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

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

Our estimate, uncontested
$1,500 - $4,500
Our estimate, contested
$11,000 - $35,000
Estimated timeline
3 - 11 months
DCE State Score
61 / 100

By our own estimates, Vermont divorces cost about 40% less than our national working figure of $12,900.

Vermont's court filing fee range is among the widest in the country, and the state allows both fault and no-fault divorce.

Vermont is an equitable distribution state and uses the Income Shares model for child support. Court filing fees span $90 to $295 depending on the case and the county handling it, a range that is among the widest in the country. The state keeps both fault and no-fault grounds available, and our record has a 180-day residency requirement before filing. Attorney rates run $225 to $400 per hour, and a contested case $11,000 to $35,000.

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

Key Fact

Vermont's court filing fee spans $90 to $295, a range among the widest in the country, and a contested divorce runs $11,000 to $35,000 per spouse.

Recent Development

Vermont continues to divide marital property under equitable distribution while keeping both fault and no-fault grounds on the books. The framework is well established, so cases turn on the fairness of the property division and on parenting arrangements rather than on shifting statutory rules.

Vermont Divorce Quick Facts

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

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
90 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
$90 - $295
Attorney hourly rates, our estimate
$225 - $400/hour
Filing fee last checked
May 29, 2026

Where these Vermont 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 Vermont averages. For a real number, a Vermont 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 Vermont'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

61/ 100

On our own 0 to 100 scale, a score of 61 puts Vermont 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 Vermont with no average.

Cost Score

27/ 40

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

Complexity Score

20/ 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 Vermont.

Timeline Score

14/ 30

Based on our own contested duration estimate for Vermont 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 Vermont

All 15 calculators preconfigured for Vermont.

Vermont Divorce Laws Overview

Property Division

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

Vermont 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, standard of living during the marriage, each spouse's earning capacity, financial resources of each spouse. Those came into our data at the original build rather than from a reading of the statute. Some of Vermont's own law has been opened here - 15 V.S.A. § 752(a) - and that reading covers the threshold in 15 V.S.A. § 752(a) and not how a Vermont court weighs the factors in subsection (b) once it is cleared, and this calculator collects neither the income and property nor the earning capacity the threshold turns on, so it settles neither the factor list nor the absence of a formula. A second provision has been read as well. 15 V.S.A. § 752(b)(9), read here on 2026-10-04, lists guidelines that express support as a share of the difference between the two spouses' gross incomes, for the amount, and of the length of the marriage, for the term. The section sets the amount and the period of support "as the court deems just, after considering all relevant factors", and the guidelines are one of those factors, so they are something the court weighs rather than a calculation it runs, and this page neither prints them nor applies them. Outcomes can vary significantly depending on the judge and the specific facts of your case.

Child Support

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

Vermont 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 Vermont'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 Vermont?
Our working estimate is $1,500 - $4,500 for an uncontested Vermont divorce and $11,000 - $35,000 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 $90 - $295. 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 Vermont?
Our records put Vermont's mandatory wait at 90 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 Vermont'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 Vermont?
Our record has Vermont as an equitable distribution state. That is our own record rather than Vermont'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 Vermont?
Our record puts Vermont among the Income Shares Model states, and nobody here has read Vermont'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 Vermont?
Vermont 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, standard of living during the marriage, each spouse's earning capacity, financial resources of each spouse. Those came into our data at the original build rather than from a reading of the statute. Some of Vermont's own law has been opened here - 15 V.S.A. § 752(a) - and that reading covers the threshold in 15 V.S.A. § 752(a) and not how a Vermont court weighs the factors in subsection (b) once it is cleared, and this calculator collects neither the income and property nor the earning capacity the threshold turns on, so it settles neither the factor list nor the absence of a formula. A second provision has been read as well. 15 V.S.A. § 752(b)(9), read here on 2026-10-04, lists guidelines that express support as a share of the difference between the two spouses' gross incomes, for the amount, and of the length of the marriage, for the term. The section sets the amount and the period of support "as the court deems just, after considering all relevant factors", and the guidelines are one of those factors, so they are something the court weighs rather than a calculation it runs, and this page neither prints them nor applies them. 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.