (180-day) wait
MCL 552.9f
Where minor children or a pregnancy are involved, the statute blocks any testimony or judgment until six months after filing. That also drives the Friend of the Court paperwork into the form list.
This is the route wherever either of these is true:
- There are minor children of the marriage, born to either spouse before or during the marriage.
- Either spouse is currently pregnant.
The 6-month clock is the one thing that cannot be rushed, however cooperative both spouses are. The route adds the UCCJEA Affidavit (MC 416), the Verified Statement (FOC 23) filed by each parent, and a Uniform Child Support Order (FOC 10 with Friend of the Court services, FOC 10a without).
Service, on either route. A spouse can sign the free Acknowledgment of Service on the back of the Summons (MC 01) — no sheriff and no process server needed.
2 · Every form Michigan publishes for a divorce
The complete list for both routes, not a shortlist — because which forms a case needs depends on facts only you and, if you need one, your lawyer can weigh. Each row says which route it belongs to and carries the revision date clerks check. Some of these are true statewide SCAO forms, free PDFs identical in every county; others exist only at your own circuit court, and the table says which is which.
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 Michigan handles divorce, and every form below is published free by Michigan itself — you do not have to buy anything from anyone to get them. If your situation is not straightforward, a consultation with a Michigan family lawyer costs far less than fixing a filing that went wrong.
| Form | What it is | Route | Rev. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complaint for Divorce (no minor children) | From your county circuit court, or build one free with Michigan Legal Help’s DIY tool — see Section 3. | No minor children | varies | Start it free |
| Complaint for Divorce (with minor children) | From your county circuit court, or build one free with Michigan Legal Help’s DIY tool — see Section 3. | With minor children | varies | Start it free |
| MC 01 | Summons — includes the Acknowledgment/Proof of Service on the back | All | 3/23 | Download |
| MC 416 | Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) Affidavit | With minor children | — | Download |
| MC 21 | Confidential Case Inventory — only where there is a related pending or resolved family-court case | All | — | Download |
| FOC 23 | Verified Statement — filed by each parent | With minor children | 6/22 | Download |
| FOC 10 / FOC 10a | Uniform Child Support Order — FOC 10 with Friend of the Court services, FOC 10a without | With minor children | 11/25 | Download |
| FOC 10b | Uniform Spousal Support Order — where either spouse is asking the court for spousal support | All | 7/22 | Download |
| CC 320 | Domestic Relations Verified Financial Information Form — served on your spouse, not filed (see Section 7) | All | 9/24 | Download |
| MC 07 | Default Request and Entry — where a spouse never answers | All | 6/22 | Download |
| MC 326 | Notice of Hearing and Motion — used to notice a motion to enter a default judgment | All | 3/10 | Download |
| MC 20 | Fee Waiver Request — only where one is needed | All | 9/23 | Download |
| Judgment of Divorce | From your county circuit court, or Michigan Legal Help’s DIY Judgment tool — see Section 3. | All | varies | Start it free |
| FOC 100 | Domestic Relations Judgment Information — filed with the Friend of the Court alongside your judgment | With minor children | — | Download |
| DCH-0838 | Record of Divorce or Annulment (Michigan Dept. of Health & Human Services) | All | — | Download |
MC-, FOC-, and CC-numbered forms are true statewide SCAO PDFs — free everywhere in Michigan. The Complaint and Judgment are county-specific; download fresh from your own circuit court or use the linked free tools. Download fresh each time — clerks reject superseded revisions, and saved copies go stale. Full statewide catalog: courts.michigan.gov.
3 · Getting the forms and filling them in
This is the part Michigan doesn’t explain well, so here it is.
You may e-file, but you do not have to Your choice
- Portal
- MiFILE (statewide e-filing solution)
- Paper
- Still accepted — you can file over the counter.
- What it costs
- An e-filing system fee applies to case-initiating filings only where a fee for commencing a civil action is authorized; the amount is not stated on the SCAO pages reviewed.
- Account
- Only if the self-represented party opts in, or if their court has been approved by SCAO to mandate e-filing for all filers.
- With a fee waiver
- Fee waivers may be requested at the time of filing under MCL 600.1986 and MCR 2.002.
- Worth knowing
- Michigan's default is 'attorneys must, pro se may,' but it is the one state in this batch where a local court can affirmatively opt into mandating e-filing for self-represented parties too (with SCAO approval and an assistance plan). Where e-filing is mandated, courts must provide courthouse workstations. The MC 100 exemption form is the escape hatch, and it exists precisely because some Michigan filers are subject to the mandate.
Step one — know which forms are statewide and which aren’t
Every true SCAO-approved statewide form — the Summons (MC 01), the UCCJEA Affidavit (MC 416), the Friend of the Court forms, the Verified Financial Information Form (CC 320), the fee waiver (MC 20) — lives in one place, free:
courts.michigan.gov — Domestic Relations Matters Forms
Unlike the Summons or the Friend of the Court forms, Michigan’s Complaint for Divorce and Judgment of Divorce are not single, court-issued PDFs approved statewide under one form number. Each circuit court drafts and locally approves its own template — what the content has to say is fixed by MCR 1.109(D) and MCR 3.206, but the layout, page count, and any county-specific attachment (like a local case-inventory addendum) are not. A complaint downloaded from a different county’s website, or an old one saved from a friend’s divorce, is a routine and entirely avoidable rejection. Get your Complaint and Judgment template from your own county circuit court’s Friend of the Court or Family Division page — or use Michigan Legal Help’s free Do-It-Yourself tools, which build a version that meets the statewide court-rule requirements regardless of county: Do-It-Yourself Divorce and Do-It-Yourself Judgment of Divorce.
Step two — fill them in
SCAO PDFs are fillable on screen — open in Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, or a browser, type directly into the fields. Type everything; write “N/A” where something doesn’t apply rather than leaving a field blank. Michigan Legal Help’s guided tools ask you plain-language questions and typeset the finished Complaint or Judgment for you, which is the more reliable route if your county doesn’t publish a clean fillable template.
Michigan doesn’t have Florida’s DIY Florida or Connecticut’s nonadversarial track. What it has instead is michiganlegalhelp.org, a nonprofit built specifically for self-represented Michigan litigants, funded in part by the Michigan courts themselves. Its Do-It-Yourself Divorce and Do-It-Yourself Judgment of Divorce tools generate court-ready documents from a question-and-answer interview — for either track, with or without children.
Step three — service, the easy way and the formal way
Your spouse must receive a copy of the Summons and Complaint. Michigan gives you three ways to prove it happened:
| Method | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse signs the Acknowledgment of Service | Free | Built into the back of the MC 01 Summons itself — your spouse signs in front of anyone, no server needed. By far the fastest option if they’re cooperative. |
| County sheriff / civil process unit | $26.00 statutory fee (MCL 600.2559(1)(a)) | Per defendant, for personal service. |
| Licensed private process server | Market rate, commonly more than the statutory sheriff fee | Faster in most counties; not fixed by statute — get a quote. |
Under MCR 2.102(D), your Summons is only valid for 91 days from the date you filed the Complaint. If your spouse isn’t served (or hasn’t signed the Acknowledgment) by then, the case is automatically dismissed without prejudice under MCR 2.102(E). If you need more time, file a Motion for Second Summons and Order before the original expires — don’t wait until it’s too late to ask.
Step four — file it
Michigan doesn’t run one statewide e-filing portal for self-represented filers the way Florida does — each circuit’s Family Division sets its own filing process, and many now require or offer e-filing through their own MiFile-connected system, while others still take paper at the clerk’s counter. Check your county circuit court’s website for its specific instructions, or ask the clerk directly — Wayne County’s Third Circuit Court and Kent County both publish their own self-help and e-filing pages.
4 · Your deadlines, calculated
Almost everything in a Michigan divorce counts from the day you file the Complaint — not from service. Put your dates in and we’ll turn MCL 552.9f and the Michigan Court Rules into actual dates on your calendar, then let you add them to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook in one click.
5 · The order it actually happens in
6 · The 60-day / 6-month wait, and the hardship exception
This single rule — MCL 552.9f — decides more about your timeline than anything else in the process, and it’s the thing people get most wrong.
No proofs or testimony may be taken in any Michigan divorce case until 60 days have passed from the day the Complaint was filed. If there are dependent minor children under 18, that period extends to 6 months (180 days) from filing. Both clocks run from the filing date, not the date your spouse was served.
MCL 552.9f lets a judge take testimony earlier than the 6-month mark “in cases of unusual hardship or such compelling necessity as shall appeal to the conscience of the court,” on petition and proper showing. But the statute is explicit: even with a waiver granted, the court still can’t act before 60 days from filing — the 6-month period can be shortened, the 60-day floor cannot. And “we both just want this finished” is not, on its own, unusual hardship; judges reserve this for things like a terminal diagnosis, a pending stepchild adoption that can’t proceed until the divorce is final, or an active safety threat. By the time you draft the petition, get it heard, and get a ruling, you’ll often have used up a meaningful chunk of the 6 months anyway.
There’s also a narrow exception to the county’s 10-day residency rule under MCL 552.9(2): if the defendant was born in or is a citizen of a country other than the United States, there are minor children of the marriage, and there’s reason to believe the children are at risk of being taken out of the U.S. and retained abroad by the defendant, the 10-day county requirement can be set aside — the 180-day state requirement cannot.
7 · The Verified Financial Information Form — Michigan’s disclosure rule
Michigan doesn’t use a fixed list of “17 categories” like some states. Instead, MCR 3.206 requires both spouses in every divorce, separate maintenance, or annulment case to exchange one sworn form.
- Personal and employment information Name, address, DOB, SSN, employer, gross income, and hourly rate or salary.
- Four most recent pay stubs, or an employer wage/deduction statement Attach these to the form itself — not optional.
- Your last federal and state income tax returns, with all schedules If self-employed, also your three most recent business or corporate returns.
- Every source of other income Commissions, bonuses, profit sharing, Social Security, VA and disability benefits, rental income, spousal support received, and more — the form lists specific categories to check.
- Real property you have any interest in Address, purchase date, estimated value, SEV, mortgage balance, and how title is held.
- Every financial account you have an interest in Bank, credit union, CDs, stocks, IRAs, 401(k)/403(b), MESP, and health savings accounts — including the balance 90 days before today’s balance, not just the current one.
- Pension and retirement benefits Any defined-benefit plan, its lump-sum value, and your earliest eligible payout date.
- Life insurance policies you have an interest in Company, policy number, and value.
- Debts Everything owed jointly or individually.
- File proof of service with the court once you’ve exchanged it The form itself is not filed — only the proof that you served it on your spouse.
Form CC 320 is due to the other party within 28 days after they’ve been served with your Answer (or you’ve been served with theirs) — it does not get filed with the court, only a proof of service does. Failing to serve it can bring sanctions under MCR 2.313. You don’t need to exchange it at all if you and your spouse agree in writing to skip it, or if a full settlement or consent judgment was already signed by both of you at the time the case was filed.
8 · The rejection-proofing checklist
These are the specific things that get Michigan filings bounced, dismissed, or delayed. Every one of them costs weeks.
Local-form and signing pitfalls
Forms people forget
Timing
MCR 3.211 requires every Judgment of Divorce to determine both spouses’ rights to any life insurance, annuity, pension, or retirement benefit naming the other as beneficiary — even when neither side is asking for anything from it — and to include a clear division of marital property. MCL 552.101, MCL 552.18. Leaving these sections blank or unaddressed is a common reason a proposed judgment gets sent back for revision instead of signed.
9 · What this costs
Michigan’s circuit court filing fees are set by state statute (MCL 600.2529 and MCL 600.1986), not by county — so, unlike some states, Wayne, Oakland, and Kent all charge exactly the same court fees. What varies by county is process-server pricing and, if you hire one, attorney rates.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Civil filing fee (MCL 600.2529(1)(a)) | $150 |
| Electronic filing system fee (MCL 600.1986) | $25 |
| Custody/parenting-time fee — only if you have minor children (MCL 600.2529(1)(d)(i)) | $80 |
| Child support fee — instead of the $80, only if child support but not custody or parenting time is to be decided (MCL 600.2529(1)(d)(ii)) | $40 |
| Sheriff service of process, per defendant (MCL 600.2559(1)(a)) | $26 |
| Private process server (market rate, if used instead) | varies by county |
| Typical all-in, no minor children, doing it yourself | ~$175–230 |
| Typical all-in, with minor children, doing it yourself | ~$255–310 |
Same statutory fees apply in Wayne County (Third Circuit), Oakland County Circuit Court, and Kent County Circuit Court — this is one of the few places Michigan is simpler than states that set fees county by county.
File Form MC 20, Fee Waiver Request, with the clerk. Under MCR 2.002, the court must waive fees if you’re currently receiving public assistance, or waive or suspend them if your household income is at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines, or if paying would deprive you of the necessities of life. The clerk cannot deny a properly completed request without a judge’s review.
The Cusp doesn’t set attorney rates and this isn’t a quote — it’s a rough sense of range members have reported for a fully uncontested Michigan divorce with an attorney handling the paperwork: roughly $1,500–$3,500 in Kent County, $2,000–$4,500 in Oakland County, and $2,500–$5,500 in Wayne County. Contested cases with custody or business valuation disputes run well beyond this in every county. Get an actual quote before you decide.
Does cheating change the money in Michigan?
The statute says nothing either way, which is not the same as permission. What we read: MCL 552.23 is open-ended. How all fifty states answer this.
Reconciled, and it did not work? No fault ground survives in Michigan, so forgiving an affair cannot cost you the divorce — which is an answer rather than a gap: condonation, state by state. If the decision itself is what you are sitting with rather than the law, start here.
What this is. A guide to Michigan’s own process, built from the Michigan Compiled Laws (MCL Chapter 552, including §§ 552.6, 552.9, 552.9a, 552.9e, 552.9f, 552.13, 552.101, 600.1986, 600.2529, and 600.2559), the Michigan Court Rules (including MCR 1.109(D), MCR 2.102, MCR 2.108, MCR 2.313, MCR 3.206, and MCR 3.211), the Michigan Judicial Institute’s Divorce Proceeding Checklist, and the current SCAO-approved forms published by the State Court Administrative Office at courts.michigan.gov. The forms themselves are free and this guide 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 Michigan 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, and one hour of advice is cheaper than a case that gets sent back for missing forms.
Confirm current numbers and local requirements with your court. Filing procedures, e-filing systems, local parenting-class requirements, and process-server pricing are set circuit by circuit and change over time. Where this guide could not verify an exact figure, form, or requirement from an official statewide source with confidence, it says so and points you to your county circuit court clerk or Friend of the Court instead of guessing.
Free help you should know about. Michigan Legal Help is a nonprofit, court-affiliated self-help resource built specifically for this. Its Do-It-Yourself Divorce and Do-It-Yourself Judgment of Divorce tools are free and generate court-ready documents. If that fits your situation, use it — this guide exists to make sense of the parts around it.
Four things can happen to the house in a Michigan divorce
Michigan is not one of the twenty states where filing freezes both spouses automatically. That is not permission to sell: either of you can still ask a court for an order, and one may already exist in your case. But the automatic-order trap is not one you fall into here.
One of you buys the other out, you sell later, you sell now, or the court decides. For a great many people the right answer is not to sell at all – and three of the four routes earn us nothing.
The four routes, compared · Keeping it: the buyout and the carrying cost · Selling: capital gains, basis and timing · Finding an agent who has done a divorce sale · What two households cost
Need a vetted attorney, mediator, or financial analyst in Michigan?
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 Michigan specifically. Every figure on these pages is quoted from Michigan’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.
All 15 Michigan divorce forms, listed by the number the clerk will ask for — 15 with an official form number, 15 linked straight to the state’s own file, each with its revision date where the state publishes one. Open the Michigan form list →
Common questions about filing for divorce in Michigan
Short answers to what people ask most before they start. Each one points at the part of this page that covers it in full.
How do I file for divorce in Michigan?
This page sets out the order it happens in for Michigan: which form opens the case, what has to be served on the other person and when, and what the court needs before it will finish. It is written to be followed in sequence rather than read through.
What forms do I need to file for divorce in Michigan?
The form list on this page gives the official Michigan form numbers, each one’s revision date, and a link to the copy on the court’s own site rather than a copy hosted here. Using a superseded revision is one of the most common reasons a filing comes back, which is why the dates are shown.
How much does it cost to file for divorce in Michigan?
$175, or $255 with minor children, to open the case, and that is only the filing fee — it does not cover service, copies, any required class, or a lawyer. The full breakdown for Michigan, with every figure traced to the court’s own published schedule and dated, is at what it costs to file in Michigan.
What gets a Michigan divorce filing rejected?
This page has a section on exactly that — the specific mistakes that get a filing returned in Michigan rather than a general list. Most of them are procedural and cost weeks rather than money: the wrong form revision, a missing signature or notarization, service done in a way the state does not accept, or filing before a residency requirement is met.
How long does a divorce take in Michigan?
There is a timeline on this page built from Michigan’s own statutory day-counts, not from averages. The honest short answer is that the waiting period is a floor and not a prediction: an uncontested case can finish close to it, and a contested one is governed by the court’s calendar rather than the statute.
Where does the information on this page come from?
Michigan’s own courts and statutes. Every form links to the court’s site, every fee is quoted from the published schedule with the date it was last checked, and where something could not be confirmed from an official source this site says so instead of estimating. It is free, with no account and no paywall.
Does cheating change the money in Michigan?
Probably not, but for a different reason than you might think: Michigan’s support statute contains no misconduct factor at all. Silence is not permission and it is not a prohibition — seventeen states are in this position, and in them the written rule simply does not address it. The fifty-state table sets out the section this comes from, and the card higher up this page quotes your state’s own words.
Choosing an agent for a divorce sale is a different problem from choosing one for an ordinary sale: who the agent is allowed to talk to, who has to sign, what happens when one of you will not, and the three separate conflicts of interest that come up when one spouse found the agent first. How to choose a real estate agent for a divorce sale sets out what to ask, and how to check a credential yourself — no divorce credential is official with the National Association of Realtors.
The Cusp receives a referral fee from agents it vets and trains to handle divorce clients.
Key deadlines at a glance
These are the same deadlines the calculator above works out, shown as days counted from the day you file or the day your spouse is served. Use the calculator for your exact dates.
No minor children
| Step | When | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Complaint filed | The day you file | The clock starts here. Almost every Michigan deadline counts from this date, not from service. |
| Spouse served / signed Acknowledgment | The day your spouse is served (or signs a waiver) | Their answer clock starts now. |
| Their Answer is due (in-person service in Michigan) | 21 days after service | MCR 2.108. 28 days instead if served by mail or outside Michigan. |
| CC 320 Verified Financial Information Form due to each other | 49 days after service | MCR 3.206 — 28 days after the Answer is served (using the 21-day in-person answer date as the base; add a further week if your spouse was served by mail or out of state). |
| Earliest a judge can take testimony or enter judgment | 60 days after filing | MCL 552.9f — 60 days from filing, since there are no minor children. |
| Summons expires if not yet served | 91 days after filing | MCR 2.102(D)/(E) — if service isn’t complete by now, the case is automatically dismissed without prejudice unless you filed a Motion for Second Summons first. |
With minor children
| Step | When | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Complaint filed | The day you file | The clock starts here. Almost every Michigan deadline counts from this date, not from service. |
| Spouse served / signed Acknowledgment | The day your spouse is served (or signs a waiver) | Their answer clock starts now. |
| Their Answer is due (in-person service in Michigan) | 21 days after service | MCR 2.108. 28 days instead if served by mail or outside Michigan. |
| CC 320 Verified Financial Information Form due to each other | 49 days after service | MCR 3.206 — 28 days after the Answer is served (using the 21-day in-person answer date as the base; add a further week if your spouse was served by mail or out of state). |
| Summons expires if not yet served | 91 days after filing | MCR 2.102(D)/(E) — if service isn’t complete by now, the case is automatically dismissed without prejudice unless you filed a Motion for Second Summons first. |
| Earliest a judge can take testimony or enter judgment | 181 days after filing | MCL 552.9f — 6 months from filing, because you have minor children under 18. |
Your county
Divorce rules are set by the state, but each county or court has its own forms, deadlines, classes and filing habits. Choose yours.
Or go straight to your county or court:
Genesee (call to confirm)Kent (call to confirm)Macomb (call to confirm)OaklandWashtenaw (call to confirm)WayneGenesee Call or check the court website to confirm
Little could be confirmed for Genesee. It is not on the state e-filing list and has an entry in the state local-rules index. Check with the clerk for procedures.
Where this comes from
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Kent Call or check the court website to confirm
Kent describes a judge-driven domestic mediation process: after a response is filed, parties submit a scheduling statement and a domestic violence screening form, and the judge decides whether to order mediation. Parties can pick a mediator or the court assigns one from its roster. Kent does not appear on the state e-filing list or the state local-rules index.
Who to contact: Friend of the Court: 877-543-2660 or 616-632-6888, Mon-Fri 8:00-4:30
Where this comes from
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Macomb Call or check the court website to confirm
Macomb requires all filers to e-file according to the state MiFILE list, though whether that covers divorce case starts was not confirmed. The court directory lists separate offices for case management, the Friend of the Court and alternative dispute resolution.
Who to contact: General 586-469-5100, County Administration Building, 1 S Main St, Mount Clemens, MI 48043. Case Management 586-469-5150. Friend of the Court 586-469-5160.
Where this comes from
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Oakland
Oakland requires all filers to e-file according to the state MiFILE list. Local rules cover notice when another Oakland court already has orders about a child, and Friend of the Court bench-warrant review. The Friend of the Court offers SMILE, a one-session program for separated or divorced parents, and free parenting time mediation with the Oakland Mediation Center.
Who to contact: 6th Circuit Court 248-858-0344; county main line 248-858-1000
Where this comes from
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Washtenaw Call or check the court website to confirm
Divorces go to the Domestic Division of the Washtenaw County Trial Court. The state e-filing list requires only attorneys to e-file. Details on fees, forms and contacts were not confirmed.
Where this comes from
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Wayne
Wayne has its own local rules and filing setup. The court’s page describes a Domestic Case Filings System open weekdays 8 to 4, and in-person filing at the clerk’s Room 201 only on Mondays and Thursdays. E-filing fees are paid in advance online and the receipt attached; fee waivers must be approved before filing. Local rules use a yellow praecipe form for domestic default judgments and domestic motions.
Who to contact: Clerk: Room 201, Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, Two Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226. E-filing help: helpdesk@3rdcc.org
Where this comes from
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Not listed? Your county clerk of court can tell you the local rules. These are general information from court and clerk pages, last checked 2026-11-10, not legal advice.
Already divorced? How to change a support order in Michigan. Or check your state’s rules in one place.
Serving the papers in Michigan? Any legally competent adult who is not a party; not you. The summons expires 91 days after it is issued. (As we read the rules on 29 October 2026.) See who can serve a divorce summons and whether you can do it yourself, and find Michigan in our state-by-state serving table.
Stay current
We re-check the law. We will tell you when your state’s changes.
One email, and only when something we have published about your state stops being true — a filing fee that moved, a statute that was amended, a form the court replaced. No newsletter, no sales, unsubscribe in one click.
We use your address for that one purpose. We do not sell it, and we do not add you to anything else. Privacy
How we can help
Understand the house first. Then talk to someone who gets it.
The house is usually the largest decision in a divorce, and the one people are least ready for. Here is what we do, in the order that makes sense.
1. Start with the facts, free
22 states have automatic orders that freeze both spouses the moment a divorce is filed, barring either one from selling or borrowing against the property. Is yours one of them?
Plain-English guides on what can happen to the house, what an automatic order stops you doing, and how the tax rules decide what a sale is worth. No account and nothing to buy.
- The four things that can happen to the house
- Selling the house: who signs, and the tax rules
- Keeping the house: the buyout and the carrying cost
2. Know when not to call an agent
Often the right answer is to wait, or to talk to your lawyer or an accountant first. We say so plainly. An agent is the wrong first call if nothing is filed, or if an order restricts what either of you can do with the property.
3. Talk to someone who gets it
When you do need an agent, we introduce you to a local agent who has completed our divorce real estate training and passed its 20-question exam. Before any introduction we check the license with the state regulator (any unresolved disciplinary action is a no), the agent’s closed sales, and a review rating of 4.7 or better. The introduction is free, and you are free to say no.
Ask for an introductionHow we are paid
You pay us nothing. Agents are not charged for the training, the exam or the free resources. If an introduction leads to a closed sale, the agent’s brokerage pays a referral fee out of its own commission, not out of your proceeds. A place on the panel cannot be bought.
General information, not legal or tax advice. The Cusp is not a law firm.
Selling a home in a divorce: what to ask a local listing agent
Selling the house is often the largest single decision in a divorce. These questions help you judge whether an agent has done it before. They do not replace your lawyer, who should approve the plan before anything is listed.
- Have you sold homes where both spouses had to sign, or where a court had to approve the sale? How many, and how recently?
- Does filing already restrain a sale in my state? Check the 50-state table and ask my lawyer before we sign anything.
- Who decides on price changes and which offers to accept when we disagree, and how will that be written down?
- Who pays the mortgage, taxes and insurance until closing, and what does the listing agreement say about it?
- Where will the sale proceeds be held until the decree says who gets what?
- How will you handle showings, access and lockboxes if we are not speaking?
- Will you give both spouses and both lawyers the same information at the same time?
- What happens to the listing agreement if we settle, reconcile or the case is delayed? What are the cancellation terms?
- Can I have your fee terms in writing and the names of past clients who sold during a divorce?