Divorce in New Hampshire: Costs, Laws, and Calculators (2026)

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

Our estimate, uncontested
$2,000 - $5,000
Our estimate, contested
$12,000 - $40,000
Estimated timeline
3 - 12 months
DCE State Score
64 / 100

By our own estimates, New Hampshire divorces cost about 34% less than our national working figure of $12,900.

New Hampshire's statute, in a 2025 archive copy, sets a term alimony formula, and our record has a residency period for the state among the longest in the country.

New Hampshire is an equitable distribution state and uses the Income Shares model for child support. What sets it apart is alimony: RSA 458:19-a, read from an Internet Archive capture of gc.nh.gov dated 2025-02-20, sets term alimony at the lesser of the payee's reasonable need or 23 percent of the difference between the parties' gross incomes, unless the court finds that justice requires an adjustment, which makes support amounts more predictable here than under open judicial discretion. Our record has no waiting period, but it has a residency requirement of 365 days before filing, which is among the longest in the country. Attorney rates run $225 to $425 per hour, and a contested case $12,000 to $40,000.

What this section says about New Hampshire's property system is a characterisation this site carries rather than a finding. That is our own record rather than New Hampshire's own law.

Key Fact

RSA 458:19-a, read from an Internet Archive capture of gc.nh.gov dated 2025-02-20, sets term alimony at the lesser of reasonable need or 23 percent of the gross-income gap, with the term at most half the length of the marriage, each adjustable where justice requires. Our estimate does not use the rate.

Recent Development

New Hampshire's statute puts term alimony on a formula rather than on open-ended judicial discretion, tying the amount to the income gap between spouses. The copy read here, an Internet Archive capture of gc.nh.gov dated 2025-02-20, predates the 2025 and 2026 sessions, so a change made in either is outside it.

New Hampshire Divorce Quick Facts

State law, attorney rates, and procedural rules for New Hampshire.

Property division system, in our record
Equitable Distribution (judicial discretion)
How alimony is decided, in our record
Statutory formula
Child support formula, in our record
Income Shares Model
Mandatory waiting period, in our record
None
Residency requirement, in our record
365 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
$250
Attorney hourly rates, our estimate
$225 - $425/hour
Filing fee last checked
Not independently verified

Where these New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire averages. For a real number, a New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire'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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire with no average.

Cost Score

25/ 40

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

Complexity Score

25/ 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 New Hampshire.

Timeline Score

14/ 30

Based on our own contested duration estimate for New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire

All 15 calculators preconfigured for New Hampshire.

New Hampshire Divorce Laws Overview

Property Division

Our record has New Hampshire as an equitable distribution state. That is our own record rather than New Hampshire'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)

New Hampshire writes its spousal support calculation into the statute, and that is the section speaking rather than our record: RSA 458:19-a, II(a), New Hampshire's term alimony formula, read from an Internet Archive capture of gc.nh.gov dated 2025-02-20, sets the amount of term alimony as the lesser of the payee's reasonable need or 23 percent of the difference between the parties' gross incomes, unless the court finds that justice requires an adjustment. Our alimony calculator does not run it, because RSA 458:19-a lets a court adjust the formula amount where it finds that justice requires it, makes the amount the lesser of the formula and the payee's reasonable need, which this form does not collect, and runs the 23 percent on gross income as RSA 458:19, V defines it, a separate section outside what was read here. So the estimate on the alimony page is a national approximation of ours and the page says so beside it.

Child Support

Our record puts New Hampshire among the Income Shares Model states, and nobody here has read New Hampshire'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

New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire'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 New Hampshire?
Our working estimate is $2,000 - $5,000 for an uncontested New Hampshire divorce and $12,000 - $40,000 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 $250. 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 New Hampshire?
Our records show no mandatory wait in New Hampshire, an uncontested case at roughly 3 months, and a contested one at about 12. Treat all three as ours rather than as findings: we have not read New Hampshire'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 New Hampshire?
Our record has New Hampshire as an equitable distribution state. That is our own record rather than New Hampshire'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 New Hampshire?
Our record puts New Hampshire among the Income Shares Model states, and nobody here has read New Hampshire'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 New Hampshire?
New Hampshire writes its spousal support calculation into the statute, and that is the section speaking rather than our record: RSA 458:19-a, II(a), New Hampshire's term alimony formula, read from an Internet Archive capture of gc.nh.gov dated 2025-02-20, sets the amount of term alimony as the lesser of the payee's reasonable need or 23 percent of the difference between the parties' gross incomes, unless the court finds that justice requires an adjustment. Our alimony calculator does not run it, because RSA 458:19-a lets a court adjust the formula amount where it finds that justice requires it, makes the amount the lesser of the formula and the payee's reasonable need, which this form does not collect, and runs the 23 percent on gross income as RSA 458:19, V defines it, a separate section outside what was read here. So the estimate on the alimony page is a national approximation of ours and the page says so beside it.

Divorce Costs in Nearby States

See all 50 states for complete cost breakdowns and calculators.