Hard court costs · verified 2026-08-20

What a Pennsylvania divorce actually costs to file.

Not a range, not an estimate, not a lawyer’s blog. Every figure below is traced to a statute, a court fee schedule, or a clerk’s own published page — and linked to it.

It costs $250.00 to file for divorce in Pennsylvania. Below is where that money goes, what it does not cover, and what to do if you do not have it.

What it costs to file

$250.00

$334.73 across the three counties confirmed

County Prothonotary fee bills adopted under 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725(c) (base fee and county surcharges), plus the mandatory statewide surcharges in 42 Pa.C.S. § 3733(a.1)(1)(ii) and 42 Pa.C.S. § 3733.1(a)(3). Philadelphia’s schedule additionally cites Act 134 of 2020 and 71 P.S. § 2108(b.1) as the source of recent increases.

Schedule dated

Philadelphia: November 12, 2025 (printed: “Fees reflect increases mandated by General Assembly of Pennsylvania, Act 134 of 2020 and as required by PA Statutes Title 71 P.S. § 2108 (b.1). are effective as of November 12, 2025.”). Montgomery: January 1, 2026 (printed on the Prothonotary fee-schedule page: “Effective January 1, 2026.”). Berks: August 1, 2026 (printed: “PROTHONOTARY OF BERKS COUNTY FEE BILL effective 8/1/2026”).

The date printed on the official source. Where a state prints no date, we say so rather than implying the figure is current.

Worth knowing before you file. Pennsylvania prices a divorce by the COUNT, not by the case, so the advertised filing fee is a floor. In Montgomery County the Complaint Divorce is $314.50, but each additional count – equitable distribution, alimony, spousal support/APL, exclusive possession, dissipation of assets, special relief – adds $70.50, and a custody/visitation count adds $81.50; a complaint pleading four economic counts costs roughly double the headline. Berks charges $60.00 per extra count on a $250.00 base, and separately charges a $1,015.00 Divorce Hearing Officer Fee if a contested claim has to be heard – four times the filing fee.

Where the money goes

Philadelphia publishes a full statutory component breakdown for its divorce filing fee and it is reproduced in full above. Montgomery and Berks publish only bottom-line amounts per document type, with the statewide surcharges described in footnotes rather than itemised per line.

Component	Amount
Base Fee (Philadelphia divorce, commencement of action)Largest single component of Philadelphia’s $334.73 total. 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725(c)(2)(iii)	$189.20
Judicial Computer Project / Access to Justice fee (as charged by Philadelphia)Independently corroborated by Berks County, whose current fee bill is filed under the name “FEE-BILL-update-11-14-2025-JCP-Fee-increase-to-$41-25.pdf” and which prints “$41.25 JCP fee” in its notes. Note that the underlying statutes set only $10 (42 Pa.C.S. § 3733(a.1)(1)(ii), of which $8 goes to the Judicial Computer System Augmentation Account and $2 to the Access to Justice Account) plus a $2 permanent Access to Justice fee (42 Pa.C.S. § 3733.1(a)(3)) — see the note and the gaps below. 42 Pa.C.S. § 3733(a.1)	$41.25
Family Court Facility Fund (Philadelphia) 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725(c)(6)	$37.84
Law Library (Philadelphia) 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725	$37.84
Children’s Trust Fund (Philadelphia)Charged on the divorce commencement line but not on Philadelphia’s general civil first-filing line. 11 P.S. § 2238	$10.00
Automation Maintenance Fee (Philadelphia) 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725(c)(2)(iv)	$5.50
Automation Development Fee (Philadelphia) 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725(c)(2)(xviii)	$5.50
Special Court Administration Fee (Philadelphia) 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725(c)(2)(xxii)	$5.50
Judicial Education (Philadelphia) 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725(c)(2)(x)	$1.10
Vital Statistics Law fee (Philadelphia) 35 P.S. § 450.602	$0.50
State Tax (Philadelphia)These eleven components sum to Philadelphia’s published $334.73 divorce commencement fee. 72 P.S. § 3172	$0.50

How it changes by county

Pennsylvania has no statewide divorce filing fee. Each of the 67 county Prothonotaries adopts its own fee bill, built from a base fee and a stack of county surcharges authorized by 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725(c) (automation maintenance, automation development, judicial education, special court administration, law library, and in Philadelphia a Family Court Facility Fund), on top of the mandatory statewide surcharges in 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 3733(a.1) and 3733.1. Counties also differ in how they price additional counts and hearing officers, and in whether e-filing carries a surcharge.

The floor everywhere in Pennsylvania

$41.25 — the JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge charged on every case in every Pennsylvania county except summary traffic, raised to this figure by Act 45 of 2025 effective immediately on signing. It breaks down as $10 (42 Pa.C.S. § 3733(a.1)(1)), $2 (42 Pa.C.S. § 3733.1(a)(3)), $2 (72 P.S. § 1795.1-E(b)(2)), $3.50 Criminal Justice Enhancement (72 P.S. § 1795.1-E(c)(1)(ii)), $2.50 Office of Attorney General (72 P.S. § 1795.1-E(c)(1)(iii)), $10 and $11.25 (71 P.S. § 720.102). A divorce complaint also carries a $10 Children's Trust Fund fee (11 P.S. § 2238) in every county.

Pennsylvania is the most local of the three, and the most confusing, because the price depends on how many CLAIMS you file, not just on your county. Each county's prothonotary (in Philadelphia, the Office of Judicial Records; in Allegheny, the Department of Court Records) publishes its own fee bill, adopted by the county commissioners and advertised in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. Philadelphia, as a county of the first class, has its schedule set by statute at 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725(c). Other counties set theirs locally, with the prothonotary automation fee authorized by Act 98-164 and cited in county fee bills as 42 Pa.C.S. § 21071. Riding on top of every single filing in every county is one statewide surcharge: the JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG fee, currently $41.25, assessed under 42 Pa.C.S. § 3733(a.1) and § 3733.1 plus 72 P.S. § 1795.1-E and 71 P.S. § 720.102. Divorce filings also carry a $10 Children's Trust Fund fee under 11 P.S. § 2238. The killer detail: most Pennsylvania counties charge per COUNT — the divorce itself is one count, and equitable distribution, alimony, custody, support and counsel fees are each additional counts with their own fee, and in several counties the $41.25 state surcharge is charged again on every count.

County	What you pay to file	Service
Philadelphia	$334.73 to start, plus $66.22 later for the Praecipe to Transmit Record — about $400.95 all in	Not on the prothonotary schedule; the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office publishes its own civil division fee calculator
Allegheny	$195.25 for a bare divorce complaint; $368.75 if it includes a custody count; +$46.25 per additional count	Not published on the Family Division fee page
Montgomery	$314.50 for a divorce complaint; each extra count $70.50; a custody count $81.50	Montgomery County Sheriff publishes a separate civil fee schedule
Bucks	$398.00 for a Complaint in Divorce	Bucks County Sheriff's Office uses a separate Order For Service form and fee
Chester	$214.25 for a no-fault complaint; first two additional counts $79.25 each; each count beyond two $40.25; custody count adds $44.00	Not published on the prothonotary schedule
Lancaster	$237.00 for a no-fault divorce; each additional count $71.75; custody count adds $10.00	Not on the prothonotary fee bill
York	$318.00 for a Complaint in Divorce	Not published on the prothonotary schedule
Berks	$250.00 for a one-count divorce or annulment complaint; each additional count $60.00; custody count adds $30.50	Not published on the fee bill
Lehigh	$275.75 for a no-fault divorce; each additional count $77.50; custody & visitation count $88.00; plus $36.50 later for the Praecipe to Transmit Record	Not published on the civil fee schedule
Dauphin	$345.75 for a plain divorce; $592.15 for a divorce with custody; up to $854.65 for divorce with custody plus three additional counts	Not published on the prothonotary fee list
Washington	$211.75 for a one-count divorce; $271.75 for two counts; $331.75 for three; rising $60.00 per count to $751.75 at ten counts	Not published on the civil filings and divorce fee bill
Beaver	$175.00 for a one-count Complaint in Divorce; $247.00 for two counts; $258.00 for divorce with custody	Not published on the prothonotary fee schedule
Franklin	$168.50 for divorce; each additional count $56.25	Not published on the prothonotary fee schedule
Center	$216.00 for divorce; custody as an issue adds $59.50	Sheriff service published: $100.00 in-county, plus $25 for each additional defendant. Out-of-county, contact the sheriff's office.
Pike	$152.00 for a divorce complaint; each additional count $67.00; custody count adds $97.00; plus $21.75 later for the Praecipe to Transmit Record	Not published on the prothonotary fee schedule
Potter	$93.00 for a one-count divorce; $139.25 for two counts; $185.50 for three; each additional count $46.25; custody count adds $10.50	Not published on the prothonotary fee schedule

The spread: Across the 16 Pennsylvania counties we confirmed, the cheapest divorce complaint is Potter County at $93.00 for a single count. The most expensive plain divorce complaint is Bucks County at $398.00, with Philadelphia close behind at $334.73 up front and about $400.95 once you add the required $66.22 Praecipe to Transmit Record. But the true high-water mark is Dauphin County, where a divorce with custody and three additional counts comes to $854.65. That is more than nine times Potter County's price, in the same state, under the same divorce code.

What makes up each of these numbers

Philadelphia — The most transparent schedule in the state. Commencement of a divorce action $334.73 = base fee $189.20 (42 Pa.C.S. § 1725(c)(2)(iii)) + automation maintenance $5.50 + judicial education $1.10 + automation development $5.50 + special court administration $5.50 + Family Court Facility Fund $37.84 + law library $37.84 + JCP/ATJ $41.25 + Children's Trust Fund $10.00 + vital statistics $0.50 + state tax $0.50. Defendant's first filing $144.54. Praecipe to Transmit Record $66.22. Effective November 12, 2025. source
Allegheny — Family Division fee schedule effective January 13, 2025. Divorce complaint $195.25 base; add $173.50 if a custody count is included; add $46.25 for each additional count. Praecipe to Transmit Record $20.00. Certified divorce decree $20.00. A standalone custody complaint is $349.25. source
Montgomery — Prothonotary fee schedule effective January 1, 2026 (the county published a bilingual version noting custody changes). Complaint Divorce $314.50; Complaint in Annulment $314.50; standalone Complaint for Custody/Visitation $315.75. Divorce extra counts are itemized individually and each is $70.50 — alimony, dissipation of assets, equitable distribution, exclusive possession, removal, special relief, spousal support/APL, support — except a custody/visitation count, which is $81.50. source
Bucks — Court of Common Pleas Family Court fee schedule effective January 1, 2026. Complaint in Divorce $398.00. Equitable distribution as a standalone complaint $271.50, but only $90.50 when incorporated in the divorce complaint. Custody/visitation as a standalone complaint $281.25, but $100.25 when incorporated in the divorce complaint. Certified divorce decree $6.25. Withdrawal of complaint $10.25. source
Chester — Prothonotary Family Court fee schedule effective November 6, 2023. No Fault Complaint $214.25. Ancillary relief counts: each of the first two additional counts $79.25, each count beyond two (except counsel fees) $40.25, plus $44.00 for any additional count for custody. Standalone custody complaint $213.25. The schedule notes the prothonotary automation fee (42 Pa.C.S. § 21071.2) is included in all new filing fees. source
Lancaster — The most useful breakdown in Pennsylvania because Lancaster shows its arithmetic on the fee bill: 'Divorce – 3301 (c or d) (No Fault) Fees include: $120.50 Writ, $.50 Tax, $41.25 JCS/ATJ, $10.00 CTF, $5.00 PAF, & $59.75 Final Costs' = $237.00. Each additional count for a claim $71.75 (that is $30.50 misc + $41.25 JCS/ATJ charged again). If the count is for custody, add the $10.00 AOPC fee. Master's fees $475.00 per half day, non-refundable. Divorce certification $20.50; election to resume prior name $24.75. source
York — Prothonotary fee schedule effective January 1, 2026. Complaint – Divorce $318.00. Standalone Complaint – Custody $237.00, but only $10.50 when filed with a divorce action. Certified copy of divorce decree $15.00. Divorce hearing officer for a fault divorce, equitable distribution or alimony, first 12 hours, $350.00. Petition to enforce divorce after 2 years $239.00. source
Berks — Prothonotary of Berks County Fee Bill effective 1/1/2026 (the file name records the JCP fee increase to $41.25). Divorce/Annulment Complaint with one count $250.00. Each additional divorce count after the first $60.00, and this applies to new counts in amended complaints too. If a custody, partial custody or visitation claim is asserted in a divorce complaint, an additional $15.00 filing fee is required per local rule 1920.31(a)(1)(c), plus $10.50 Act 119 fee and $5.00 prothonotary automation fee, for a total of $30.50. Certifying a divorce decree $10.00. Prothonotary fees include $15.00 e-filing fees. source
Lehigh — Clerk of Judicial Records, Civil Division fee schedule effective January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028, citing 42 Pa.C.S. § 21071 and Act 98-164. Divorce – No Fault $275.75. Additional divorce counts $77.50 each (alimony, alimony pendente lite, counsel fees and costs, equitable distribution, support, other). Custody & visitation count $88.00. Standalone custody action $220.75. Praecipe to Transmit Record $36.50. Appointment of Master (alimony, equitable distribution, annulment) $500.00. Notice to retake maiden name $20.25. The schedule flags CTF (Children's Trust Fund), JCP (Judicial Computer Project) and PAF (Prothonotary Automation Fee) as state-mandated components. source
Dauphin — Prothonotary filing fees effective 01/01/2026. Divorce $345.75. Divorce +1 additional count $433.25, +2 counts $521.00, +3 counts $609.00. Divorce with Custody $592.15; with custody +1 count $679.65; +2 counts $767.15; +3 counts $854.65. Adding a custody count to an existing divorce action $237.25. Standalone custody complaint $371.40. AOPC custody fee $10.50. Appointment of Divorce Hearing Officer: $123.75 discovery only, $198.75 pre-decree, $123.75 post-decree. source
Washington — The clearest per-count table in Pennsylvania. One count: administration $86.00 + revenue $70.00 + state $0.50 + commission $10.00 + JCPF $40.25 + automation $5.00 = $211.75. Every additional count adds another full JCPF assessment plus $19.75, i.e. $60.00 a count. The schedule adds in capital letters: 'Add $8.50 to any divorce containing custody' and warns 'The $60.00 Per Count Divorce & JCPF Fee must be collected on each actual separate count.' Fee schedule effective January 1, 2019 (JCPF shown at the older $40.25; the statewide figure is now $41.25). source
Beaver — Prothonotary's fee schedule dated January 1, 2026, which notes the fee changes are driven by the JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG fee. Complaint in Divorce – 1 Count $175.00; 2 Counts $247.00; Divorce w/Custody $258.00. Standalone custody complaint $177.00; custody modification $29.00. Out of state/county divorce decree $66.00, or $76.00 with resumption of maiden name. source
Franklin — Prothonotary's fee schedule effective January 2, 2026. Divorce Relations $168.50; additional counts in divorce $56.25 each. Motion for Appointment of Master $350.00. Standalone custody $116.75. Conciliation fee / petition to modify a custody order $250.00. Divorce decree, certified gold seal $10.00; regular certified court seal $5.00. source
Center — Prothonotary fee schedule effective 01/01/2025 with a revision effective November 14, 2025. Divorce $216.00; custody as an issue in the divorce $59.50; standalone custody/visitation action $189.50. Final divorce decree $6.00. Transfer case to another county $50.00. source
Pike — Prothonotary fee schedule revised effective January 1, 2026. Divorce filing complaint $152.00 (includes JCS/ATJ fee, 50-cent writ tax, prothonotary automation). Add $67.00 for each additional count; add $97.00 for a custody count. Certified copy of divorce decree $12.50. Amended complaint $25.00. Election to retake maiden name $6.75. Property settlement agreement $15.00. Praecipe to Transmit Record $21.75. Standalone custody complaint $172.50; divorce master's fee $600.00. source
Potter — Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts fee schedule updated and effective 7/23/2026. One-count divorce complaint $93.00, including the JCS/ATJ fee, the 50-cent writ tax, prothonotary automation and the divorce surcharge. Two counts $139.25, three $185.50, four $231.75, five $278.00, six $324.25 — each additional count is $46.25 and that figure itself includes another JCS/ATJ assessment. If custody is a count, add $10.50 for Act 119. One-count counterclaim in divorce $78.25. Certified copy of divorce decree $10.00. Change of venue in a divorce case $48.00 whether granted or not. source

What catches people out

Pennsylvania charges by the COUNT, and this is the single biggest surprise. The divorce itself is count one. Equitable distribution is a count. Alimony is a count. Custody is a count. Support is a count. Counsel fees is a count. Washington County charges $60 for every count past the first; Lehigh charges $77.50; Lancaster $71.75; Chester $79.25 for the first two; Montgomery $70.50; Pike $67.00; Potter and Allegheny $46.25. A 'simple' divorce that asks for property division is already two counts.
The $41.25 statewide court surcharge is charged AGAIN on each additional count in several counties. Washington County's fee bill says so on its face, and Lancaster's shows the arithmetic: an extra count is $30.50 in local fees plus another full $41.25 to the state.
Adding children to the case can be nearly free or brutally expensive depending on the county line. York charges $10.50 to add a custody count to a divorce. Potter charges $10.50. Berks charges $30.50. Chester charges $44.00. Center charges $59.50. Montgomery charges $81.50. Bucks charges $100.25. Pike charges $97.00. Allegheny charges $173.50. Dauphin charges $237.25.
You pay again at the end. The decree does not just appear — you must file a Praecipe to Transmit Record, and that is a separate charge: $66.22 in Philadelphia, $36.50 in Lehigh, $21.75 in Pike, $20.00 in Allegheny. And then a certified copy of the decree itself costs extra: $20.00 in Allegheny, $15.00 in York, $12.50 in Pike, $10.00 in Berks and Potter, $6.25 in Bucks, $6.00 in Center.
If your case goes to a divorce master or hearing officer, that is a whole separate bill and it is often not refundable. Pike County's master's fee is $600.00. Lehigh's appointment of master is $500.00. Lancaster's master's fees are $475.00 per half day and the fee bill says in capitals they are NON-REFUNDABLE. York's divorce hearing officer is $350.00 for the first 12 hours. Franklin's motion for appointment of master is $350.00.
Filing under the wrong ground can double your cost. Lancaster's $237.00 price is specifically for a 3301(c) or 3301(d) no-fault divorce. A fault divorce, or one where alimony is claimed or an agreement is being incorporated, triggers master's fees on top.
Prices moved statewide in late 2025. Act 45 of 2025 raised the JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge to $41.25 effective immediately on signing, and county after county reissued its fee bill effective 1/1/2026 to match. Any figure you find dated before November 2025 is low.

What we could not confirm

Sheriff service costs are the big gap in Pennsylvania. Only Center County published a figure ($100 in-county, $25 each additional defendant). Everywhere else the sheriff runs a separate office with a separate fee schedule, so budget for it and call the sheriff's civil division, not the prothonotary. We also could not confirm Delaware, Luzerne, Northampton, Westmoreland, Cumberland or Erie counties within this pass — their fee bills exist but were not reachable from a published link we could verify.

16 counties confirmed against the clerk’s own published schedule. Fee schedules change without notice — call before you drive over.

The published range

$250.00 – $334.73 across the three counties confirmed across the counties we were able to confirm from official sources.

County	Published fee	Schedule dated
Philadelphia	$334.73 (Divorce – Commencement of Action). Defendant First Filing $144.54; Praecipe to Transmit $66.22; Motion for Appointment of Permanent Master $496.98	November 12, 2025official source
Montgomery	$314.50 (Complaint Divorce, same amount whether filed at the counter or electronically). Each Divorce Extra Count $70.50; Custody/Visitation count $81.50	January 1, 2026official source
Berks	$250.00 (Divorce/Annulment Complaint with one count). Each Additional Divorce Count after the first $60.00; Praecipe to Transmit $100.00; Divorce Hearing Officer Fee $1,015.00	August 1, 2026official source
Allegheny	The clerk publishes no divorce filing fee we could read. Call the office.	no date printed
Northampton	$163.25 (Divorce – no additional counts). Adding a custody count is $80.50 more, a support count $70.00. The same schedule lists a separate Divorce Deposit of $250.00 and does not say whether it is taken at commencement. Sheriff service $68.00 for one defendant. Note the county’s own self-help page says $162.25 — a dollar less than the Prothonotary’s schedule.	As of January 1, 2026official source

What the filing fee does not cover

The filing fee is usually the smallest predictable number in a divorce. This is where the rest of the budget lives — and where “not published” appears most often.

What it costs to file it electronically

Portal fee: Not uniform; not stated on the official pages read. Philadelphia divorce filing fee is $333.73 (money order, credit or debit card; no personal checks or cash). Allegheny County notes a records-retention fee rising from $3.50 to $7.00 per new filing effective June 1, 2026.

This sits on top of the filing fee above, and a percentage surcharge on a few hundred dollars is not small. Whether you have to e-file at all is on the Pennsylvania kit.

Cost	Amount
Service of process by sheriff/constable, per respondentCOULD NOT BE CONFIRMED. Pennsylvania sheriffs’ civil-process fees are set county by county and are published by the Sheriff’s office, not the Prothonotary; none of the three Prothonotary fee schedules relied on here covers sheriff service, and no sheriff fee schedule was verified. Reported as null rather than estimated.	not published
Parenting/parent-education class, if requiredCOULD NOT BE CONFIRMED, including whether it is MANDATORY with minor children. Pennsylvania education seminars in custody matters are imposed by local rule of each judicial district; no statewide requirement or price was found on pacourts.us, and none of the three county fee schedules relied on carries a parenting-class line.	not published
Court-ordered mediationCOULD NOT BE CONFIRMED as a published court fee. What IS published, and is far larger, is the divorce hearing officer / master fee – see the separate entry below.	not published
Divorce hearing officer / master fee (a Pennsylvania-specific cost, and the largest one)Payable when a contested economic claim is referred out to a hearing officer/master. Allegheny County’s Family Division publishes a Divorce Hearing Officer scheduling-and-payment procedure confirming the fee must be paid in full before a date is assigned, though the amount is not printed there. Philadelphia figure at https://www.courts.phila.gov/pdf/prothyfees.pdf Philadelphia: 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725(c)(2)(vii) base fee $354.20 plus record retention, Family Court Facility Fund and Law Library components. Berks: increase ordered by Court Order #26-11 dated 5/6/2026.	$1,015.00 (Berks); $496.98 for a Motion for Appointment of Permanent Master (Philadelphia)
E-filing or credit-card surchargeMontgomery County’s schedule prints a separate “E-filing Amount” column, but for the Complaint Divorce line the e-filing amount is identical to the counter amount ($314.50 either way), so e-filing carries no surcharge there. Philadelphia figure at https://www.courts.phila.gov/pdf/prothyfees.pdf Berks: Court Order #13-161 dated 8/5/2013 (and #13-161 dated 10/3/2014 for the conversion fee). Philadelphia: Administrative Order 2022-24.	Berks: $15.00 e-filing fee, already included in the printed Prothonotary fees; $8.00 e-filing fee for a filing that carries no Prothonotary fee; $1.00 conversion fee for any document NOT submitted through e-filing. Philadelphia: $25.00 Electronic Filing Fee – but note it appears on the Court of Common Pleas civil first-filing line, NOT on the Family Court divorce line.

If you cannot afford to file

More people qualify than apply. If this section applies to you it is the most useful thing on this page.

Pennsylvania has a way to file without paying up front

This is a normal court procedure, not a favor you have to plead for.

Who qualifies: No income table or public-benefits shortcut is published on the statewide form or guidance; the petition requires income and expense statements and the decision is discretionary with the judge.
What it covers: Court filing fees. The Philadelphia Family Court Notice to the Bar confirms the waiver reaches the statutory surcharges as well, stating the Clerk will not accept a divorce complaint “unless full payment of all applicable filing fees is made … or said fees are waived pursuant to the In Forma Pauperis or other fee waiver process that might be applicable.”
What to ask for: Form 2 – Petition to Proceed In Forma Pauperis, published by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts as part of its divorce self-help forms set (6 pages, with an arrowbox-guided instruction sheet)
How it works: Petition to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (IFP), filed with the county Prothonotary or Office of Judicial Records. The Pennsylvania courts’ self-help guidance states: “If you cannot afford to pay these fees to the court, you will need to complete the form below entitled In Forma Pauperis … You will be asked for your income and expense statements. The court may require that you appear in person for a hearing or a judge may decide based upon the information you provide.”

Read the official source.

What we could not find out

Open questions on this page

Allegheny County’s divorce filing fee could not be confirmed and is reported as null. alleghenycounty.us (which hosts the Department of Court Records, the office that sets the fee) returns HTTP 403 to automated requests on every path, and the Fifth Judicial District’s own site, alleghenycourts.us, publishes divorce procedure pages but no filing-fee amount. Berks County is supplied instead as a third verified county.
The brief’s figure of a ‘$12.50 statewide JCS/Access to Justice surcharge’ was NOT confirmed and appears to be wrong in both directions. The statutes set $10 (42 Pa.C.S. § 3733(a.1)(1)(ii)) plus a $2 permanent Access to Justice fee (42 Pa.C.S. § 3733.1(a)(3)) = $12.00 – note that 42 Pa.C.S. § 3733.1(a)(1) and (2) were repealed by Act 40 of 2017. But both Philadelphia and Berks currently charge a combined ‘J.C.P./A.T.J.’ line of $41.25, and Philadelphia’s schedule attributes recent increases to Act 134 of 2020 and 71 P.S. § 2108(b.1). The mechanism that takes the statutory $12.00 to the charged $41.25 was not traced to a primary source and is not asserted here.
Sheriff service fees, parenting-class requirement and cost, and court-ordered mediation cost are all county- or district-set and were not verified.
Pa.R.Civ.P. 240 is the rule customarily cited for in forma pauperis practice, but the rule number does not appear on the AOPC form or guidance page relied on, so it is not asserted as the authority.
Sources we could not read: https://www.alleghenycounty.us/ (and /Services/Court-Records) – HTTP 403 to automated requests on every path tried; https://www.alleghenycountypa.gov/ and https://alleghenycourts.us/ failed at the connection layer. This ; https://www.delcopa.gov/prothonotary/, https://www.yorkcountypa.gov/courts/prothonotary – HTTP 404; no alternate path located.

We would rather show you a blank than a plausible number. Everything above is a real limit on what Pennsylvania’s own agencies publish, not an omission on our part.

How we know this

Every figure on this page came from a statute, a state court system, or a clerk’s own published fee schedule — never a law firm’s blog, a legal-forms company, or a fee aggregator. Where a state publishes no date on its fee schedule, we say so rather than implying the number is current. Where nothing is published, we leave it blank.

Court fees change, and they change without announcement. Confirm with your clerk before you write the check.

What people actually report paying

Everything above is the filing fee, traced to the statute. It is also the smallest number in a divorce. Here is the other side of it — and a warning about how to read it.

Self-reported · not sourced

We read hundreds of public accounts from people who have been through it. Three findings held up across nearly all of them:

The total is bimodal, not an average. Self-filers cluster around $300–$500. Anyone with two lawyers and a real disagreement clusters around $20,000–$30,000. Almost nobody reports the middle, so “the average divorce costs X” describes almost no actual divorce.
Cost is driven by the other person’s conduct, not by how complicated your assets are. People with millions who agreed to split evenly reported paying filing fees only. People with one house and one child reported $45,000 because the case got dragged out.
Every large surprise is a third professional. The guardian ad litem, the custody evaluator, the forensic accountant, the QDRO preparer — all billed separately from both lawyers, and often introduced by the court before anyone had budgeted for one.

These are anecdotes, not prices. People post about a divorce cost when the number shocked them, so the high figures are heavily over-represented and the ordinary divorce is nearly invisible. Every figure on the full page is labeled with how many people reported it.

See what people report paying →

Know someone in Pennsylvania staring at this number?

A straight answer about money is more useful than most advice, and it costs nothing to pass along. Nothing here asks for their real name, and nobody finds out they looked.

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Now the part the fees don’t cover

The forms, the deadlines, the residency rule, and what actually happens next.

Open the Pennsylvania kit →

Or find someone to help

Pennsylvania attorneys, mediators, CDFAs and therapists, credentials checked against the state’s own records. Nobody paid to be there.

Pennsylvania professionals →

Sources last checked20 August 2026

Page published20 August 2026

What this means. This is when the sources on this page were last read against their originals — statutes, court rules, official schedules — taken from the date this page was built from its sources. It is not the date the page was last edited. Adding a link or fixing a typo does not move it; re-reading the statute does. Law changes without notice, so treat anything time-sensitive as needing a fresh check. Where we get something wrong we publish it at thecusp.app/corrections with the date, what changed, and how long the error was live.