How Long Does An Uncontested Divorce Take In Kentucky

How Long Does It Take To Get An Uncontested Divorce In North Carolina

How does an uncontested divorce work?

In North Carolina, in order to file for divorce, you and your spouse must first have been separated for at least one year. The state defines being separated as living in different homes you are not required to be legally separated in order for this time period to begin.

Once you and your spouse have been separated for at least a year, you may file for divorce. The non-filing spouse will have 30 days to respond, after they are served this may be extended by a further 30 days if they request it.

After the 30-60 day response period has passed, an uncontested divorce can be granted in as little as 3-5 weeks depending on the courts docket.

What If I Am In The Military And Out Of State

If Kentucky is your home state, then it may be possible to file a petition in the state of Kentucky for dissolution of marriage. However, if you have children that have never resided in the state of Kentucky, Kentucky may lack jurisdiction to decide custody and you may need to file in the state in which the children reside.

Do I Have To Attend Classes

Kentucky requires parties with minor children to attend a divorce education class call Families In Transition. This six-hour education rouse is attended by both parties, separately, and any children ages 5 to 17. The goal of the program is to help parents avoid many of the emotional and behavioral pitfalls often associated with divorce. The program is mandatory for divorcing parents of minor children in Kentucky.More information about the program can be found here.

What Are The Possible Outcomes Of A Custody Decision

There are a variety of combinations of physical and legal custody. Parents might have joint legal and physical custody of children, with the physical custody dictated by a timesharing agreement. Or, one parent might have sole physical custody while legal custody is split. Or, one parent might have sole physical custody and sole legal custody. And there are yet more combinations depending on your specific circumstances.

A traditional arrangement was for joint legal custody and one parent to have sole physical custody. Today, however, its becoming more common to see joint legal and physical custody.

What Is The Process Of Filing For Divorce In Kentucky

The basics of all divorces in Kentucky are pretty much the same no matter what direction and method you choose just remember you must be separated from your spouse for at lease 60 days prior to serving them with divorce papers. There are some initial steps that need to be handled so that you can move on to the next phase of the process.

Gather important information. To give yourself the best chance to achieve at achieving the best possible outcome, you need to be organized and proactive when it comes to pulling together the information you will need.

Before you jump in to collecting financial information, take the following steps:

Open a new checking and savings account in your name alone.
Open a credit card in your name alone.
Order a free credit report.
Make a list of all the assets and liabilities that youre aware of. Include any memberships, reward points, and other perks that may be considered as assets.

Okay, now its time to start gathering your information. Heres a short-list of what you need:

Tax returns for the last 5 years
Pay stubs for the last 3 months
Bank statements
Grant notice for stock options, RSUs, etc.
Investment account statements
Kelley Blue Book printouts
Car loan statements
Social security benefit statement

Complete the initial paperwork. After you decide what kind of divorce you will pursue, you will need to fill out several forms and submit them to the court to start your divorce in Kentucky.

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Can I Use Kentucky 3stepdivorce In My Situation

You may use Kentucky 3StepDivorce as long as you have an uncontested divorce and meet the states residency requirement. Youll need to have a written marital settlement agreement, signed by both you and your spouse, that covers all of the issues in your divorce. Kentucky 3StepDivorce will guide you through the process of creating this agreement, based on your answers to the questionnaire.

Kentucky 3StepDivorce can also help if you arent ready to file for divorce, but you want a with your spouse. For instance, you might want to work out arrangements for support, custody of your children, who has to move out of the family home, and how to take care of the bills while youre separated but still legally married.

Will I Receive Or Have To Pay Alimony In Kentucky

The court might require that one spouse provide maintenance for the other, payments that are commonly known as alimony. Either spouse can receive support.

Whether you will receive spousal support depends on whether youre able to provide for yourself. If you lack property that can provide for your reasonable needs and youre unable to support yourself through work, you may be eligible for alimony. Or, if youre parenting a child whose condition or circumstances mean you shouldnt work outside home, you may also be eligible.

Also Check: Florida Alimony Reform 2022-2023

How Long Does Divorce Take In Kentucky

It is important to remember that no two divorces are the same, which is why there can be a wide range of process times. One of the fastest methods of getting a divorce is through an uncontested legal separation. An uncontested divorce means that both parties can agree on every single aspect of their divorce on their own or with an attorneys help, rather than bringing it to a Kentucky family court to have the divorce undergo litigation.

Nevertheless, even this kind of uncontested divorce that is not undergoing any form of complication usually takes between 60 to 90 days after being filed to be legally finalized by the Kentucky divorce court. Thus, if your divorce is contested, meaning that you and your spouse disagree about any issue from child custody to alimony the process is likely to take even longer, particularly if it requires mediation or extensive litigation. For more details about the potential length of your divorce case, reach out to our team for personalized counsel.

Possible Mediation Negotiation Divorce Education Classes

How Long Does it Take to Get a Divorce? | Porchlight Legal

Its after any preliminary hearing that the divorce process starts to get less predictable.

From here much will depend on whether you and your spouse are in agreement , whether youve hired attorneys, whether you decide to go through divorce mediation, whether you have kids, and so on.

Still, a few things to keep in mind are:

If you have children, the court may require you to attend a Families in Transition class, which are offered locally on a regular basis and help kids and parents figure out how to better work through the challenges that divorce poses.
If you have children, the judge may need to speak with them in order inform their decision about legal and physical custody. Or, the judge may need to assign a representative for the children to gather information about their needs to inform what would be in their best interests.
The court may require you and your spouse to try mediation in order to come to agreement about outstanding items.
You may need to pay child or spousal support for the first time
Your behavior can affect the outcome of the divorce. This article, though targeted primarily at fathers, highlights relevant points for anyone who has kids and is getting divorced should avoid doing.

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How Much Will I Receive Or Have To Pay

The amount of spousal support and how long its required depend on the following factors:

The financial resources of the person seeking support
How long it would take that person to train or gain the right skills to find employment
The standard of living during the marriage
How long you were married
The physical and emotional health of the person seeking support, as well as their age
The ability of the supporting spouse to meet their own needs

How Long Does An Uncontested Divorce Take

The length of time from deciding to an uncontested divorce, to finalizing the divorce depend on various factors:

How quickly you can come to terms of settlement with your spouse.
State laws that may require a wait period or legal separation.
Backlog in the courts which is common thanks to the COVID pandemic.

Also Check: Is Alimony The Same As Spousal Support

Filing For Divorce In Kentucky Without Using A Lawyer

You can file for divorce in Kentucky without the help of an attorney.

This is best accomplished if both spouses are in agreement and there is little property that you need to divide. You should probably not use the states self-help forms if you and your spouse have parenting disagreements over minor children or if you own a valuable business.

If you want to file for divorce and need a referral to an attorney, you can contact the Kentucky Lawyer Referral Service at 583-1801. Going this route allows you to request attorneys who have agreed to accept cases at a reduced rate.

What Is Uncontested Divorce

A divorce is uncontested if both parties agree to all issues of property division, debt, custody and support. The vast majority of divorces in the United States are uncontested. In fact, most divorcing couples never see the inside of a courtroom.In Kentucky, a divorce requires the filing of a Petition for Dissolution, a financial disclosure, and a settlement agreement. The settlement agreement is the document that sets forth the parties’ agreement on all issues. At the conclusion of the divorce, the settlement agreement becomes an enforceable court order.

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How Are Retirement Benefits Divided During Divorce

Retirement benefits can be more complicated than other benefits, in particular pension funds. The court may require an expert to value a pension and its often in your best interest to seek an attorneys assistance on how to divide a pension.

Some retirement benefits may not be counted as marital property. If one spouse has retirement benefits excluded, the other spouse is allowed to exclude the same amount of their retirement benefits.

Contact A Bowling Green Divorce Lawyer Today

No two divorces are alike, but one thing most cases have in common is that there are several issues both spouses dont see eye-to-eye on. When this is the case, they usually opt to have a judge get involved and make a ruling for them. These cases are known as contested divorces and while they are the most common type of divorce, they can also be some of the most difficult to navigate. If you are going through a contested divorce, its strongly advised you have a Bowling Green divorce attorney on your side who can help you present your case and reach the best possible solution.

At theLaw Office of Pamela C. Bratcher, we have helped clients obtain the solutions theyve been seeking to their family law matters since 1988. Attorney Bratcher and her team strive to provide every client with the one-on-one attention their case deserves. As a seasoned divorce lawyer, Attorney Bratcher knows that your family law matter is of the utmost importance to your life, and you expect it to be treated as such. We believe there is no such thing as a small case, and we always give you the unwavering dedication and consummate professionalism you would expect from your attorney. No matter how complex your case may be, you can trust that Attorney Bratcher will put your best interests first and protect your rights to help you obtain the best possible outcome.

Also Check: Cost To File For Divorce In Indiana

What Is A Divorce Certificate

After a divorce has been granted in Kentucky, the states Office of Vital Statistics keeps records on file.

A certificate has much less information than a decree, generally only stating that a divorce took place, along with the specifics of where and when it happened.

A certificate can be ordered and a fee paid either by phone, mail, the internet or in person. It may take up to 30 days to process a request. The required fee covers the cost of the record search, and no refunds are issued if a certificate is not found.

You will need to provide:

Full name of First Party
Full name of Second Party
The month, day and year of the marriage or divorce
The county where the marriage license or divorce was issued
Name and address where the certificate is to be mailed
Phone number where you can be reached during the day from 8 am to 4:30 pm Eastern time
The number of copies being ordered

The fee is payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer to cover the cost of each certificate ordered and costs $6 for each certified copy.

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You can also place an order in person at:

Office of Vital Statistics275 E. Main St. 1E-AFrankfort, KY 40621

For general information, call 564-4212.

How Long Does It Take To Get An Uncontested Divorce In Michigan

How long does an Uncontested Divorce take in Virginia? (Bonus Tip at End)

For a divorce that doesn’t involve minor children, Michigan has a mandatory 60-day waiting period. For a divorce that does involve minor children, the waiting period is increased to 6 months.

An uncontested divorce in Michigan can often be finalized within a few weeks of the waiting period concluding, depending on the courts schedule.

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How Long Do You Have To Be Married To Get Alimony In Kentucky

Permanent alimony/maintenance is quite rare, and it is only awarded if: The spouses were married for a least ten years. The receiving spouse earns no money or an income that is significantly less than the payor spouses income. The receiving spouse has a medical condition that prevents him or her from working.

Pensions Iras 401ks And Retirement Plans

Pensions and retirement accounts are considered marital property and subject to equitable distribution laws. But this applies only to funds accumulated during marriage. Any funds accumulated before a marriage or after separation are considered separate property.

To split these types of accounts without adverse tax consequences requires the execution of a qualified domestic relations order, more commonly referred to as a QDRO.

The QDRO is prepared by an attorney or a private firm and must be approved by the courts before it is submitted to the plan administrator who must also approve it. A QDRO establishes that a spouse can be considered an alternate payee, and the account is divided according to the specifics of the QDRO, which may or may not be a 50/50 split.

If youre interested in getting a QDRO online, look no further. After a whole lot of research, weve determined that QDRO Counsel is the best resource for drafting your own QDRO. Hit the button to learn more !

Determining the exact value of pensions and retirement accounts can be complicated. It is not uncommon to retain a financial expert such as an actuary, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, or forensic accountant to make an accurate assessment.

Do I Have To Appear In Court

Uncontested divorces do not require the parties to appear before a judge. Once our attorneys have drafted all of the required documents, the parties can sign the documents before a Notary public, either in our office or at another location of your choosing. All statutorily required testimony can be taken by affidavit, which we will prepare for you. Once all of the documents are signed and filed with the court, the final decree can be submitted to the judge for his or her signature.If a motion must be filed in order to finalize your divorce, we will make all appearances for you.

What Does It Mean That Kentucky Is An Equitable Distribution State

When you divorce and cannot agree on how marital property should be divided, courts in an equitable distribution state will split everything in a manner it deems fair and equitable. This division applies to all property acquired during the marriage and does not generally include:

Property that each spouse owned before marriage
Assets that each spouse received personally as a gift or inheritance from a third party
Property identified as separate in a fair written agreement

Other than the assumption that separate property will remain yours unless it was commingled with marital property, there is no set formula determining who gets what.

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How Long Does It Take To Get An Uncontested Divorce In Utah

Once you file for divorce in Utah, your spouse is entitled to a response period of 21 days or 30 days . Once this response period has ended, there is a mandatory 30 day waiting period before the divorce will be finalized. The courts can, in some cases, waive this waiting period.

This means that in total it will take a minimum of 51 to 60 days after filing for an uncontested divorce to be complete. It can take longer if the courts schedule is backed up, or if you and your spouse are not in agreement on certain issues.

Whats The Difference Between A Contested And Uncontested Divorce

A contested divorce is a divorce where both partners cant agree on the terms of their divorce. Issues like property division, child custody, child support, and spousal support are often heavily debated during a contested divorce.

A contested divorce involves many court dates. Both parties will also have to hire lawyers to represent them. Contested divorces can last as long as two years, with each party spending as much as $10,000 in legal bills over the duration of their divorce.

If both parties cant reach an agreement, a judge can decide the outcome of a situation and turn it into an order. It doesnt matter if the outcome the judge decides is what either party wants.

An uncontested divorce is likely to be an expensive andstressful experience that leaves both parties unhappy.

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