Divorce in Maine: Costs, Laws, and Calculators (2026)

Everything you need to understand the financial reality of divorce in Maine. State-specific costs, formulas, and free calculators.

Our estimate, uncontested
$1,500 - $4,000
Our estimate, contested
$10,000 - $32,000
Estimated timeline
3 - 11 months
DCE State Score
64 / 100

By our own estimates, Maine divorces cost about 46% less than our national working figure of $12,900.

Maine's court filing fee is among the lowest in the country, and it allows both fault and no-fault divorce.

Maine is an equitable distribution state and uses the Income Shares model for child support. Court filing fees are $120, which is among the lowest in the country, though attorney time remains the larger expense in any contested case. The state keeps both fault and no-fault grounds available, and our record has a 60-day waiting period after filing. Attorney rates run $200 to $375 per hour, and a contested case $10,000 to $32,000.

What this section says about Maine's divorce grounds and property system is a characterisation this site carries rather than a finding. That is our own record rather than Maine's own law.

Key Fact

Maine's court filing fee is $120, among the lowest in the country, and an uncontested divorce runs $1,500 to $4,000.

Recent Development

Maine continues to offer both fault and no-fault divorce while dividing property under equitable distribution. With a 60-day waiting period and no separation prerequisite on our record, the state's timeline stays moderate, so the main cost variable remains whether the case is contested.

Maine Divorce Quick Facts

State law, attorney rates, and procedural rules for Maine.

Property division system, in our record
Equitable Distribution (judicial discretion)
How alimony is decided, in our record
Judicial discretion
Child support formula, in our record
Income Shares Model
Mandatory waiting period, in our record
60 days
Residency requirement, in our record
180 days
Mediation required, in our record
No
Equal parenting presumption, in our record
No
Fault divorce available, in our record
Yes
Collaborative divorce available
Yes, and our record says the same for all fifty states
Filing fee range
$120
Attorney hourly rates, our estimate
$200 - $375/hour
Filing fee last checked
Not independently verified

Where these Maine figures come from, since it is fair to ask. The court filing fee is the one we have gone back to, and even there we are recording what a fee schedule says rather than citing a document we have opened. Everything else on this page that is a cost or a length of time - attorney rates, the mediator's per-session rate, QDRO preparation, the uncontested and contested totals, the number of months a case takes - came into our data when the site was first built, and nobody has checked any of it against a published source since. Our own value distributions give the game away: attorney rates across all fifty states take seven distinct values at the low end, every one of them a multiple of 25, which is what a set of estimates looks like rather than fifty separate readings. We think they are in the right neighbourhood. We are not going to call them Maine averages. For a real number, a Maine family law attorney will quote you their own rate, and the clerk of court in your county will tell you the filing fee to the dollar.

The waiting period and the residency requirement in that table are in the same position, and they matter more, because a wrong number there is a filing in the wrong place rather than a bad estimate. Both came into our data at the original build and nobody here has read Maine's dissolution statute. Confirm both with the clerk of court in the county where you will file, and ask specifically whether the wait runs from the day you file or from a separation date, because states do it both ways and our records hold one number for both cases.

DCE State Score Breakdown

Our proprietary index ranks every state on cost, complexity, and timeline. Higher is more favorable.

Overall DCE State Score

64/ 100

On our own 0 to 100 scale, a score of 64 puts Maine in the band we call moderate, which runs 50 to 69. The cut points are ours, set when we built the score, and they compare Maine with no average.

Cost Score

28/ 40

The midpoint of the uncontested cost range we hold for Maine, against a national baseline of ours. A higher cost lowers the score.

Complexity Score

22/ 30

Lowered by a longer waiting period, a longer residency requirement, a mediation requirement, a discretionary approach to alimony and more judicial discretion over custody, and raised by an equal-parenting presumption and collaborative divorce being available, each as we hold it for Maine.

Timeline Score

14/ 30

Based on our own contested duration estimate for Maine and the uncontested duration our pages show for it, which is never below its waiting period, each against a national baseline of ours. A longer case lowers the score.

Divorce Calculators for Maine

All 15 calculators preconfigured for Maine.

Maine Divorce Laws Overview

Property Division

Our record has Maine as an equitable distribution state. That is our own record rather than Maine's own property division law. Equitable does not mean equal, it means fair, based on the circumstances. Judges consider factors including each spouse's income and earning capacity, contributions to the marriage, length of the marriage, and the economic circumstances of each spouse. Outcomes can vary significantly from case to case.

Spousal Support (Alimony)

Maine judges have broad discretion in setting alimony awards, and our record carries no statutory formula for the state. The factors it lists are: length of the marriage, each spouse's earning capacity, standard of living during the marriage, financial resources of each spouse. Those came into our data at the original build rather than from a reading of the statute. Some of Maine's own law has been opened here - 19-A M.R.S. § 951-A(2)(A)(1) - and that provision bounds the term rather than setting out a calculation, so it settles neither the factor list nor the absence of a formula. Outcomes can vary significantly depending on the judge and the specific facts of your case.

Child Support

Our record puts Maine among the Income Shares Model states, and nobody here has read Maine's own guideline to check it. In that model both parents' incomes are combined, a total support obligation is set from that combined figure and the number of children, and each parent's share is proportional to their share of the combined income. The paying parent pays their share to the receiving parent.

Custody and Parenting Time

Maine courts determine custody on the best interests of the child. Our record carries no presumption of equal parenting time for the state and puts judicial discretion here in the middle of its three-point scale. That is our own record rather than Maine's own custody law. Courts generally favor arrangements that allow both parents meaningful involvement in the child's life.

This estimate is for planning purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Consult a licensed family law attorney in your state for guidance specific to your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a divorce cost in Maine?
Our working estimate is $1,500 - $4,000 for an uncontested Maine divorce and $10,000 - $32,000 for a contested one, with the spread depending on attorney involvement, custody disputes, and the complexity of the marital estate. Court filing fees alone are $120. Both totals are ours rather than measured averages: they came into our data when this site was built and no survey stands behind them.
How long does a divorce take in Maine?
Our records put Maine's mandatory wait at 60 days, an uncontested case at roughly 3 months, and a contested one at about 11. Treat all three as ours rather than as findings: we have not read Maine's dissolution statute or its court caseload statistics. The clerk of court in the county where you will file can confirm the wait, and whether it runs from filing or from a separation date, which differs by state.
How is property divided in Maine?
Our record has Maine as an equitable distribution state. That is our own record rather than Maine's own property division law. Equitable does not mean equal, it means fair, based on the circumstances. Judges consider factors including each spouse's income and earning capacity, contributions to the marriage, length of the marriage, and the economic circumstances of each spouse. Outcomes can vary significantly from case to case.
How is child support calculated in Maine?
Our record puts Maine among the Income Shares Model states, and nobody here has read Maine's own guideline to check it. In that model both parents' incomes are combined, a total support obligation is set from that combined figure and the number of children, and each parent's share is proportional to their share of the combined income. The paying parent pays their share to the receiving parent.
How is alimony determined in Maine?
Maine judges have broad discretion in setting alimony awards, and our record carries no statutory formula for the state. The factors it lists are: length of the marriage, each spouse's earning capacity, standard of living during the marriage, financial resources of each spouse. Those came into our data at the original build rather than from a reading of the statute. Some of Maine's own law has been opened here - 19-A M.R.S. § 951-A(2)(A)(1) - and that provision bounds the term rather than setting out a calculation, so it settles neither the factor list nor the absence of a formula. Outcomes can vary significantly depending on the judge and the specific facts of your case.

Divorce Costs in Nearby States

See all 50 states for complete cost breakdowns and calculators.