When a party who (1) Is a resident of this state, or (2) Is a member of the armed forces and is stationed in this state, or (3) Is married to a party who is a resident of this state or who is a member of the armed forces and is stationed in this state. Petitions for a dissolution of marriage, and alleges that the marriage is irretrievably broken will not be acted upon by the court until 90 days has elapsed since the filing and the service of summons on the respondent. The Dissolution of Marriage is typically filed with in county in which the filing spouse resides. (Revised Code of Washington - Title 26 - Chapters: 26.09.010, 26.09.030)

The only grounds for a dissolution of marriage in the state of Washington is, "Irretrievable Breakdown of the Marriage". If the other party joins in the petition or does not deny that the marriage is irretrievably broken, the court shall enter a decree of dissolution. If the other party alleges that the petitioner was induced to file the petition by fraud, or coercion, the court shall make a finding as to that allegation and, if it so finds shall dismiss the petition. If the other party denies that the marriage is irretrievably broken the court shall consider all relevant factors, including the circumstances that gave rise to the filing of the petition and the prospects for reconciliation. (Revised Code of Washington - Title 26 - Chapters: 26.09.030)

The court shall, without regard to marital misconduct, make such disposition of the property and the liabilities of the parties, either community or separate, as shall appear just and equitable after considering all relevant factors including, but not limited to: (A) The nature and extent of the community property; (B) The nature and extent of the separate property; (C) The duration of the marriage; and (D) The economic circumstances of each spouse at the time the division of property is to become effective, including the desirability of awarding the family home or the right to live therein for reasonable periods to a spouse with whom the children reside the majority of the time. (Revised Code of Washington - Title 26 - Chapters: 26.09.080, 26.16.010, 26.16.020, 26.16.030, 26.16.220)

When determining a support award, the court, without regard to marital misconduct, will consider all relevant factors including but not limited to: (1) The financial resources of the party seeking maintenance, including separate or community property apportioned to him, and his ability to meet his needs independently, including the extent to which a provision for support of a child living with the party includes a sum for that party; (2) The time necessary to acquire sufficient education or training to enable the party seeking maintenance to find employment appropriate to his skill, interests, style of life, and other attendant circumstances; (3) The standard of living established during the marriage; (4) The duration of the marriage; (5) The age, physical and emotional condition, and financial obligations of the spouse seeking maintenance; and (6) The ability of the spouse from whom maintenance is sought to meet his needs and financial obligations while meeting those of the spouse seeking maintenance. (Revised Code of Washington - Title 26 - Chapters: 26.09.050, 26.09.090, 26.09.120)

Custody, whether joint or sole, will be awarded to the father or the mother or both based on the best interests of the children. With each petition filed with minor children, the parties must also have a proposed parenting plan to be approved by the court. The objectives of the permanent parenting plan are to: (1) Provide for the child's physical care; (2) Maintain the child's emotional stability; (3) Provide for the child's changing needs as the child grows and matures, in a way that minimizes the need for future modifications to the permanent parenting plan; (4) Set forth the authority and responsibilities of each parent with respect to the child (5) Minimize the child's exposure to harmful parental conflict; (6) Encourage the parents to meet their responsibilities to their minor children through agreements in the permanent parenting plan, rather than by relying on judicial intervention; and (7) To otherwise protect the best interests of the child. (Revised Code of Washington - Title 26 - Chapters: 26.09.181, 26.09.220)

Written findings of fact supported by the evidence. An order for child support shall be supported by written findings of fact upon which the support determination is based and shall include reasons for any deviation from the standard calculation and reasons for denial of a party's request for deviation from the standard calculation. The court shall enter written findings of fact in all cases whether or not the court: (a) Sets the support at the presumptive amount, for combined monthly net incomes below five thousand dollars; (b) sets the support at an advisory amount, for combined monthly net incomes between five thousand and seven thousand dollars; or (c) deviates from the presumptive or advisory amounts. Completion of worksheets. Worksheets in the form developed by the administrative office of the courts shall be completed under penalty of perjury and filed in every proceeding in which child support is determined. The court shall not accept incomplete worksheets or worksheets that vary from the worksheets developed by the Administrative Office of the Courts. Tax returns for the preceding two years and current pay stubs shall be provided to verify income and deductions. Other sufficient verification shall be required for income and deductions which do not appear on tax returns or pay stubs. Reasons for deviation from the standard calculation include but are not limited to the following: (a) Sources of income and tax plannings, (b) Nonrecurring income. (c) Debt and high expenses. (d) Residential schedule. (e) Children from other relationships. (Revised Code of Washington - Title 26 - Chapters: 26.09.040, 26.09.050, 26.09.100, 26.09.120)

One would typically file for divorce in the state in which he or she or his or her spouse resides. If you have recently moved to a new state and wish to file in that new state, you may have to establish residency prior to filing.

If you are in the military and are stationed on a base outside your residency state, you typically are able to file in that state or in your residency state.

If you are in the military and are stationed overseas, you would typically file in your home residency state.

Yes. The system and your documents will address all the issues regarding your children such as, but not limited to; custody arrangements, visitation and time-sharing, child support, and medical coverage.

The filing and/or court fees are not included in our fee and typically range from $50.00 to $350.00 in total depending on your location of filing and whether or not you have children. The 3StepDivorce service will typically help you yield the lowest filing fee for you because both you and your spouse are in agreement.

The process takes an average of less than 1 hour to answer the required questions and generate the documents. Once you file your documents with the court according the filing procedures, the length of time will vary depending on the number of cases in front of yours. Each court has only one or just a few Judges, Masters, or Referees to review all the pending cases.

As a rule of thumb, for uncontested divorces, the spouse who really wants the divorce to be finalized typically does the filing.

The documents are filed at your local county courthouse in the family law or domestic relations division or department. Inside your account you will receive step-by-step filing procedures.

Many courts do permit you to mail and/or fax the documents. This will vary from county to county and state to state, so it will be best to check with the clerk at the courthouse when you are ready to file.

Depending on your state and your situation, you may or may not have to attend a short hearing. Most of the time when a hearing is required, it only lasts 10-15 minutes and only the filing spouse must attend. The hearing is where you will be granted your divorce and the judge will sign the final judgment or decree.

3StepDivorce is designed for you to do your own uncontested divorce without hiring a lawyer. You will be acting as your own lawyer and filing for your own divorce. Should you need or desire legal advice or should your divorce become contested, we do suggest you hire the services of a lawyer.

The wife has the option to change her name back to her former or maiden name through the 3StepDivorce solution.

The divorce is typically finalized when the Judge signs the final judgment or decree. We give a window of 30-90 days from the filing date, but this will vary due to case load at the courthouse and any mandatory waiting periods.