Home › Guides › The Amicable Divorce

The Amicable Divorce: A Complete Guide for Florida Couples

Reviewed by the Amicably document team · Updated August 9, 2026

An amicable divorce in Florida means you and your spouse agree on ending the marriage and on the terms, how to split property and debts, and if you have children, time-sharing and support, and you cooperate through the paperwork instead of fighting it out in front of a judge. Florida's courts do not use the word "amicable"; the legal category is an uncontested divorce, and the fastest version of it is called a Simplified Dissolution of Marriage.

This guide covers what actually changes when a divorce is amicable, the three Florida routes that fit different situations, how the process and timeline work, and what it costs to have the whole packet prepared instead of doing it yourself.

What "amicable" means under Florida law

Florida's court forms and statutes never use the word "amicable." The legal term is uncontested: both spouses agree the marriage should end, and they agree on the terms, dividing property and debts, and, when there are children, a parenting plan and support. Agreement is not a formality on top of the process; it is the entire reason the process gets shorter. Once both spouses sign off on the same settlement agreement, there is nothing left for a judge to decide except confirm it.

The friendliest version of this is Simplified Dissolution of Marriage, Florida's fastest track, reserved for couples with no minor or dependent children and no alimony dispute. Most other amicable couples, including every couple with children, use the broader uncontested divorce process instead. Both are cooperative from start to finish; they differ in which forms apply and who has to appear at the final hearing.

Amicable vs. contested: what actually changes

The word "divorce" covers two very different court experiences. What separates them is not the marriage, it is whether the two people in it still agree on how to end it.

The cost gap follows the same split. Two attorneys billing hourly to negotiate terms a couple already agrees on commonly runs $7,000 or more in retainers and fees. Amicably prepares the same court documents for an amicable case at a flat $99. The court's own filing fee, roughly $408 in the counties we serve, is separate on every route and paid directly to the clerk.

The three Florida routes for an amicable divorce

"Amicable" is not one legal form, it is a description that fits three different Florida routes depending on the couple's situation. Which one applies changes the forms filed and who has to show up at the end.

All three routes need at least one spouse to have lived in Florida for the six months before filing, shown with a Florida driver license, ID card, or voter registration card issued at least six months before filing. Every route also requires both spouses to actually cooperate; if either one disagrees on the divorce itself, on the children, on property, or on alimony, and the couple cannot resolve it themselves, the case is contested and needs a lawyer, not one of these routes.

How the process works, start to finish

Once a couple has agreed on their terms, preparing and filing the paperwork follows the same sequence regardless of which route fits:

1. Step 1Both spouses sign the short nonlawyer disclosure form, then each gets a private secure link to enter their own information.
2. Step 2The two sets of answers are merged into one clean, consistent packet of documents.
3. Step 3A specialist reviews every page against the county's current requirements before anything is finalized.
4. Step 4Both spouses complete video notarization for the documents that require it.
5. Step 5Guided filing: the customer submits the finished packet on Florida's e-filing portal, with step-by-step help. It typically takes about 15 minutes, and the filing is confirmed once the court accepts it.
6. Step 6The final hearing. Simplified Dissolution requires both spouses at one short hearing; other uncontested cases usually require only the filing spouse, since the other spouse's signed Answer and Waiver excuses them. Many counties offer the hearing remotely, but whether a case can finalize with no hearing at all depends on the county.

The customer is always the one who files. Amicably prepares the complete packet and walks the customer through submitting it themselves.

How long it takes

Every route also has to clear Florida's 20-day waiting period between filing and a final judgment, regardless of how quickly a couple agreed on everything. Beyond that floor, the typical timeline depends on which route fits:

Cases with children generally take longer because both parents must finish the parenting course, the petitioner within 45 days of filing and the other parent within 45 days of being served, and both certificates have to be on file before the judgment. Nothing about that timeline requires conflict; it is simply more paperwork to clear.

What it costs

Two spouses who each hire an attorney to negotiate terms they already agree on commonly spend $7,000 or more once retainers and hourly billing are added up, for the same outcome a cooperative couple could have written into one settlement agreement themselves. That gap is the practical case for keeping a divorce amicable wherever a couple genuinely can.

Is your divorce actually a good fit

Most couples know instinctively whether their divorce is amicable, but a few concrete checks separate "we get along fine" from "this case actually qualifies":

1. Both spouses agree the marriage should end, and neither is contesting it.
2. You have already agreed, or can agree without a judge, on dividing property and debts.
3. If you have children, you agree on time-sharing, decision-making, and support.
4. At least one spouse has lived in Florida for the six months before filing.

If any of those breaks down and the two of you cannot resolve it yourselves, the case is contested, and that calls for a family law attorney rather than a document-preparation service. Being amicable is not the same as being simple; a high-value estate or a complicated custody schedule can still be entirely amicable, as long as both spouses agree on the answer.

Common ways an amicable divorce goes off track

Signing forms out of order. The Answer and Waiver has to come after the petition and settlement agreement are finalized, not before, because signing it accepts those documents exactly as written. Signing early can lock in terms nobody meant to finalize yet.

Treating "amicable" as "no paperwork." Agreeing verbally on who keeps the car or the house does not make it enforceable. Nothing is final until it is written into the settlement agreement filed with the court.

Missing the parenting course deadline. For cases with children, both parents' certificates have to be filed before judgment, and the deadlines start running from filing and from service, not from whenever it feels convenient.

Letting one spouse handle everything alone. Even in a friendly divorce, having only one spouse manage every form and deadline tends to build quiet resentment. Splitting the process, and often the cost, keeps it genuinely mutual.

Frequently asked questions