Divorce in Pennsylvania, start to finish
See a different statePennsylvania
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Pennsylvania doesn’t hand you one uniform statewide form set the way some states do, and it doesn’t tell you the one fork that decides everything: whether your spouse will sign. That fork — 90 days vs. a full year — is the whole game. 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.
Which forms do you actually need?
Your route and its conditions, the forms grouped by route, how filing actually works in Pennsylvania, and the sequence with its costs.
First, which route you are on. Each one opens to the conditions the rule actually sets.
Mutual consent — the 90-day track
23 Pa.C.S. § 3301(c)(1)
Available only where:
- Both spouses will sign Affidavits of Consent, 90 or more days after the Complaint was filed and served.
One year of separation
23 Pa.C.S. § 3301(d)
Available where:
- The spouses have lived separate and apart for a full year, counted from the actual separation date.
Grouped exactly as Pennsylvania labels them, and nothing is added. 16 of 19 link straight to the official document; the rest are listed by name so you can find them in the state’s own catalog or ask the clerk for them.
Both routes 8 forms
- Form 1 — Notice to Defend, Divorce Complaint & Verification
- Entry of Appearance — Self-Represented Party Entry of Appearance
- Acceptance of Service — If your spouse will simply sign for it
- Affidavit of Service by Certified Mail — If you serve by certified mail instead
- Certificate of Service — File this every time you serve a later document
- Final Praecipe to Transmit Record — Sends your full file to a judge for the decree
- Divorce Decree — Proposed order — the judge signs this
- Notice of Intention to Resume Prior Surname — Optional — only if you’re reclaiming a former name
Both routes — where property or alimony is unresolved 2 forms
- Inventory — No state form — required by Pa.R.C.P. 1920.33 whenever property/alimony isn’t settled. See your county’s self-help center.
- Marital Settlement Agreement — No state form — privately drafted, commonly notarized if it moves real estate.
Both routes — where there are minor children 1 form
- Custody & child support paperwork — Filed as separate actions in Pennsylvania — not part of the divorce Complaint. Support goes through your county Domestic Relations Section; custody has its own complaint.
Mutual consent — § 3301(c)(1) 4 forms
- Affidavit of Consent — Signed by both of you, 90+ days after filing and service — § 3301(c)(1)
- Counter-Affidavit (c)(1) — Only if one of you is disputing something in the Notice of Intention
- Waiver of Notice — Both sign to skip the 20-day notice wait entirely — the fast path
- Notice of Intention to File Praecipe (c1) — Use instead of the Waiver if either of you won’t sign it — starts a 20-day clock
One year of separation — § 3301(d) 4 forms
- Affidavit under § 3301(d) — You file this once a full year of separation has passed
- Counter-Affidavit (d) — Your spouse can file this within 20 days to dispute your separation date or claims
- Notice of Intention to File Praecipe (d) — Serve once your Affidavit is uncontested — starts a 20-day clock
- Affidavit of Non-Military Service — Required if your spouse is unrepresented — Pa.R.C.P. 1920.46
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 Pennsylvania.
- Portal
- No statewide portal. Per-county: FJD E-Filing (Philadelphia, Civil Trial Division), Allegheny County Department of Court Records e-Filing, Delaware County OJS e-file, Lancaster County e-Filing, etc.
- Paper
- Still accepted — you can file over the counter.
- What it costs
- Not uniform; not stated on the official pages read. Philadelphia divorce filing fee is $334.73 (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.
- Worth knowing
- There is no statewide rule in Pennsylvania. Each judicial district runs its own program, and the mandates that exist are generally written to reach attorneys. In the two largest counties you can file on paper: Philadelphia’s own instructions for a self-represented divorce describe mailing the papers or carrying them to the Clerk of Family Court, and Allegheny says in as many words that self-represented litigants are encouraged to e-file but are not required to. Delaware County sweeps self-represented filers into its system, though the mandate described there covers non-family civil cases.
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 | Prove residency | None named | — |
| 2 | File your Complaint | None named | $195–$400 |
| 3 | Serve your spouse within 30 days | None named | — |
| 4 | The fork: which ground are you using? | None named | — |
| 5 | Wait out your track’s floor, and handle economic claims 90 days or 1 year | None named | — |
| 6 | Sign and file your Affidavit(s) within 30 days of signing | None named | — |
| 7 | Give notice and file the Praecipe to Transmit Record 20 days | None named | — |
| 8 | Get your decree | None named | — |
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.
| Filing fee — Philadelphia County | $334.73 |
| Filing fee — Allegheny County (base; +$173.50 if a custody count is joined). From the Family Division schedule effective 13 January 2025; confirm by phone, the fee page no longer answers automated checks | $195.25 |
| Filing fee — Bucks County | $398.00 |
| Filing fee — Montgomery County and others | varies — ask the Prothonotary |
| Certified mail service, return receipt | ~$8–10 |
| Sheriff or private process server, per person (if used) | ~$40–100 |
| County parent-education / custody program, if applicable | ~$0–75 |
| Certified copies of the final decree | small per-copy fee |
| Typical all-in, doing it yourselves | $220–500 |
The short version8 points · tap one to jump to it
- The two no-fault routes, and what each one requires — Pennsylvania has exactly one fork that matters more than any other, and it isn’t about children or property — it’s about whether both spouses will sign.
- Every form Pennsylvania publishes for a divorce — Pennsylvania is honest about one thing FL and CA aren’t forced to be: there’s no single statewide numbered form catalog.
- Getting the forms and filling them in — A self-represented divorce is filed on paper: 'mail or personally take them to the Office of the Clerk of Family Court, 1501 Arch Street, 11th Floor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19102'; pay by money order (mail) or money order/credit/debit card (in person).
- Your deadlines, calculated — Everything downstream of your track runs off dates you can actually put in a calendar.
- The order it actually happens in
- The rejection-proofing checklist — Your Affidavit of Consent cannot be true — and therefore cannot be signed — until 90 days have actually elapsed since filing and service.
- Economic disclosure — the Inventory (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.33) — Only required if you have unresolved economic claims — property, debts, or alimony not yet agreed.
- What this costs — Unlike Florida, Pennsylvania doesn't set one statewide filing fee — each county's Court of Common Pleas sets its own, and they genuinely range from under $200 to nearly $400.
In this subject 8
1 · The two no-fault routes, and what each one requires
The short version8 points · tap one to jump to it
- The two no-fault routes, and what each one requires — Pennsylvania has exactly one fork that matters more than any other, and it isn’t about children or property — it’s about whether both spouses will sign.
- Every form Pennsylvania publishes for a divorce — Pennsylvania is honest about one thing FL and CA aren’t forced to be: there’s no single statewide numbered form catalog.
- Getting the forms and filling them in — A self-represented divorce is filed on paper: 'mail or personally take them to the Office of the Clerk of Family Court, 1501 Arch Street, 11th Floor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19102'; pay by money order (mail) or money order/credit/debit card (in person).
- Your deadlines, calculated — Everything downstream of your track runs off dates you can actually put in a calendar.
- The order it actually happens in
- The rejection-proofing checklist — Your Affidavit of Consent cannot be true — and therefore cannot be signed — until 90 days have actually elapsed since filing and service.
- Economic disclosure — the Inventory (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.33) — Only required if you have unresolved economic claims — property, debts, or alimony not yet agreed.
- What this costs — Unlike Florida, Pennsylvania doesn't set one statewide filing fee — each county's Court of Common Pleas sets its own, and they genuinely range from under $200 to nearly $400.
In this subject 8
Pennsylvania has exactly one fork that matters more than any other, and it isn’t about children or property — it’s about whether both spouses will sign. Getting it wrong isn’t filing the wrong form, it’s waiting the wrong amount of time, and there’s no shortcut back.
Residency. 23 Pa.C.S. § 3104(b) requires one spouse to have been a bona fide Pennsylvania resident for at least 6 months before filing. There’s no way around it — short of six months, the options are to wait, or to file in a state where one spouse already qualifies.
Mutual consent — the 90-day track
23 Pa.C.S. § 3301(c)(1)
Ninety days is a floor on the waiting period, not a simplified paperwork track the way some states’ are. Where there are children or unresolved property, those are still handled separately. What the 90 days buys is speed: no need to prove a year of separation, just that 90 days have passed since the Complaint was filed and served, and that both spouses still consent.
Available only where:
- Both spouses will sign Affidavits of Consent, 90 or more days after the Complaint was filed and served.
Both spouses signing a Waiver of Notice skips the 20-day notice wait entirely — that is the fast path. Where either won’t sign it, the Notice of Intention to File Praecipe (c1) is used instead, and it starts a 20-day clock.
One year of separation
23 Pa.C.S. § 3301(d)
Where one spouse won’t sign an Affidavit of Consent, Pennsylvania’s no-fault route requires a full year of actually living separate and apart before the marriage counts as “irretrievably broken.” That clock runs from the real separation date — not from the filing date. The Complaint can be filed and served now to get the process moving; it just can’t be finalized until the year is up.
Available where:
- The spouses have lived separate and apart for a full year, counted from the actual separation date.
A change of heart at any point converts this to the faster consent track — nothing here is locked in. The other spouse can file a Counter-Affidavit (d) within 20 days to dispute the separation date or the claims, and an Affidavit of Non-Military Service is required where the other spouse is unrepresented (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.46).
Custody and child support are separate actions in Pennsylvania — not part of the divorce Complaint. Support goes through the county Domestic Relations Section; custody has its own complaint. And where property or alimony isn’t settled, Pa.R.C.P. 1920.33 requires an Inventory, for which there is no state form.
2 · Every form Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania is honest about one thing FL and CA aren’t forced to be: there’s no single statewide numbered form catalog. The Unified Judicial System (UJS) publishes a real, free self-represented packet — the links below go straight to it — but plenty of counties layer their own local cover sheets and requirements on top. Call your county’s Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts before you file, every time.
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 Pennsylvania handles divorce, and every form below is published free by Pennsylvania itself — you do not have to buy anything from anyone to get them. If your situation is not straightforward, a consultation with a Pennsylvania family lawyer costs far less than fixing a filing that went wrong.
| Form | What it is | Route | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form 1 | Notice to Defend, Divorce Complaint & Verification | Both routes | Download |
| Entry of Appearance | Self-Represented Party Entry of Appearance | Both routes | Download |
| Affidavit of Consent | Signed by both of you, 90+ days after filing and service — § 3301(c)(1) | Mutual consent — § 3301(c)(1) | Download |
| Counter-Affidavit (c)(1) | Only if one of you is disputing something in the Notice of Intention | Mutual consent — § 3301(c)(1) | Download |
| Waiver of Notice | Both sign to skip the 20-day notice wait entirely — the fast path | Mutual consent — § 3301(c)(1) | Download |
| Notice of Intention to File Praecipe (c1) | Use instead of the Waiver if either of you won’t sign it — starts a 20-day clock | Mutual consent — § 3301(c)(1) | Download |
| Affidavit under § 3301(d) | You file this once a full year of separation has passed | One year of separation — § 3301(d) | Download |
| Counter-Affidavit (d) | Your spouse can file this within 20 days to dispute your separation date or claims | One year of separation — § 3301(d) | Download |
| Notice of Intention to File Praecipe (d) | Serve once your Affidavit is uncontested — starts a 20-day clock | One year of separation — § 3301(d) | Download |
| Affidavit of Non-Military Service | Required if your spouse is unrepresented — Pa.R.C.P. 1920.46 | One year of separation — § 3301(d) | Download |
| Acceptance of Service | If your spouse will simply sign for it | Both routes | Download |
| Affidavit of Service by Certified Mail | If you serve by certified mail instead | Both routes | Download |
| Certificate of Service | File this every time you serve a later document | Both routes | Download |
| Final Praecipe to Transmit Record | Sends your full file to a judge for the decree | Both routes | Download |
| Divorce Decree | Proposed order — the judge signs this | Both routes | Download |
| Notice of Intention to Resume Prior Surname | Optional — only if you’re reclaiming a former name | Both routes | Download |
| Inventory | No state form — required by Pa.R.C.P. 1920.33 whenever property/alimony isn’t settled. See your county’s self-help center. | Both routes — where property or alimony is unresolved | see county |
| Marital Settlement Agreement | No state form — privately drafted, commonly notarized if it moves real estate. | Both routes — where property or alimony is unresolved | see county |
| Custody & child support paperwork | Filed as separate actions in Pennsylvania — not part of the divorce Complaint. Support goes through your county Domestic Relations Section; custody has its own complaint. | Both routes — where there are minor children | see county |
Every downloadable form here is free from pacourts.us. Confirm your county doesn’t require an additional local cover sheet before you file.
3 · Getting the forms and filling them in
Here’s the part nobody explains: Pennsylvania’s forms are free, most fill in on screen, and — this will surprise people who assume otherwise — you almost certainly don’t need a notary for the divorce paperwork itself.
You may e-file, but you do not have to Your choice
- Portal
- No statewide portal. Per-county: FJD E-Filing (Philadelphia, Civil Trial Division), Allegheny County Department of Court Records e-Filing, Delaware County OJS e-file, Lancaster County e-Filing, etc.
- Paper
- Still accepted — you can file over the counter.
- What it costs
- Not uniform; not stated on the official pages read. Philadelphia divorce filing fee is $334.73 (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.
- Worth knowing
- There is no statewide rule in Pennsylvania. Each judicial district runs its own program, and the mandates that exist are generally written to reach attorneys. In the two largest counties you can file on paper: Philadelphia’s own instructions for a self-represented divorce describe mailing the papers or carrying them to the Clerk of Family Court, and Allegheny says in as many words that self-represented litigants are encouraged to e-file but are not required to. Delaware County sweeps self-represented filers into its system, though the mandate described there covers non-family civil cases.
A self-represented divorce is filed on paper: 'mail or personally take them to the Office of the Clerk of Family Court, 1501 Arch Street, 11th Floor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19102'; pay by money order (mail) or money order/credit/debit card (in person). The FJD's mandatory e-filing administrative order (Adm. Docket No. 01 of 2008, mandatory from Jan. 5, 2009) applies to the CIVIL TRIAL DIVISION, not to Family Division divorce filings, and contains no pro se exemption language. source
'Effective November 13, 2023, e-Filing will be mandatory for all attorneys filing civil in the Department of Court Records.' And expressly: 'Self-represented litigants are encouraged to electronically file but are not mandated.' Divorce pleadings are filed at the Department of Court Records. source
Two texts that disagree. The Office of Judicial Support’s e-filing page (“updated January 21, 2026”) says ‘Attorneys and Self Represented Litigants may use the system’ and still lists ‘Actions for Divorce or Annulments of Marriage pursuant to Pa.R.C.P. 1920.1’ among filings that ‘will not initially be electronically accepted.’ But the amended Local Rule 205.4 that page links to (administrative order of September 2025) says ‘Use of the Delaware County Electronic Filing System for Family Law cases shall commence on October 15, 2025’, that on that date ‘all parties in Family Law cases (i.e. custody, divorce, special relief, equitable distribution) may electronically file’, and that ninety days later they ‘shall’; ‘counsel and self-represented litigant must apply for and receive a User Name and Password.’ An e-filing user fee is charged per legal paper, amount set by the OJS and not stated in the rule. Until the page catches up with the rule, ask the OJS which it is applying. Read 2 October 2026. page · rule
Paper for divorce. The Prothonotary’s e-filing tips say ‘The following documents will not be accepted via e-filing and must be filed by paper: Chester County Family Court Filings,’ and its Family Court fee schedule lists divorce (‘No Fault Complaint … $214.25,’ effective 1 January 2023). Pro se e-filing accounts exist for civil cases (‘Select “Pro Se” under the User Roles screen’); civil e-file fees are ‘$20 for new case filings’ and ‘$5 for a secondary filing that already has a fee attached.’ Read 2 October 2026. source
Paper for divorce. Local Rule 205.4(a)(1) (rules effective 23 September 2024): the court ‘shall permit the electronic filing of legal papers in all civil cases, except: (A) All filings pertaining to Family Division and Domestic Relations Section matters.’ The 2026 Prothonotary fee schedule lists divorce at $229.75 and no e-filing fee. Read 2 October 2026. source
In transition. The Family Court self-help page: ‘Custody and Divorce documents can be filed by mail or in person at the Prothonotary’s Office. Lawyers can also electronically file those documents. Self-represented litigants will be permitted or required to electronically file those documents after August 1, 2026 — Notice accordingly will be posted on the Prothonotary’s website.’ No such notice had been posted when we read it; a 2019 list still linked from the site says ‘ALL FILINGS BY PRO SE PARTIES ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR EFILE,’ while the CourtPro registration guide dated 24 September 2026 offers a ‘Pro-se’ role. The fee bill effective 28 September 2026 says ‘Prothonotary Fees Include $15.00 E-Filing Fees pursuant to Court Order #13-161’ and lists ‘Divorce/Annulment Complaint with one count $250.00’; card payments carry ‘a minimum fee of $1.00 or 3%.’ Read 2 October 2026. source
Optional, and silent on divorce. The Prothonotary’s page: the system allows ‘attorneys and parties to electronically file civil documents’ and ‘The system is not mandatory. Pleadings and other legal papers can still be filed in the traditional manner by delivery to the courthouse during normal business hours.’ Nothing we could read says whether a divorce complaint may be e-filed by a self-represented party; the system does generate a Family Court cover sheet. No e-filing fee is stated. Read 2 October 2026. source
Permissive: local Rule 205.4 says all civil actions 'including Family Actions' MAY be filed by e-filing; unrepresented parties may register and e-file; no mandate stated. source
The Chester, Erie, Berks and Montgomery rows, and the rewritten Delaware County row, were added on 2 October 2026 after the Barco Law Library reference desk at the University of Pittsburgh answered our question about which counties actually offer e-filing and pointed us to the county rules. The desk is credited as the source; nobody is named.
Step one — download them free
The UJS statewide self-represented divorce packet, organized by ground for divorce, lives here at no cost:
pacourts.us — Divorce Proceedings (Representing Yourself)
Unlike Florida or California, Pennsylvania doesn’t run one Judicial-Council-style catalog every county must use. The UJS packet linked above is real, free, and works statewide as a baseline — but counties like Philadelphia, Chester, and Bedford publish their own packets with local cover sheets, and Center County’s complaint even asks an extra question FL and CA forms don’t. Always confirm with your specific county’s Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts before you file — this guide tells you what the state requires; your county tells you what else it wants.
Step two — fill them in on screen
The UJS forms are fillable PDFs — type directly into the fields in Acrobat Reader, Preview, or your browser, then print and sign. Write “N/A” rather than leaving a field blank; a Prothonotary is far more likely to bounce a form with unexplained blanks than one that’s over-explained.
Step three — signing (almost never a notary)
This is the single most common thing people get wrong going in, so it’s worth stating plainly: Pennsylvania’s Complaint, Affidavit of Consent, §3301(d) Affidavit, and Affidavit of Non-Military Service are not notarized documents. Each one is a verification — you sign it stating the contents are true, subject to the criminal penalties for unsworn falsification to authorities under 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904. There’s no notary block on any of them. Read the fine print at the bottom of each PDF and you’ll see exactly that language.
Your Marital Settlement Agreement has no state-mandated form or signing method, but it’s standard, sensible practice to sign it before a notary — especially if it transfers real estate, since the deed that follows will need to be recorded and county recorders generally require notarized signatures on deeds. A handful of counties also want a name-change form notarized. If you do need one, Pennsylvania has allowed Remote Online Notarization since 2020: Proof, BlueNotary, OneNotary and similar services will do it by video call for roughly $25, or ask your bank — many notarize for account holders free.
The form itself states “90 days have elapsed from the date of filing and service of the Complaint.” Signing and dating it before that’s actually true isn’t a technicality — it’s a false verification under the same statute that makes lying on a tax return a crime. Wait for the date to actually arrive.
Step four — file them
Pennsylvania has a statewide e-filing system, PACFile, but it was built primarily for the appellate courts and only some county Common Pleas divisions participate for family filings — and even where it’s available, not every county accepts divorce complaints through it. Many self-represented filers still walk paper into the Prothonotary’s office, in person, with the fee in hand. Check your county’s website or call before assuming either way.
Serving your spouse works one of three ways: they sign an Acceptance of Service (simplest, if they’ll cooperate), you send it by certified mail, return receipt requested, or an adult who isn’t a party makes personal service — a sheriff or a private process server. You have 30 days from filing to get this done (Pa.R.C.P. 401); miss it and you file a Praecipe to Reinstate the Complaint to restart the clock.
4 · Your deadlines, calculated
Everything downstream of your track runs off dates you can actually put in a calendar. Pick your track, enter what you know, and we’ll turn Pennsylvania’s rules into real dates — then export the whole thing to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook in one click.
5 · The order it actually happens in
6 · The rejection-proofing checklist
These are the specific things that get Pennsylvania filings bounced, contested, or stalled for months — most of them invisible until they happen to you.
Signing and verifying
Your Affidavit of Consent cannot be true — and therefore cannot be signed — until 90 days have actually elapsed since filing and service. Your §3301(d) Affidavit cannot be signed until a full year of separation has actually passed. Both are verified under penalty of 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904. Signing early isn’t just risky, it’s a false statement on a court document.
Forms people forget
Timing
Alimony, equitable distribution of property, counsel fees, and costs are all waived if you don’t raise them before the divorce decree is entered. The Notice of Intention to File Praecipe to Transmit Record literally warns you of this in bold — read it, don’t skim it. If there’s any chance you’ll want economic relief, raise it in your Complaint and don’t sign a Waiver of Notice until you’re certain it’s resolved.
7 · Economic disclosure — the Inventory (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.33)
Only required if you have unresolved economic claims — property, debts, or alimony not yet agreed. Once that’s true, the moving party files and serves an Inventory first; the other party has 20 days to file their own; and neither side can ask the court to step in for at least 30 days after filing their own Inventory.
Unlike Florida’s numbered Financial Affidavit, Pennsylvania’s Inventory has no single statewide template — Rule 1920.33 tells you what has to be in it, but counties and practitioners each format it differently. Check your county’s family court self-help center for a template, or build one from the rule’s own list of required categories below.
8 · What this costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Filing fee — Philadelphia County | $334.73 |
| Filing fee — Allegheny County (base; +$173.50 if a custody count is joined). From the Family Division schedule effective 13 January 2025; confirm by phone, the fee page no longer answers automated checks | $195.25 |
| Filing fee — Bucks County | $398.00 |
| Filing fee — Montgomery County and others | varies — ask the Prothonotary |
| Certified mail service, return receipt | ~$8–10 |
| Sheriff or private process server, per person (if used) | ~$40–100 |
| County parent-education / custody program, if applicable | ~$0–75 |
| Certified copies of the final decree | small per-copy fee |
| Typical all-in, doing it yourselves | $220–500 |
Unlike Florida, Pennsylvania doesn’t set one statewide filing fee — each county’s Court of Common Pleas sets its own, and they genuinely range from under $200 to nearly $400. Always confirm the current number with your specific county before you budget for it. If you can’t afford it, file a Petition to Proceed In Forma Pauperis under Pa.R.C.P. 240 — approval waives the fee entirely, and the Note to Rule 240 confirms it covers domestic relations actions. Rule 240(b) sets no number: it says only that a party “without financial resources to pay the costs of litigation” is entitled to proceed. Rule 240(c) means it cannot be filed before the action starts — same day or after, not sooner. This is changing on 1 November 2026. From that date Rule 240 is retitled and points to Pa.R.J.A. 1990, which introduces a bright-line test Pennsylvania has never had: you are deemed without financial resources if you receive needs-based public assistance such as SNAP, Medicaid, SSI or TANF, or your gross income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines and your assets are under $10,000 excluding your home and one vehicle. If you are filing near that date, check which form your county is taking — and note that neither the old rule nor the new one says whether sheriff’s service is covered, which we could not confirm either way.
Does cheating change the money in Pennsylvania?
It can. Marital conduct is a factor the court is allowed to weigh. The rule: § 3701(b)(14); post-separation conduct excluded except abuse. How all fifty states answer this.
Reconciled, and it did not work? In Pennsylvania that has a legal name and it can bar the ground outright: 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 Pennsylvania’s own process, built from Title 23 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (the Divorce Code), the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure governing divorce actions (231 Pa. Code Ch. 1920), the Unified Judicial System’s self-represented divorce packet, and published county Prothonotary and Family Division guidance. The state forms are free from pacourts.us 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 Pennsylvania requires of each path. Pennsylvania also allows fault-based divorce (indignities, adultery, desertion, cruelty, and others) with no waiting-period floor at all, at the cost of having to prove fault in court — this guide doesn’t cover that route. 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 one mistake.
County variation you should know about. Pennsylvania has no single statewide numbered form catalog the way Florida or California do. Several counties — Philadelphia, Chester, Bedford, and Lycoming among them — publish their own free, detailed self-help divorce packets tailored to local practice. If your county has one, use it alongside this guide; local packets often catch county-specific quirks this one can’t.
Four things can happen to the house in a Pennsylvania divorce
Pennsylvania 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
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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 Pennsylvania specifically. Every figure on these pages is quoted from Pennsylvania’s own statute or its courts’ own published schedule, and carries the date we last checked it.
- Modifying support after divorce
- Check your state’s rules in one place (modification checker)
- Changing custody or parenting time
- What it costs to file
- Child custody
- Child support
- Guardians ad litem and child representation
- Travel, custody and relocation
- Alimony
- Property, support and legal fees
- Protective orders
- Changing your name back
- Legal help you can afford
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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 19 Pennsylvania divorce forms, listed by the number the clerk will ask for — 19 with an official form number, 16 linked straight to the state’s own file, each with its revision date where the state publishes one. Open the Pennsylvania form list →
Common questions about filing for divorce in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania?
This page sets out the order it happens in for Pennsylvania: 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 Pennsylvania?
The form list on this page gives the official Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania?
$93.00 – $398.00 to open the case, depending on the county — Potter County at the bottom, Bucks County at the top, across the 16 counties we confirmed — and that is only the filing fee; it does not cover service, copies, any required class, or a lawyer. The full breakdown for Pennsylvania, with every figure traced to the court’s own published schedule and dated, is at what it costs to file in Pennsylvania.
What gets a Pennsylvania divorce filing rejected?
This page has a section on exactly that — the specific mistakes that get a filing returned in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania?
There is a timeline on this page built from Pennsylvania’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?
Pennsylvania’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 Pennsylvania?
It can. Marital conduct is a factor Pennsylvania allows the court to weigh, which is not the same as a rule that decides the outcome — it sits alongside need, earning capacity and the length of the marriage, and how much weight it gets is the judge’s. Eighteen states are in this position. 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.
90-day mutual consent — §3301(c)(1)
| Step | When | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Complaint filed | The day you file | The clock starts here for filing-based deadlines. |
| Spouse served | The day your spouse is served (or signs a waiver) | Their response clock starts now. |
| Deadline to serve your spouse | 30 days after filing | Pa.R.C.P. 401 — original process must be served within 30 days of filing, or reinstated. |
| Earliest you can sign & file Affidavits of Consent | 90 days after service | 23 Pa.C.S. § 3301(c)(1) — 90 days must pass from filing and service of the Complaint before you can truthfully consent. This is a floor, not a target. |
| Earliest you can file the Final Praecipe to Transmit Record | 110 days after service | If you both sign a Waiver of Notice, you can file the Praecipe right after your Affidavits are on file — no extra wait. This date assumes the slower path: serving a Notice of Intention and waiting the full 20 days (Pa.R.C.P. 1920.42(e)). |
1-year separation — §3301(d)
| Step | When | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Complaint filed | The day you file | The clock starts here for filing-based deadlines. |
| Spouse served | The day your spouse is served (or signs a waiver) | Their response clock starts now. |
| Deadline to serve your spouse | 30 days after filing | Pa.R.C.P. 401 — original process must be served within 30 days of filing, or reinstated. |
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:
AlleghenyBucksChesterDelawareErieLancasterMonroeMontgomeryPhiladelphiaAllegheny
Allegheny divorce pleadings are filed with the Department of Court Records (414 Grant St), not the Family Division, and the county says its eFiling system accepts filings. The divorce complaint fee is $195.25 (effective Jan 13, 2025), and the Family Division offers Divorce Hearing Officer conciliation by consent praecipe.
Who to contact: Filing: Dept. of Court Records Civil/Family Division, City-County Building, 414 Grant St, 1st Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219; 412-350-5729; Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30. Family Division Divorce Dept: 440 Ross St, Pittsburgh 15219; 412-350-5600; Mon-Fri 8-4 (public access 8-11); alleghenycountydivorcedepartment@pacses.com. Lawyer Referral 412-261-5555
Local rules · Local forms · Court website
Where this comes from
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Bucks
Bucks divorces are filed walk-in with the Prothonotary’s Family Division at the Justice Center in Doylestown, and paper filings need a Certificate of Compliance. The Complaint in Divorce fee is $398.00 on the schedule effective Jan 1, 2026, and Bucks publishes local 1920 rules on pre-hearing statements and permanent masters. The county page offers e-filing but does not say whether divorce complaints are accepted.
Who to contact: Prothonotary Family Division (divorce, custody, PFA), 100 N. Main St, Doylestown, PA 18901; 215-348-6822; Mon-Fri 8:00-4:15; civil 215-348-6191. Family Court (hearing officers), Level B1, 215-348-6844
Local rules · Local forms · Court website
Where this comes from
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Chester
Chester says Family Court filings cannot be e-filed and must be submitted on paper. The no-fault divorce complaint fee is $215.25 (schedule effective Jan 1, 2026), plus a $20 mediation fee per new divorce or custody case. Chester publishes its own Family Court Rules (2024), divorce forms and a Divorce Trial List, and its $60 parenting class is assigned on a Notice and Order to Appear.
Who to contact: Prothonotary, 201 W. Market St, Suite 1425, West Chester, PA 19380; 610-344-6300; Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30 (payments not accepted after 4:15). Family Court Administration, Suite 5402; 610-344-6405; divorce 610-344-6075. County main 610-344-6000
Local rules · Local forms · Court website
Where this comes from
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Delaware
Delaware divorces are filed in person at the Office of Judicial Support in Media with an original and two copies, and the OJS page says the fee begins at $291.25 and rises with additional counts. After filing, a judge is assigned at random by the District Court Administrator, and county rules 1920.1-1920.90 apply. County e-filing is for civil non-Family cases, with family e-filing described as expected later.
Who to contact: Office of Judicial Support, Government Center, 201 W. Front St, Media, PA 19063; 610-891-4370; 8:30-4:30. Room 127 on OJS pages vs Room 126 on the self-help page; confirm. District Court Administrator 610-891-4550. E-filing delcoefile@co.delaware.pa.us
Local rules · Local forms · Court website
Where this comes from
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Erie
Erie’s local civil rules say e-filing is not required for Family Division and Domestic Relations matters, and its pretrial and mediation rule (212.1) excludes divorce. The Prothonotary at the courthouse in Erie posts a Divorce Information Sheet and a fee schedule effective Dec 1, 2025; the Children Cope With Divorce program is required in custody proceedings.
Who to contact: Prothonotary, Erie County Courthouse, 140 W. Sixth St, Room 120, Erie, PA 16501; 814-451-6250; prothonotaryrequests@eriecountypa.gov; hours not listed
Local rules · Local forms · Court website
Where this comes from
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Lancaster
Lancaster divorces are filed with the Prothonotary at the courthouse in Lancaster, with the county’s Divorce Information Sheet. The county’s Family Matters page lists a $236.00 divorce filing fee (alimony, equitable distribution and custody claims cost extra) and a $475.00 fee for a motion to appoint a master, which needs an original and three copies.
Who to contact: Office of the Prothonotary, Courthouse, 50 N. Duke St, PO Box 83480, Lancaster, PA 17608-3480; 717-299-8282; fax 717-293-7210
Local rules · Local forms · Court website
Where this comes from
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Monroe
Monroe has its own domestic relations rules: a party seeking a divorce hearing officer must serve a notice of intention at least 20 days before filing the motion, and objections are due within 20 days of service. A divorce with a custody count requires the Co-Parent Education Program under Rule 1915.3-3, and all domestic relations actions between the same parties share one DR docket number. The Prothonotary’s page lists mandatory civil e-filing since April 1, 2025 but does not say whether divorce is included.
Who to contact: Prothonotary, 610 Monroe St, Stroudsburg, PA 18360; 570-517-3370; Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30
Local rules · Local forms · Court website
Where this comes from
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Montgomery
Montgomery divorces are filed with the Prothonotary at the courthouse in Norristown, and the county posts its own divorce packet with county-specific praecipes to transmit and a Family Court certificate of service. The fee depends on the number of counts and is set out in the Jan 1, 2026 fee schedule; the county’s e-filing page is for civil cases, is not mandatory, and does not mention divorce.
Who to contact: Prothonotary, 425 Swede St, Norristown, PA 19401; main 610-278-3360; divorce records/e-filing 610-278-3361; 8:30-4 Mon-Fri; mail P.O. Box 311, Norristown 19404-0311; Willow Grove branch 102 N. York Rd, Suite 302; ProthyEfilingSupport@montgomerycountypa.gov; Lawyer Referral 610-279-9660 ext. 201
Local rules · Local forms · Court website
Where this comes from
- https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/departments/prothonotary
- https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/departments/prothonotary/electronic-filing
- https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/departments/county-courts/court-legal-services/court-procedures/divorce-instructional-packet-forms
- https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/departments/prothonotary/fee-schedule
Last checked 2026-11-10. Tell us if this is out of date
Philadelphia
Divorce papers go to the Clerk of the Family Court at 1501 Arch Street; paper filings need an original plus three copies, stamped addressed envelopes and a Domestic Relations Information Sheet, and personal checks are not accepted. The court’s page says divorce e-filing began Nov 2, 2026, and the divorce complaint fee on the Nov 12, 2025 fee schedule is $334.73.
Who to contact: Clerk of the Family Court, 1501 Arch St, 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102; 215-686-3805; Customer Service Center 215-686-7466 (walk-in 8-4); general 215-686-7000
Local rules · Local forms · Court website
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.
Serving the papers in Pennsylvania? Sheriff or a competent adult; you may mail by first-class and certified mail. Deadline: 30 days (90 if your spouse is out of state). (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 Pennsylvania in our state-by-state serving table.
Stay current
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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?