How much does divorce cost in Ontario?
The court fee to end your marriage is about $442 filed online, or $642 in person. What most people are really asking about is the cost of resolving support, property, and parenting — and that ranges from roughly $1,200 to well over $50,000, depending almost entirely on how much you and your spouse disagree.
That gap is the whole story, so here’s the honest version of it — including what we charge.
Ontario family law
Which divorce path is right for you?
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The two things you're actually paying for
Most articles blur these together, which is why the numbers online look so wild. Separate them and the whole thing gets clearer.
1. The divorce order. The legal act of ending your marriage. You apply to the Superior Court of Justice, and once you’ve been separated a year, the court grants it. The only unavoidable cost is the court’s filing fee.
2. Everything else — child support, spousal support, dividing property (Ontario calls this equalization of net family property), and parenting arrangements. The court doesn’t charge for this. Professionals do, and this is where the money goes.
Most people resolve #2 first, then process #1 as paperwork at the end. Almost every scary number you’ve read online belongs to #2.
What the court charges in Ontario
These are government fees, set by regulation (O. Reg. 293/92 under the Administration of Justice Act). They’re the same whether or not you hire a lawyer, and they’re reindexed to the Consumer Price Index every three years.
| Court step | Fee (2026) |
|---|---|
| Divorce application — filed online | $432 |
| Divorce application — filed in person | $632 |
| Federal Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings | $10 |
| Each motion or conference | $280 |
| Trial record (first time) | $859 |
Fees are set under O. Reg. 293/92 (Administration of Justice Act) and are reindexed to the Consumer Price Index every three years. Verified January 2026.
If you can’t afford them, you may not have to pay them. Ontario waives court fees for people receiving Ontario Works or ODSP, or below a low-income threshold (O. Reg. 2/05). A fee waiver can bring your court cost to zero.
Looking up the cost of divorce in Canada generally? Court fees are set province by province, so they differ across the country — but the structure is identical everywhere. A modest government filing fee, and then the real cost is resolving support, property, and parenting under the federal Divorce Act. The paths below apply well beyond Ontario.
What each path costs — with our actual fees
Vague ranges don’t help anyone plan, so here is what each route genuinely costs, cheapest first, including what we charge for it.
1. A simple divorce — $1,199 + court fees
You agree on everything, or there’s nothing to divide and no children to plan for. This is an uncontested divorce, and it really is simple: we prepare your application, file it, and see it through to your final divorce order.
- Our professional fee: $1,199, covering preparation, filing, and following it through to the order
2. A separation agreement — $1,800 (plus $800 for independent legal advice)
The path most people don’t know exists, and the one that fits the largest number of separating couples. You largely agree, but you want it written down and binding. A lawyer drafts a separation agreement covering support, property, and parenting. Before signing, each spouse should receive independent legal advice (ILA) — a separate lawyer confirming they understand what they’re agreeing to — which is what makes the agreement hold up if it’s ever challenged. The divorce itself is processed as paperwork afterward.
- Separation agreement: $1,800, covering drafting the agreement
- Independent legal advice: $800, charged separately
HST and disbursements are extra. This is still the sweet spot: a binding, enforceable agreement for a fraction of what a contested matter costs
3. Mediation, with lawyers reviewing
You don’t quite agree, so a neutral mediator helps you work through it and each of you has a lawyer advise you and review the result before signing.
- Mediation itself typically runs $200–$400 per hour, shared between you.
- Independent legal advice and review on your side
- Getting your home and pension valued, if you have them: $300–$2,500 (explained below)
Ontario also runs subsidized mediation connected to family courthouses — on-site sessions are often free or low-cost, and off-site sessions are offered on a sliding scale based on income. That’s a real lever most people never hear about.
What "property valuations" are, and why they cost extra
This applies to every path above, not just mediation.
Why you need one at all
In Ontario you don’t split your belongings down the middle. You each total up what you own, subtract your debts, and compare the two figures as they stood on your separation date. The spouse with more pays half the difference to the other. That’s equalization of net family property.
That arithmetic only works if someone establishes what your major assets were actually worth on that date. A bank balance is obvious. A house and a pension aren’t — and that’s what you’re paying for.
Your home: $300–$600
A professional appraisal. A realtor’s opinion is free, but it carries little weight if the number is ever disputed.
Your pension: up to $600 plus HST
This one works better than most people expect. For an Ontario-regulated plan you don’t hire anyone — you apply directly to the pension plan administrator using FSRA’s standard forms, and they calculate the Family Law Value: the share of the pension you built up during the relationship. A defined benefit plan may charge up to $600 plus HST, and some plans charge nothing at all. Whoever applies pays the fee; it isn’t split between you.
If your pension is federal: more
Federal government plans — the federal public service, RCMP, Canadian Forces — and federally regulated employers such as banks, airlines and railways don’t provide this calculation. If yours is one of those, you’ll need an independent actuary instead.
A business: several thousand
Valuing a company means hiring a business valuator or forensic accountant. This is why “complex finances” pushes the total up so sharply.
So where does your number land?
A single home appraisal sits at the bottom of that $300–$2,500 range. A home plus a pension that needs an outside actuary sits at the top.
Lawyer-led negotiation
You each have a lawyer, they negotiate on your behalf, and the matter settles without a trial. This is how a very large share of contested Ontario matters actually end.
Expect an upfront retainer — commonly $3,000–$10,000 — billed against at hourly rates.
A court application, aimed at settling
Sometimes filing is what finally gets a stuck matter moving. Starting a court application doesn’t mean you’re heading for a trial; Ontario’s family court process is deliberately built to push cases toward settlement, through case conferences and settlement conferences with a judge’s guidance.
Costs vary with complexity, and expect $280 per motion or conference in court fees on top of legal fees.
Will my case actually go to trial?
Almost certainly not — and this matters enormously for your budget, because the terrifying numbers you’ve read online are nearly all trial numbers.
Roughly 95% of Ontario family law cases settle before trial. Fewer than 5% ever reach one. Most resolve earlier than people expect, at negotiation or at the settlement conference stage, where a judge gives both sides a candid read on how the case is likely to go — which tends to concentrate minds quickly.
So when you see “$150,000 to get divorced,” understand what you’re looking at: the cost of being in the small minority of cases that fight all the way to a trial, over two to four years. Planning your finances around that outcome is like budgeting your commute around a plane crash.
How much do divorce lawyers charge in Ontario?
Ontario family lawyers bill three ways, and knowing which you’re getting changes your total dramatically.
Flat fee. A single price for a defined piece of work — an uncontested divorce, a separation agreement. You know the number before you start. When the scope is clear, this is almost always the better deal, so ask for it by name. Both of our fees above are flat fees.
Hourly. The standard for anything contested. Rates across Ontario run roughly $250 to $600+ per hour, with Greater Toronto Area lawyers at the top of that band. Everything is billed: calls, emails, drafting, research, travel, court time. A fifteen-minute phone call at $400 an hour is $100.
Retainer. An upfront deposit — commonly $3,000 to $10,000 — that your lawyer bills against and asks you to top up. The retainer is not the total cost of your matter. It’s the opening balance.
Two things that change the math
Costs awards cut both ways. In Ontario family court, a judge can order the unreasonable party to pay the other side’s legal fees. Taking bad-faith positions isn’t just exhausting — it’s financially dangerous, and it’s a concrete reason to negotiate in good faith even when you’d rather not.
Some legal fees are tax-deductible. Fees incurred to establish or enforce child or spousal support may be deductible if you’re the person receiving the support. Fees for obtaining the divorce itself or for dividing property generally aren’t. Confirm with a tax advisor.
Three myths worth clearing up
An amicable divorce is basically free
The divorce order is cheap. But even the friendliest separation usually needs an agreement drafted and reviewed, and skipping that is how people end up back in court years later.
Doing it myself will save money
Sometimes. But an error in a separation agreement or a missed pension division can cost far more to fix than it would have cost to get right — and a simple divorce done properly is $1,199, not nothing versus everything.
Mediation is always cheapest
It’s usually cheaper than court, but it needs two people willing to negotiate in good faith. Where there’s a serious power imbalance, or safety concerns, court may be the only route that protects you.
The bottom line
A divorce in Ontario can cost as little as $442 in court fees plus $1,199 for a simple divorce, or run past $50,000 for a matter fought through a trial. Where you land is mostly within your control, and the overwhelming majority of cases — about 95% — never see a trial at all.
Use the tool above to find your path and your price, then book a short consult to confirm it against your actual situation.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Fees shown are for the scope described; HST and disbursements are charged in addition and your fee is confirmed in writing before any work begins.
How Kian Borna Law makes divorce affordable
Affordable, transparent professional fees
We focus on clear, upfront pricing for divorce work, especially in straightforward or uncontested cases.
You know what services you are paying for, and we explain fees before you decide to move ahead.
All‑in handling of paperwork and procedure
If you choose to work with us, we prepare and review your court forms, file documents with the court, and guide or arrange service on your spouse where needed.
We track deadlines and next steps so you do not have to manage the process alone.
Our goal is to take the paperwork and procedure off your plate, while keeping you informed in plain language.