Divorce in Ontario – Costs

Published on 29 August 2022, 07:22:56 AM

You knew divorce was expensive, but the average cost of divorce in Ontario could astound you. Axess Law makes divorcing a partner for life — or however long you were together — much more affordable. You pay only $699.99 plus mandatory court fees of about $600 or more for uncontested divorce applications. Your divorce could be final in four to six months or less when you use Axess Law’s professional family law services.

 

High Cost of Divorce in Ontario

Many Canadian marriages — 41% on average — end in the first 13 years.

How much does a divorce cost in Ontario? You could spend $10,000 or more securing a simple or uncontested divorce through a traditional divorce lawyer and up to $50,000 if you go to Ontario divorce court. Most Ontario family lawyers charge $250 an hour or more — and you can pay substantial miscellaneous costs, right down to every email, phone call or photocopy your lawyer makes, on top of that.

If you have been living separate and apart emotionally for at least a year, even while occupying a jointly owned matrimonial home, Axess Law can arrange an uncontested divorce for far less than you would ordinarily pay. Our flat fee lawyers take the pain out of separating for good.

 

Why Get an Uncontested Divorce?

Uncontested divorces make it easier to go on with your life. Your file for divorce and your spouse agrees not to dispute your application in court. You’ve figured out who gets the matrimonial home and decision-making responsibility for the kids.

No feuding or costly emotional and financial court appearances — just a straightforward (well, as much as divorce can be) court filing signalling that your relationship is permanently ending.

If divorcing is your spouse’s idea and you have been presented with an uncontested or joint divorce application you are uncertain what to do with, ask our licensed divorce attorneys for advice. 

We review draft legal papers your spouse or their lawyer may ask you to sign to give our independent legal advice on options for signing, contesting a divorce or requesting spousal or child support. 

 

Do You Have an International Divorce?

Before you file for divorce in Ontario court, ask yourself are you free to divorce? Couples married in other countries may need to take extra steps to prove their marriage is valid or get a foreign divorce recognized in Canada.

 

Getting Your Foreign Marriage Recognized

Foreign marriages are generally legal in Ontario if you were eligible to marry under Canadian law. Regardless of religious beliefs, you must have been at least 18 — or 16 to 17 if your parents consent — when you married and willingly agreed to and understood you were being married, not have been related by blood or adoption or consented to polygamy.

 

Foreign Divorces in Canadian Law

International divorces are legal in Canada if you or your spouse have a real and substantial connection to the country where the divorce occurred. For example, if you were born abroad, lived together in a foreign country or your spouse ordinarily  lived there for at least a year before divorcing. 

 

Are Religious Divorces Legal?

Muslim religious divorces are not recognized under Canada’s Divorce Act but Jewish gets or ghets can be introduced in court.

Axess Law reviews marriage certificates and foreign divorce papers to confirm your eligibility to apply for a divorce in Canada and apply for spousal support. 

 

Spousal or Child Support Obligations

Consider this: alimony in Ontario and child support payments can consume most of your or your spouse’s annual income after basic living expenses are paid. 

 

Asking for Temporary Support 

As a family caregiver, you may have given up your career or other interests to look after children or elderly family members. Now that you’re divorcing, you may need to go back to school or rely on your spouse for financial support until your children are adults or complete their schooling and can support themselves. You may have grounds for not paying divorce costs if you are low-income or a stay-at-home parent.

 

Arranging Child Support

Child support laws in Ontario require divorced couples to provide financially for minor children, based on their incomes and assets. Adopted children or stepchildren you care for as your own are your legal and financial responsibility. Spousal support or child support payments the court orders or parents agree to voluntarily are an ongoing obligation, even if you live outside Ontario. 

 

What if My Child Has Disabilities?

Child support can continue until your child reaches adulthood at 18 or completes their first college, university or other training and is considered independent. That means you could be paying court-ordered child support up to age 22 or beyond. If any of your children are physically or mentally disabled to the point of being financially dependent adults, your support obligations may go on as long as they need assistance.

 

Getting Independent Legal Advice

Axess Law has affordable family lawyers, Toronto and area, who can give independent legal advice on divorce and its financial implications. 

A parenting plans lawyer (Toronto, nearby areas or online) can advise you on requesting decision-making responsibility and parenting time with all your children that divorce courts look for. We can explain how much financial support you can expect to pay, while keeping the divorce process cost more affordable. 

Our independent legal advice certificate shows the court you understand the consequences of your decisions. You pay just $349.99 to talk in confidence with an experienced family attorney. That keeps the cost of a divorce application affordable for almost anyone.

 

Changing Your Will and Divorce

Marriage can be a lifetime obligation and beyond. It doesn’t have to be. A final divorce decree revokes those parts of personal Wills that leave inheritances or gifts to former spouses. You must still cancel direct beneficiary designations, such as life insurance policies left to a marital partner, because if you forget, they inherit.

Before you make any Wills decisions, remember Ontario’s Succession Law Reform Act requires your estate trustee, executor or personal representative to arrange ongoing, court-ordered support payments during a divorced spouse’s lifetime. Other gifts in your Will are extinguished when you divorce, but court-ordered support continues until your spouse is financially independent or as otherwise stated in your divorce order.

Talk to our family lawyers or Wills and estate attorneys if you have questions about family law and Ontario succession rights. 

 

Why You Need a Lawyer

Filing for divorce is a major step and winding your way through the Divorce Act changes (2021), court applications, rules and regulations is time consuming. It can be confusing. Axess Law’s licensed family attorneys have helped thousands of Ontarians to file for uncontested divorces and ask the court for spousal support or parenting time.

If your case is more complex or involves abuse or family violence, we refer you to trusted legal associates who can advise you on every aspect of contesting your divorce. Call for an appointment and let’s get started on planning your divorce application.

 

Documents We Need

Bring valid Ontario photo ID to your video conference call or in person meeting with your Axess Law lawyer. Letters, emails, draft or informal separation agreements, parenting plans and your monthly financial budget and income statements help us to understand your situation better.    

 

Book Online 7 Days a Week, Day or Evening

Axess Law has open law offices nearby in Greater Toronto Area for day or evening appointments, 7 days a week. You can park onsite or take the bus. Our easy online booking form lets you choose times and dates that work for your schedule. Drop by our offices if that is more convenient or call our 1-647-479-0118 lawyer line to make your appointment with an Axess Law attorney.