To file for divorce in Washington State, you must file a Summons and a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage with the clerk of the superior court in one of Washington State's superior courts and serve copies of these papers on the other spouse.
Just to file for divorce in Washington, it costs roughly $350. (This includes fees for filing, a judicial surcharge, and court facilitator costs.) From there, you have to serve your spouse. If you hire a lawyer, they can handle that, likely for a fee, or you can use an outside process server.
Washington is a no-fault state meaning that it is unnecessary to prove to the court which spouse caused the divorce. To begin your Washington divorce action, you or your attorney must complete and file a petition for dissolution of marriage.
90 days
Preparing the Divorce Forms The Washington State Courts offer online forms for completing an uncontested divorce or in hard copy at your local courthouse. Some courts will require a fee if you request forms in-person, so be sure to call the court clerk before you go to the courthouse.
Alimony in Medium-Term Marriages (5–25 years) As a general rule of thumb, courts in Washington State award one year of alimony for every three or four years of marriage. There is no statute or case law explicitly stating this formula, but it is an oft mentioned rule and generally what courts can be expected to do.
1) Adultery Doesn't Matter The first surprising law: adultery really doesn't matter when determining who should have custody of the children, whether to award spousal maintenance (alimony), or division of property. Washington is a no-fault state.
In the state of Washington, all property in a divorce is subject to division. That being said, your property will likely not be divided 50/50 in a divorce. Instead, Washington divorces focus on “equitable” division—that is, a division that is fair and just, not necessarily equal.
It is important to note that spousal maintenance is not child support. Child support is an amount paid by one party to a former relationship (such relationship which produced children) to the other party of the former relationship, for the benefit of the children of the former relationship.
You will probably be entitled to receive spousal maintenance (alimony) until you are able to get on your feet financially, and may be able to receive payments for many years or even permanently, depending on your circumstances. If you have children who live with you, you will be able to receive child support.
Alimony isn't automatic and it isn't ordered in every divorce. However, in cases where a spouse requests alimony and a judge determines that an alimony award is appropriate, the higher-earning spouse may have to pay alimony for years to come.
Yes. The obligation to pay future alimony ends when the supported spouse remarries. The paying spouse doesn't have to return to court—payments may simply stop as of the date of the marriage. The payor is entitled to reimbursement for all maintenance paid from that date forward.
You're normally expected to pay child maintenance until your child is 16, or until they're 20 if they're in school or college full time doing: A-levels, Highers or. Equivalent.