It’s important to understand that while divorce is often spoken about alongside property settlement and parenting arrangements, they are separate legal matters with their own processes and costs. Divorce itself simply formalises the legal end of the marriage.
There are a few factors that determine the overall cost of a divorce in Qld.
Filing Fee
There is a filing fee to file a divorce in Australia. The filing fee is set by regulation and annually the filing fee is increased based on a formula. Anyone filing for divorce in Australia must pay a filing fee but there is a reduced fee option for eligible applicants.
There are two ways to be eligible for the reduced fee- meet one of the general reasons for a reduced fee or be eligible based on financial hardship.
The general reasons include:-
1. having been granted legal aid for the proceeding under a legal aid scheme or service either established by federal or state law or approved by the Attorney General;
2. Holding one of the following cards issued by the federal government as the primary person on the card: health care card, pensioner concession card, Commonwealth seniors health card or any other card that certifies the holder’s entitlement to Commonwealth health concessions. For example, some Department of Veterans’ Affairs cards give the holder eligibility. It is important to note that a health care card in this context does not refer to a Medicare card or any card issued by a private health fund.
3. Serving a sentence of imprisonment, be in immigration detention or otherwise be detained in a public institution.
4. Being under the age of 18;
5. Receiving youth allowance, Austudy payments or benefits under the ABSTUDY scheme.
If you do not meet one of the general reasons for receiving the reduced fee but paying the full fee would cause financial hardship you can make an application to the Court for them to consider whether the reduced fee would be payable in your situation. Their considerations include income, day‑to‑day living expenses, liabilities and assets. You will have provide information regarding these considerations on a Court form and if requested, evidence to support your claim. The Court does have a three-part test to assist in their assessment whether a fee should be reduced which is worth looking at if trying to determine if you might be eligible for the reduction. It is still possible to be eligible for the reduction even if you do not meet any or all of the three parts of the test. You would then provide details of why your circumstances are such that you need the reduction to avoid financial hardship.
As of February 2026, the applicable filing fees are $1125 for a standard divorce application and $375 for a reduced fee divorce application. As noted above these fees would be anticipated to increase on 1 July 2026.
Legal Fees
There are professional fees charged by solicitors to assist with your divorce. These will vary depending on the specific law firm but can often be between $1,500 to $2,500. Our professional fee to act in a standard divorce matter is $1225 (inclusive of GST).
Service Fees
If your spouse does not consent to the divorce, or is unwilling to sign any related documents, it will be necessary to arrange personal service to ensure the Court’s service requirements are properly met. Process servers will do personal service and sign the appropriate documents to be filed with the Court as evidence for a fee. These fees vary depending on the location of your spouse and how far the process server will have to travel to complete service. These fees are often between $200- $400 though some remote locations will have costs around $800-$1000. If the process server fees are prohibitively high, we can make an application to the Court to potentially get an exception to the normal service requirements.
If you are interested in receiving a quote of the fees based on your own personal circumstances, please feel to contact us on help@your-divorce.com.au.
You’re also welcome to call us on 1300 531 137 to speak with our team and discuss your options in more detail.
Visit: www.auslex.com.au for a more comprehensive look at the services we can offer.
If you are ready to get the ball rolling, our application for can be found here: https://your-divorce.com.au/divorce-application/
Did you know? We understand that separation can place additional financial pressure on families, which is why we offer flexibility with our fees wherever possible. We also provide the option to pay via Zip Pay, allowing you to manage your payments in a way that is more manageable and easier to track. Our aim is to make the process as accessible and stress-free as possible.
