How Much Does Divorce Cost in Bellevue, WA? The Real Numbers

You're sitting in your car outside QFC on Main Street trying to figure out if you can actually afford to get divorced. Maybe you've got $6,000 in savings and you're hoping that's enough. Or maybe you don't have $6,000 and you're panicking about how you're even going to do this at all.

I know. The money part is terrifying when everything else in your life is already falling apart.

Here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to give you actual numbers for what divorce costs in Bellevue. Not vague lawyer-speak about "it depends." Real costs. When it's cheap. When it's not. What's going to drain your bank account and what won't.

Because the worst thing about divorce costs isn't that it's expensive—it's that nobody tells you the real numbers until you're already knee-deep in it and the bills keep piling up.

The Short Answer (If You're In a Hurry)

Uncontested divorce in Bellevue where you both agree on everything: $332-$432 if you do it yourself, or $813-$2,313 if you use Divorce.com.

With a lawyer even though you agree: $4,000-$10,000.

Contested divorce where you're fighting about stuff: $15,000-$60,000 per person. Yeah, per person means you're both paying your own lawyers.

High-conflict divorce with custody battles: $75,000-$200,000+ per person.

Most Bellevue divorces end up somewhere in the $12,000-$40,000 range per person. That's reality.

The Court Filing Fee (Everyone Pays This)

The filing fee for divorce in King County is $314. That's what you pay just to file the paperwork at the King County Superior Court.

Can't get around it. Uncontested, contested, high-conflict—everyone pays this.

If you literally cannot afford $314, you can file a Fee Waiver Packet. You fill out your income and expenses. If you're on public assistance or your income is below 125% of federal poverty level, the court waives the fee.

A lot of people don't know about fee waivers. They just assume they can't afford to file. If $314 is the difference between filing or not, look into the waiver. Don't just not file because of it.

DIY Divorce Costs (When You Do Everything Yourself)

If you and your spouse agree on absolutely everything—and I mean everything, not "we mostly agree"—you can file for divorce yourself.

What it costs:

• Filing fee: $314

• Service of process: $18 (sheriff) or private process server $50-$100

• Copies and notary fees: $0-$18

• Total: $332-$432

That's it. If you're capable of figuring out the Washington divorce forms yourself, that's all you pay.

The problem? Washington divorce forms are complicated. There's a bunch of different forms. They're written in legal language that makes your brain hurt. One mistake and the court rejects them and you start over.

A lot of people start trying to do it themselves, get frustrated after a couple weeks of trying to figure out what a "separation contract" needs to include, and end up hiring a lawyer anyway. Now they've wasted two weeks and they're paying the lawyer to fix the forms they already messed up.

Using Divorce.com (The Middle Ground)

This is what Divorce.com is for. You pay a flat fee—$499-$1,999 depending on which package you pick. They walk you through the Washington forms in plain English. They make sure everything's filled out right. They handle the filing and service process for you.

Total cost with Divorce.com:

• Divorce.com fee: $499-$1,999

• Court filing fee: $314

• Service: Included

• Total: $813-$2,313

Way cheaper than a lawyer. Way less frustrating than trying to figure it out yourself at midnight. And you don't have to worry about process servers—Divorce.com handles service as part of their service.

The catch? You and your spouse have to actually agree on everything. Property division. Debt. If you have kids, custody and support. All of it. Divorce.com isn't going to help you negotiate or fight. It's help with paperwork for people who've already worked everything out.

If you're fighting about who gets the house in Somerset or what the custody schedule should be, Divorce.com won't work. You need a lawyer or at least a mediator.

Washington's 90-Day Waiting Period

Here's something important about Washington: after you file, you wait 90 days minimum before the divorce can be finalized. That's mandatory. Can't speed it up. Can't waive it.

The 90-day clock starts when you file, not when your spouse is served.

This doesn't directly affect cost, but it affects timeline. You're waiting at least 3 months even if everything is agreed.

Lawyer Costs in Bellevue (When You Need Professional Help)

Bellevue divorce lawyers charge $350-$600 per hour. Downtown Bellevue are usually $500-$600. Crossroads or Factoria might be $400-$550. Eastgate or Wilburton can be $350-$500.

You don't just pay the hourly rate. You pay a retainer upfront—usually $5,000-$15,000. That's money they put in a trust account and bill against.

Every single thing your lawyer does gets billed to that retainer:

• Reading your emails: 15 minutes minimum ($90-$150 per email)

• Phone calls: 15 minutes minimum ($90-$150 per call even if it's 5 minutes)

• Court appearances: 4-5 hours including prep and travel time ($1,400-$3,000 per hearing)

• Reviewing documents: $350-$600 per hour

• Negotiations with other lawyer: $350-$600 per hour

The retainer runs out way faster than you think. Then you get a letter saying deposit more money or they stop working.

Uncontested Divorce With a Lawyer

If you agree on everything but you still hire a lawyer to handle it: $4,000-$10,000 total.

This is honestly wasteful if you actually agree. You're paying someone $500 an hour to file paperwork. But some people want the peace of mind or they're scared of messing up the forms.

Contested Divorce (Fighting About Stuff)

This is where most Bellevue divorces end up. You agree on most things but you're fighting about the house, custody schedule, maintenance, or how to divide property.

Cost: $15,000-$60,000 per person

Here's what you're paying for:

• Initial retainer and ongoing fees: $6,000-$25,000

• Discovery (requesting financial documents, depositions): $4,000-$15,000

• Court hearings and motions: $2,500-$9,000

• Trial preparation if it goes that far: $6,000-$20,000

• Expert witnesses if needed (appraisers, custody evaluators): $4,000-$15,000

Every time your spouse's lawyer sends a letter, your lawyer responds. That's billing. Every time there's a disagreement that requires a court filing, that's billing. It adds up fast.

High-Conflict Divorce (Full Battle Mode)

Major custody fight. One spouse hiding assets. Multiple court appearances. Going to trial.

Cost: $75,000-$200,000+ per person

I'm not exaggerating. I know people in Bellevue who spent over $150,000 on their divorce.

At this level you're paying for:

• Extensive discovery and depositions: $15,000-$45,000

• Multiple court appearances: $10,000-$30,000

• Private investigators if needed: $5,000-$15,000

• Custody evaluators: $7,500-$20,000

• Expert witnesses (forensic accountants, property appraisers): $12,000-$35,000

• Trial preparation and trial: $25,000-$60,000+

Going to trial is where costs explode. Your lawyer bills for every hour of prep. Every day in court. At $500-$600 an hour, that's devastating.

Mediation Costs (The Cheaper Alternative)

Mediation is where you and your spouse sit with a neutral mediator who helps you work through disagreements.

Mediators in Bellevue charge $250-$450 per hour. You split the cost. So you're each paying $125-$225 per hour.

Most divorces take 4-6 mediation sessions to work through everything. Call it 12-18 hours total.

Total mediation cost: $3,000-$8,100 split between you

So you're each paying $1,500-$4,050 for mediation.

Then you still need to file the paperwork. You can do it yourself, use Divorce.com, or hire a lawyer just to file what you agreed to in mediation.

Total cost per person with mediation:

• Mediation: $1,500-$4,050

• Filing the paperwork: $332-$2,313

• Total: $1,832-$6,363 per person

Way cheaper than fighting with lawyers. But mediation only works if both people actually want to reach an agreement.

What Makes Bellevue Divorces Expensive

Kids and custody. If you can't agree on custody, costs skyrocket. Custody evaluators in King County run $7,500-$20,000. Fighting over custody in court can go on for years.

Real estate. Bellevue real estate is some of the most expensive in Washington. A house in Somerset can be worth $2M-$4M. Even houses in other areas are $800k-$2M. Seattle metro prices are insane.

High incomes. A lot of Bellevue residents work in tech. Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Google. High incomes mean high lawyer rates and complex stock compensation.

Stock options and RSUs. Dividing tech company stock options and RSUs is complicated. You need experts. That costs money.

Washington is community property. Washington divides property 50/50 unless there's a good reason not to. With Bellevue property values, this means huge amounts at stake.

Business ownership. Bellevue has business owners and entrepreneurs. Valuing and dividing a business requires forensic accountants. That's $7,500-$20,000 right there.

Retirement accounts. 401ks, pensions, tech company stock—these need special court orders (QDROs) to divide without tax penalties.

Hidden assets. If you think your spouse is hiding money, your lawyer has to do discovery. Subpoena records. This costs thousands.

Maintenance fights. Washington calls it "maintenance" (not alimony). With Bellevue incomes, this can be $10k+ per month. Huge battles.

Bad lawyers. Some lawyers love to fight because fighting means billing hours at $500+ per hour.

Your spouse being difficult. If your spouse wants to fight about everything because they're angry, you're stuck paying your lawyer to respond to every motion.

Real Bellevue Examples

Ryan and Emily (not real names): Married 5 years. No kids. Rented in Crossroads. Tech jobs, some RSUs. Agreed on everything. Used Divorce.com basic package. Total per person: $406.50 ($499 Divorce.com, $157 filing fee each).

James and Sarah: Married 12 years. Two kids. Owned a condo. Both in tech, similar incomes. Couldn't agree on custody schedule. Did mediation—six sessions. Worked it out. Both hired lawyers just to finalize. Each spent about $11,500 ($2,400 mediation, $9,100 lawyers).

Michael and Jennifer: Married 18 years. Three kids. Michael at Microsoft with huge RSU package. Jennifer stayed home. Fought over custody, maintenance, stock division, everything. Went to trial. Michael spent $165,000. Jennifer spent $142,000. They spent more on lawyers than the house was worth.

Can You Get a "Cheap" Divorce in Bellevue?

Depends what you mean by cheap.

If you both agree on everything and do it yourself: $332-$432 total. That's cheap even for Bellevue.

If you both agree and use Divorce.com: $813-$2,313 total depending on package. Still much cheaper than lawyers.

If you need lawyers because you can't agree: No, it's not going to be cheap. Plan on $15k-$40k per person for a contested divorce in Bellevue.

How to Keep Costs Down

Agree on as much as possible during the 90-day waiting period.

Don't email your lawyer constantly. They bill for every email at $500/hour rates.

Organize documents yourself. Don't pay your lawyer $500/hour to sort bank statements.

Pick your battles. Is it worth $4,000 to fight over the $500 item?

Respond quickly to requests.

Try mediation first.

Be honest about your budget.

Get tech stock valued properly. Don't fight about RSU values you can look up.

When Cost Doesn't Matter (You Need to Pay It)

Sometimes you don't have a choice.

If your spouse is hiding assets, spending $25k on a lawyer who finds it might save you $200k.

If your spouse is fighting you for custody and lying, you need a good lawyer. Your kids are worth it.

If you have valuable Bellevue real estate or significant tech stock, you need a lawyer who knows Washington community property and stock compensation.

If there's domestic violence, you need a lawyer now.

Don't cheap out when it matters.

The Bottom Line

Most people in Bellevue can get divorced for $813-$2,313 if they actually agree and use Divorce.com.

Most people end up spending $12,000-$40,000 per person because they can't agree on everything.

Some people spend $75,000-$200,000+ because they're in full battle mode.

The biggest factor is whether you fight or agree. Everything else is details.

You'll figure it out. Everyone does.