Why Divorce.com?
Benefits of an online divorce
Divorce.com is an online service that significantly simplifies preparations for uncontested divorce. The website allows couples who can resolve disputes outside court to obtain divorce documents quickly without leaving home.
Divorce.com is a practical and affordable option for getting uncontested divorce documents. This online service helps divorcing couples save time and money by eliminating expensive lawyers from the equation.
Divorce.com allows the spouses to prepare court-required paperwork for their divorce without leaving home. All they need is a PC, a tablet, or a smartphone with an internet connection and several hours of their time to answer the questionnaire.
Paperwork preparation with Divorce.com doesn’t require any deep legal knowledge since the system automatically selects the forms that fit each person’s circumstances.
The essential steps you will need to take are:
Answer the questions from the online questionnaire at your own pace.
Check your answers and fix mistakes if necessary.
Wait for the papers and download them. They will be prepared in a PDF format so you can print and sign them quickly.
Follow our filing guide to file the obtained documents with the court.
Filing for Divorce in Connecticut
The process requires residency verification, grounds statement, filing with appropriate court, service of process to respondent, 90-day waiting period (waivable), and final decree issuance. Connecticut allows both no-fault and fault-based divorces.
Connecticut
Divorce Forms
All the forms required
The forms required to file for divorce in Connecticut differ depending on several factors, such as the presence of minor children, the willingness to resolve the disputes peacefully, the amount of property, etc. Some forms can be found in the self-help section of the state's official judiciary resources.
The basic forms include:
Divorce Complaint/Cross Complaint - Form JD-FM-159
Summons Family Actions - Form JD-FM-3
Notice of Automatic Court Orders - Form JD-FM-158
Affidavit Concerning Children - Form JD-FM-164
Application For Waiver Of Fees/Payment Of Costs - Form JD-FM-75
Financial Affidavit - Form JD-FM-6-Long and JD-FM-6-Short
Appearance - Form JD-CL-12
Case Management Agreement/Order - Form JD-FM-163
Child Support Guideline Worksheet - Form CCSG -1
Withholding Order for Support - From JD-FM-1
Dissolution Agreement - Form JD-FM-172
Advisement of Rights - Form JD-FM-71
Parenting Education Program Order, Certificate and Results - Form JD-FM-149
Dissolution of Marriage Report - Form JD-FM-181
Affidavit Concerning Military Service - Form JD-FM-178
Not all the forms from the above list apply to every case. For example, if the spouses don't have underage children, they don't need to file an affidavit concerning children or attend a parenting education program.
Steps to consider
Filing Requirements
Residency Requirements
The divorcing couple must meet the residency requirements for the Connecticut courts to have jurisdiction over their case.
The primary condition is that at least one spouse has lived in Connecticut for 12 months before the judges issue a divorce decree. The couple can even file for divorce a few months earlier, since it will likely take three months.
Another option to meet the residency requirement is if the reason for divorce occurred when the spouses moved to Connecticut.
Grounds for Divorce
Connecticut state law allows the spouses to divorce on no-fault and fault-based grounds. A no-fault divorce is granted if the reason for it is an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage or separation for 18 months, without a chance for reconciliation.
The fault-based grounds are usually used if one of them leads to property loss or can influence alimony and property division. These grounds include:
Adultery
Abandonment
Fraudulent contract
Absence for seven years
Cruelty
Imprisonment, etc.
Initial Filing
To start a marriage dissolution process, a person must file the packet of forms with the Superior Court, which handles divorces in Connecticut. The initial paperwork includes the Complaint, Summons, Notice of Automatic Court Orders, and Affidavit Concerning Children.
The Complaint must be notarized before the filing. The petitioner must also make two copies of the original papers because one will be used to notify the other party, and another will stay with the petitioner.
Filing Fees
The total filing costs that a petitioner must pay when turning in the divorce papers is $525. It consists of $350 for a filing fee, $50 for service of process, and $125 for a parenting class if the couple has minor children.
If the petitioner cannot afford the court costs, they should file a fee waiver form. It includes a financial affidavit with income, assets, debts, and monthly expenses. A judge will review this request and decide whether to grant it.
Serving the Respondent
After the petitioner files the initial papers, they must notify their spouse about the divorce proceedings. This process is called "serving the spouse." The service can be performed by a state marshal in the district where the respondent lives.
The petitioner must take the documents received from the clerk to the marshal and pay $50. Then, the marshal will perform the service and file the Return of Service form proving that the respondent has received the notification.
Waiting Period
The respondent can file a counterclaim, if the divorce is not amicable. In this case, the couple will have to wait 90 days for the court hearing. The judge will decide the disputed issues during the trial.
If their divorce is uncontested and they agreed on divorce terms earlier, they can ask the judge to waive this 90-day waiting period. To do this, the spouses must file a Motion to Waive Statutory Time Period by Agreement of the Parties.
Finalizing a Divorce Case
The divorcing couple must file a Financial Affidavit 5-30 days before the court hearing. On the day of the hearing, the judge will review all the forms and the settlement agreement (if the divorce is amicable) and ask questions about the terms. Then, if everything is deemed fair, they will issue a final judgment.
A petitioner must file it with the clerk and receive a copy for personal use. Additionally, one copy must be sent to the respondent.
Filing basics
Filing for Divorce
Connecticut
How to get started
The forms required to file for divorce in Connecticut differ depending on several factors, such as the presence of minor children, the willingness to resolve the disputes peacefully, the amount of property, etc. Some forms can be found in the self-help section of the state's official judiciary resources.
The basic forms include:
Divorce Complaint/Cross Complaint - Form JD-FM-159
Summons Family Actions - Form JD-FM-3
Notice of Automatic Court Orders - Form JD-FM-158
Affidavit Concerning Children - Form JD-FM-164
Application For Waiver Of Fees/Payment Of Costs - Form JD-FM-75
Financial Affidavit - Form JD-FM-6-Long and JD-FM-6-Short
Appearance - Form JD-CL-12
Case Management Agreement/Order - Form JD-FM-163
Child Support Guideline Worksheet - Form CCSG -1
Withholding Order for Support - From JD-FM-1
Dissolution Agreement - Form JD-FM-172
Advisement of Rights - Form JD-FM-71
Parenting Education Program Order, Certificate and Results - Form JD-FM-149
Dissolution of Marriage Report - Form JD-FM-181
Affidavit Concerning Military Service - Form JD-FM-178
Not all the forms from the above list apply to every case. For example, if the spouses don't have underage children, they don't need to file an affidavit concerning children or attend a parenting education program.
Custody Basics
Uncontested Divorce
An uncontested divorce is a relatively fast and inexpensive way to end a marriage, compared to traditional litigation. However, it requires complete agreement between the spouses about alimony, child custody and support, and property division, including all assets and debts.
Uncontested cases can be handled without an attorney since both parties agree on all terms beforehand. The most important part of the amicable divorce is to complete all relevant documentation and file it with the court clerk.
A settlement agreement is one such document. If the spouses drafted it correctly, the judge would grant their divorce. The contract should include:
child custody arrangements and visitation schedule
provisions about property division (real estate, vehicles, retirement benefits, etc.)
financial support, including child support and alimony (optional)
Divorce.com can make the preparations for an uncontested divorce easier and reduce divorce expenses. It provides the state-specific completed divorce forms, ready to be filed with the family court.
Support Basics
Child Support is the amount one parent pays for the child’s financial support. Connecticut calculates it using the Income Shares Model and child support guidelines. Essentially, they provide tables with the net monthly income, the number of children, and the appropriate amount of child support.
In determining the amount of support, the family court will look at the following factors:
Each party’s age and health
Earning capacity and employment prospects of each parent
Income and property of each party
Educational, medical, and other special needs of a child, etc.
Child support payments end when a child turns 18. However, support will continue till 19 years of age if the child attends high school full-time and is not emancipated.
