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Educational information about court costs and procedure only — not legal advice and not a substitute for an attorney or your court clerk. Fees change; always confirm current figures with the clerk of the court where you file.

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Illinois court costs guide

Filing for divorce in Illinois costs County-set in court filing fees. This guide covers the verified filing fees for divorce, name change, general civil cases, and probate in Illinois — every figure from the official schedule or statute named at the foot of the page.

Illinois at a glanceFigure
CourtCircuit Court
Divorce filing feeCounty-set — Illinois filing fees are set by each circuit clerk. Examples: McHenry County $314; Cook County (Chicago) $388 for Domestic Relations.
Name change filing feeCounty-set. Example: McHenry County charges $314 for a change-of-name case.
Name-change publicationNot required — Not required under current law — Public Act 103-1063 (effective March 1, 2025) repealed the old 3-week publication rule (735 ILCS 5/21-103). Older guides still quoting that rule are out of date.
General civil filing feeCounty-set. Example: McHenry County charges $314 for Schedule 1-type new civil cases; tiered categories apply.
Probate filing feeCounty-set. Example: McHenry County charges $364 for administration of a decedent's estate.
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Divorce filing fees

County-set — Illinois filing fees are set by each circuit clerk. Examples: McHenry County $314; Cook County (Chicago) $388 for Domestic Relations.

See the national picture — including the states where the fee is set county by county — in our divorce filing cost guide.

Name change: fee and publication

County-set. Example: McHenry County charges $314 for a change-of-name case.

Publication: Not required under current law — Public Act 103-1063 (effective March 1, 2025) repealed the old 3-week publication rule (735 ILCS 5/21-103). Older guides still quoting that rule are out of date.

Publication is the step readers most often get wrong, because the rule changed recently in several states. The full state-by-state picture is in our name change cost guide.

General civil filing fees

County-set. Example: McHenry County charges $314 for Schedule 1-type new civil cases; tiered categories apply.

Probate court costs

County-set. Example: McHenry County charges $364 for administration of a decedent's estate.

How filing works in Illinois

  1. Prepare the petition or complaint for the Circuit Court — most Illinois courts publish the forms on their self-help pages.
  2. File with the clerk and pay the filing fee above. Keep the stamped copy; it is your proof of filing.
  3. Arrange service of process on the other party where the case requires it (divorce and general civil cases do; a name change usually does not).
  4. Complete any publication the rules require — for a Illinois name change: not required.
  5. Attend the hearing or, in uncontested matters, submit the proposed decree for the judge's signature.

Worked total: what a divorce filing costs

Because the filing fee itself is not a single statewide figure in Illinois, a worked total would be a made-up number — we don't publish those. Budget the county filing fee from the note above, plus $50–$100 for service of process if the other party must be served, and confirm the filing fee with the clerk before you file.

Sources: McHenry County Circuit Clerk — Fee Schedule (eff. 10/1/2025) · Cook County Clerk of Court — Domestic Relations · Public Act 103-1063 — Illinois General Assembly. Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court clerk.

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