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Divorce cost calculator: mediation vs. court

Put in the quotes you’ve been given and see what each route could cost you, with every step shown. Official figures (filing fees and court mediation fees set by law) come with their sources. We never invent a price: where a court posts mediators’ rates, you can choose to use them.

How much does divorce mediation cost?

It depends on the mediator’s hourly rate and how many hours you need, and no official source publishes a national figure. Of the 536 family-mediator hourly rates that 13 court panels in 7 states post, the median is $200 an hour.[1–13] Some states set court program fees by law, such as Florida’s $60 or $120 per person per session.[20]

Key facts

Median posted hourly rate$200 an hour · 13 court family panels[1–13]
Posted rates range$50 to $550 an hour[1–13]
Filing fees verified12 states · table ↓
Court mediation fees set by law6 states you can price · table ↓
Rates readOct 6, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026
1Where you’d file
2Mediation

Type the rate a mediator quoted you. Choose your state to see rates courts post there.

Ask the mediator how many hours they expect, including any prep time they bill.

Who pays the mediator?
3Lawyers

The rate a family lawyer quoted you. No official source publishes lawyer rates, so ask two or three.

Ask the lawyer for an estimate through a contested hearing or trial.

Many people have a lawyer review the agreement. Leave blank if you won't.

Only figures someone actually quoted you.

4Court filing fee
Who files?

Choose your state, or enter the figure from your county clerk.

How we got these numbers

Each line multiplies figures you entered, or uses an official figure with its source. “Your cost” is one spouse’s side: your share of the mediator, your own lawyer and the filing fee if you file.

Mediation not yet

To finish this estimate, enter the mediator's hourly rate and how many hours of mediation.

Filing fee not included: choose your state, or enter your clerk's figure.

Court not yet

To finish this estimate, enter the lawyer's hourly rate and the lawyer hours you were quoted for going to court.

Not included: your spouse’s costs, service of process, parenting classes, appraisers and anything else nobody has quoted you.

Get a real quote from a court-listed mediator

An estimate is only as good as the quotes behind it. Every mediator we list comes from an official court or government roster, with the source on the profile. Ask two or three for their hourly rate and how many hours they expect.

Get matched — freeFind a court-listed mediator near you

What courts post

On 13 court family-mediation panels, the median posted rate runs from $150 to $300 an hour

Some courts publish the hourly rate of each mediator on their family or domestic-relations panel. Each row is one court’s list; individual posted rates run from $50 to $550. Bars show the share of a list’s rates in each $25 step, on one scale for every row, and the tick marks the list’s median. These are hourly rates as posted, not what a whole divorce costs.[1–13]

Source: each court’s published panel list (linked), read Oct 6, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. Only plain hourly rates count (day rates, ranges and per-party splits are left out), each listed mediator once per list, lists with at least 3 rates; lists with fewer than 10 are drawn lighter. Medians are rounded to the dollar. Civil panels are left out because their rates aren’t for family cases. States: California, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Washington.

Set by law

12 states set a divorce filing fee we could verify; 6 set a court mediation fee you can price

From each state’s statute, court rule or court fee schedule. Other states may charge fees we haven’t verified yet; their state pages link to the official source.

StateFiling feeCourt mediation fee
Alaska$250[14]As ordered by the court; state pays if both indigent[15]
California$435–$450[16]—
Colorado$260[17]$75 per party per hour ($15 if indigent)[18]
FloridaUp to $295 (plus add-on fees)[19]$60 or $120 per person per session[20]
Hawaii$215 ($265 with minor children)[21]—
Idaho—Split equally unless otherwise ordered[22]
Indiana—Set by the court if parties don't agree[23]
Iowa$265 (statute)[24]Paid by the parties; sliding scale if indigent[25]
Kansas—Taxed to the parties as equity requires[26]
Louisiana—Paid by the parties (court-approved)[27]
Maine$120[28]$160 (two sessions)[28]
Maryland$165[29]—
Missouri—Paid by the parties (court sets shares)[30]
Nebraska$200[31]—
Nevada—Sliding scale[32]
North Dakota$160[33]First 6 hours program-funded[34]
Oregon$301[35]—
Pennsylvania—Up to $20 county surcharge[36]
Utah—Split equally by default[37]
Vermont$295[38]Subsidized under $50,000 income[39]
Virginia—Free orientation; mediator fee paid by state[40]
Wisconsin—First session free; then a flat $200 ($285 from Nov. 1, 2026)[41]

Each figure’s number leads to its official source under Sources; checked Oct 26, 2026. “—” means not verified yet, not zero. See divorce laws by state for each state’s full rules.

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Questions

How much does divorce mediation cost?

It depends on the mediator's hourly rate and how many hours you need, and no official source publishes a national figure. Of the 536 family-mediator hourly rates that 13 court panels in 7 states post, the median is $200 an hour (checked Oct 6, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026). Some states run court programs with fees set by law, such as Florida's $60 or $120 per person per session.[1–13][20]

Is mediation cheaper than going to court?

Compare your own quotes: the mediator's rate times the hours they expect (usually shared by both spouses) plus any lawyer review, against your lawyer's rate times the hours they expect through court. The calculator adds the official filing fee to both routes and shows every step.

Where do the numbers come from?

From you and from official sources only: statutes, court rules, court fee schedules and rates that courts themselves post. Where no official figure exists, the calculator asks for the quote you were given instead of guessing.

Estimate only — not legal or financial advice. MediationList is a directory, not a law firm, and doesn’t endorse any mediator. Fees change; confirm with your court clerk and the professionals you hire. Read more in our divorce mediation cost guide, or see mediation vs. court, side by side.

Sources

Court-posted panel lists and each state’s statute, court rule or fee schedule, read on the official sites, with the date we last checked each.

  1. Iowa Judicial Branch – Statewide List of Family Law Mediatorsiowacourts.govchecked ↩
  2. Washtenaw County Trial Court – List of Approved Domestic Relations Mediators (January 2026)Washtenaw County Trial Courtchecked
  3. 37th Judicial Circuit Court (Calhoun County) – Domestic Mediatorscalhouncountymi.govchecked
  4. 22nd Judicial Circuit Court (McHenry County) – Family Division Mediators22ndcircuitil.govchecked
  5. Kent County 17th Circuit Court – Court-Approved Domestic Mediators' Rosterapp.kentcountymi.govchecked
  6. 13th Judicial Circuit Court (Grand Traverse County) – Domestic Relations Mediator Listgtcountymi.govchecked
  7. Thurston County Superior Court – Family Law Mediation Listthurstoncountywa.govchecked
  8. Fresno County Superior Court – ADR Family Law Mediation Panelfresno.courts.ca.govchecked
  9. Family Court of St. Louis County – Court Approved Mediator Liststlcountycourts.comchecked
  10. 19th Judicial Circuit Court (Lake County) – Family Mediation Program Approved Mediators 2024-202619thcircuitcourt.state.il.uschecked
  11. Hamilton County Court of Domestic Relations – Court Approved Mediators (Community Mediator Roster)hamiltoncountyohio.govchecked
  12. Santa Clara County Superior Court – Civil ADR Provider Database (mediators/neutral evaluators/arbitrators) / Family ADR Providers listsantaclara.courts.ca.govchecked
  13. Amador County Superior Court – Family Law Mediators Panelamador.courts.ca.govchecked
  14. Alaska Court System Self-Help Center, "Court Fees" (Administrative Rule 9)courts.alaska.govchecked ↩
  15. AS 25.20.080(e) (Alaska Legislature)akleg.govchecked ↩
  16. Judicial Branch of California self-help guide, "Fill out and file divorce papers" (California Courts Self-Help Guide)selfhelp.courts.ca.govchecked ↩
  17. Colorado Judicial Branch, "Domestic Pro Se Class - Divorce, Legal Separation, Civil Union" (April 2025)coloradojudicial.govchecked ↩
  18. Chief Justice Order, Fee Schedule for Dispute Resolution Services Provided by the Office of Dispute Resolution Independent Contractors (Colorado Judicial Branch) (adopted eff. February 2023)coloradojudicial.govchecked ↩
  19. Fla. Stat. § 28.241(1)(a)1.b. (Online Sunshine, Florida Legislature)leg.state.fl.uschecked ↩
  20. Fla. Stat. § 44.108(2) (Online Sunshine, Florida Legislature) (current text; last amended by ch. 2019-58)leg.state.fl.uschecked ↩
  21. Hawaii State Judiciary, Court Filing Fees (effective 6/17/22)courts.state.hi.uschecked ↩
  22. Idaho R. Fam. L. P. 602(g) (Idaho Supreme Court)isc.idaho.govchecked ↩
  23. Indiana Rules for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Rule 2.6 (Indiana Supreme Court)rules.incourts.govchecked ↩
  24. Iowa Code § 602.8105(1)(b) (Iowa Legislature)legis.iowa.govchecked ↩
  25. Iowa Code § 598.7(4)(e) (Iowa Legislature)legis.iowa.govchecked ↩
  26. K.S.A. 23-3506 (Kansas Legislature)kslegislature.govchecked ↩
  27. La. R.S. 9:332(A) (Louisiana State Legislature)legis.la.govchecked ↩
  28. Maine Supreme Judicial Court Administrative Order JB-05-26 (A. 3-26), Court Fees Schedule, § I(A)(4)(k) (eff. March 9, 2026)courts.maine.govchecked ↩
  29. Summary of Charges, Costs, and Fees of the Clerks of the Circuit Court (Maryland Judiciary, eff. Sept. 2, 2026)mdcourts.govchecked ↩
  30. RSMo § 452.372.3 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes)revisor.mo.govchecked ↩
  31. Filing Fees and Court Costs (Nebraska Judicial Branch, effective 07-01-2026), District Court item 3, Dissolution Feesupremecourt.nebraska.govchecked ↩
  32. NRS 3.475(2)(e) and 3.500(2)(e) (Nevada Legislature)leg.state.nv.uschecked ↩
  33. North Dakota Court Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2025 (N.D.C.C. § 27-05.2-03) (North Dakota Court System)ndcourts.govchecked ↩
  34. N.D.R.Ct. 8.1(c)(5) (North Dakota Court System) (current text)ndcourts.govchecked ↩
  35. ORS 21.155 (Oregon State Legislature)oregonlegislature.govchecked ↩
  36. 23 Pa.C.S. § 3902 (Pennsylvania General Assembly)palegis.uschecked ↩
  37. Utah Code § 81-4-403(4) (Utah State Legislature)le.utah.govchecked ↩
  38. Court Fees (Vermont Judiciary), citing 32 V.S.A. § 1431(b)(2)vtcourts.govchecked ↩
  39. Family Mediation Program (Vermont Judiciary)vtcourts.govchecked ↩
  40. Va. Code § 20-124.4(B) (Virginia Law, Legislative Information System) (current text)law.lis.virginia.govchecked ↩
  41. Wis. Stat. § 814.615(1) (Wisconsin State Legislature) ($200 before Nov. 1, 2026; $285 from Nov. 1, 2026)docs.legis.wisconsin.govchecked ↩

Cite this page

Page updated
Data version
2026.10.28

MediationList. (2026, October 28). Divorce cost calculator: Mediation vs. court. Retrieved October 29, 2026, from https://mediationlist.com/divorce-mediation-cost/calculator/

APA 7th ed. A retrieval date is included only for pages whose content changes, such as maps, data and tools.