Free Resources for Divorce
I want to file free divorce paperwork (the court will charge a filing fee). I need to know everything about the process please?
Contact the Facilitators to file your paperwork for free
Free how-to for court forms in Seattle
Free step-by-step instructions for court forms here
Free service to file a domestic violence case here - please never wait for a lawyer before filing a protection order or asking for help. The King County system is set up to allow anyone to ask for help without a lawyer.
I don't know what to put in my court forms?
Your court forms are available in an easy to fill out format here. You can use our directions to fill out your forms for you, as long as you have a contract. Or we can do it for you if you use our service. See below if you don't know what to put in your contract.
Your divorce decree and marriage certificate are only a record; they do not resolve a dispute or start any action on their own. To "get a divorce" means you resolved your dispute about your marriage including finances and other issues. Your can finish court forms without resolving your dispute, and those forms can be adjusted at any time. Your dispute is not necessarily over just because you have recorded a divorce decree (also known as Form 241). Your contract is final but your court forms are not - court forms can always be disputed and adjusted.
Contracts can only be adjusted if you both agree. One of you cannot change the contract without a lawsuit. Lawsuits to change the contract without the other's permission are rarely successful (not legal advice, but the person suing would most likely have to show the contract was hugely unfair). The police no longer enforce court forms. Contracts cannot be adjusted if only one of you wants to change the contract. Contracts are a flexible and customizable limit on your interactions. Contracts are a boundary. Court forms are only a record - like a car title, or a deed.
How do I know the law to put in my court forms?
Because contracts are flexible, and contracts are also final on the date they are signed, without waiting for more steps to finalize, it is accepted best practices for family law attorneys to write a contract explaining, in detail, every issue connected to a divorce dispute. Then you can fill out the free court forms and just check the box on the forms that says you have a contract. This contract-to-free-court-forms is how Bill and Melinda Gates and Mackenzie Scott (formerly Bezos) divorced in Washington. The date that matters for your financial paperwork will be the date on your contract, not the date on your court forms. You can check a box on any official or financial paperwork to mark yourself "divorced" any time you want after you've signed your contract. You do not need to wait for court paperwork. There is no more process required. Some attorneys charge to represent only one of you, fill out the court forms, schedule a hearing on the litigation calendar, and proceed with a mini-litigation that you pay for. This is cheaper than having two lawyers, but it costs more than the free court forms and takes longer. Another problem is that the person who didn't pay for the lawyer can always challenge the final court forms again - the forms leave a lot of room for interpretation and if one party didn't have an attorney, then that person can always say the court forms weren't handled correctly and try to change the forms in the future.
How do I know what to put in my contract?
The rules about what to put in your court forms are unclear and change often. Different clerks can interpret the rules about the forms in different ways, and refuse to accept the same set of forms that another court employee would accept. But the rules about a contract are more clear. Your contract cannot be illegal or manifestly unfair. Other than that, it really only needs to be clear enough to be enforceable. You can write you own contract. Be very clear about the goals. Focus on what you want to happen and avoid talking about how it will happen. Yes: "$40,000 total will be paid to Elizabeth no later than three years (36 months) after the date this document is signed. Each party will reimburse the other for any expense as agreed" No: "$40,000 in stock will be transferred by the party's accountant from the account ending in 1244 to Elizabeth's account with the brokerage service and Elizabeth paying the fees by selling stock on November 5..." it's harder to enforce contracts with complex processes, dates that might not be able to be met for reasons outside of your control, and processes that depend on other people. Be clear on the goal and flexible on the process. Focus on the two of you and what you want.
How do I know when I should check the box that says I'm divorced on forms for my taxes, bank, realtor, or other services?
Most of your money interacts with federal law - people think "divorce" covers everything but a "divorce decree" is only a record for state court. You still have to do all the additional paperwork for federal claims like your taxes or real estate holdings on your own. You can decide whether or not you want to let others know you have signed a divorce contract. Contracts can be private or recorded for the public to see.
Please seek expert help before you follow directions for filling out your paperwork provided by anyone employed by a company that could benefit financially, particularly a realtor or real estate-related business. These companies aren't required to protect you financially the way an accountant or CPA would be. Please do not pay extra for a "divorce financial expert." Divorce is just like when you get married and the same product costs 10x the normal price because it's for a wedding.
If you complete mediation or some other dispute resolution process, and you still aren't sure what box to check on your taxes or other paperwork asking if you are divorced, then it's a good idea to ask a tax preparer or a lawyer who handles federal law such as an estates attorney, a tax attorney, or a financial advisor. Do not ask a divorce attorney for help with your money. Divorce is in state court and your money has to interact with federal rules. Divorce attorneys who help you resolve a divorce dispute in court can only make hypothetical arguments about how to divorce. Their job is to persuade a judge to follow particular rules about what to do with your money in your dispute. Divorce attorneys do NOT settle federal money issues. Good attorneys stay in their wheelhouse. Click here to tips on how to spot a scam attorney.
Our office can recommend a CPA, tax attorney, or an experienced real estate attorney who handles federal tax questions for information pertaining to your specific situation. Fwiw be careful when following outside advice. Our office has seen many people lose money and time relying on legal advice from a title company employee, a realtor, a bank employee, or anyone who answers a help desk for a corporation like Fidelity etc. Employees of these companies - companies that are getting paid with your money - can only give you information about their company's internal procedures e.g. "We need a form signed by a judge..." or "We tell everyone they have to file a quitclaim deed before we will consider removing their name from a mortgage...." or "Our office fills out the federal forms like this..." These internal corporate procedures from a for-profit corporation are not usually set up to help you over the company. The procedures are sometimes even designed to help the bank or other corporation at your expense. You could miss opportunities to save money or cause extra fees if you only follow directions from corporate employees.
I don't understand when to separate my financial accounts?
Here's a free guideline to QDROs and other orders dividing accounts. You can pick any day you want to separate your accounts, as long as you both agree. You can also decide on an amount instead of dividing your accounts by percentage ie. "On September 25, 2024 the account to be divided contains $100,000 and the parties hereby agree that the account shall be divided with $50,000 paid to one party and the rest retained in the account for the other party."
