Updated October 16, 2026. Quick answer: The Wisconsin Court System publishes a Joint Petition (FA-4110V with minor children, FA-4111V without), a single-filer petition (FA-4108V with minor children, FA-4109V without), and a Marital Settlement form (FA-4150 with minor children, FA-4151V without), all described in its Basic Guide to Divorce/Legal Separation (FA-4100V). The Wisconsin Circuit Court fee tables (updated September 2, 2026) list a total of $184.50 to commence a divorce with no request for support or maintenance. With such a request the total is $194.50, which adds a $10 fee for parties not receiving public assistance. Both totals are before any electronic filing fee, and the tables say to add $3.50 to fees that include the JINFO surcharge in Milwaukee.
Wisconsin divorce forms at a glance
| Item | What the documents say |
|---|---|
| Official forms | The Wisconsin Court System publishes a Joint Petition (FA-4110V with minor children, FA-4111V without), a single-filer petition (FA-4108V with minor children, FA-4109V without), and a Marital Settlement form (FA-4150 with minor children, FA-4151V without), all described in its Basic Guide to Divorce/Legal Separation (FA-4100V). |
| Filing fee | The Wisconsin Circuit Court fee tables (updated September 2, 2026) list a total of $184.50 to commence a divorce with no request for support or maintenance. With such a request the total is $194.50, which adds a $10 fee for parties not receiving public assistance. Both totals are before any electronic filing fee, and the tables say to add $3.50 to fees that include the JINFO surcharge in Milwaukee. |
| Fee waiver | The court system’s fee-waiver form is the Petition for Waiver of Fees and Costs: Declaration of Indigency (CV-410A). |
| Residency before filing | At least one of the parties must have been a bona fide resident of the county for not less than 30 days, and at least one of the parties a bona fide resident of Wisconsin for not less than 6 months, before the action starts. |
| Waiting period | A divorce cannot go to final hearing until 120 days after service of the summons and petition, or 120 days after a joint petition is filed, unless the court orders an emergency hearing. |
| Settlement agreement | Spouses may stipulate to a division of property, maintenance, child support, and custody and placement, subject to the court’s approval. |
| Source | Wisconsin Legislature; Wisconsin Court System |
The official forms
The Wisconsin Court System publishes a Joint Petition (FA-4110V with minor children, FA-4111V without), a single-filer petition (FA-4108V with minor children, FA-4109V without), and a Marital Settlement form (FA-4150 with minor children, FA-4151V without), all described in its Basic Guide to Divorce/Legal Separation (FA-4100V).
The text itself:
- FA-4100V Basic Guide to Divorce/Legal Separation (09/24): “(FA-4108V with Minor Children or FA-4109V without Minor Children)”
- FA-4100V Basic Guide to Divorce/Legal Separation (09/24): “Marital Settlement (FA-4150 with Minor Children or FA-4151V without”
- FA-4110V Joint Petition-With Minor Children (05/24): “FA-4110V, 05/24 Joint Petition-With Minor Children”
The forms are linked in the sources at the foot of this page. A court clerk or a lawyer decides which of them fits your case; this page does not.
The filing fee
The Wisconsin Circuit Court fee tables (updated September 2, 2026) list a total of $184.50 to commence a divorce with no request for support or maintenance. With such a request the total is $194.50, which adds a $10 fee for parties not receiving public assistance. Both totals are before any electronic filing fee, and the tables say to add $3.50 to fees that include the JINFO surcharge in Milwaukee.
As the court’s table prints the parts: a $75 filing fee, $68 CSS, $21.50 JINFO and a $20 family court charge. They add up to 75 + 68 + 21.50 + 20 = $184.50, which matches the total above.
Fees change, and CMG’s table of divorce filing fees by state shows which states’ statutes it has read. If you cannot afford the fee: The court system’s fee-waiver form is the Petition for Waiver of Fees and Costs: Declaration of Indigency (CV-410A).
The text itself:
- Wisconsin Circuit Court Fee, Forfeiture, Fine and Surcharge Tables (updated September 2, 2026): “with no request for support or maintenance”
- Wisconsin Circuit Court Fee, Forfeiture, Fine and Surcharge Tables (updated September 2, 2026): “$75 filing fee, $68 CSS, $21.50 JINFO, $20 family court”
- CV-410A Petition for Waiver of Fees and Costs: Declaration of Indigency (09/24): “CV-410A, 09/24 Petition for Waiver of Fees and Costs”
Residency and the waiting period
Residency: At least one of the parties must have been a bona fide resident of the county for not less than 30 days, and at least one of the parties a bona fide resident of Wisconsin for not less than 6 months, before the action starts.
Waiting period: A divorce cannot go to final hearing until 120 days after service of the summons and petition, or 120 days after a joint petition is filed, unless the court orders an emergency hearing.
The text itself:
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 767, Actions Affecting the Family (2023-24 Wis. Stats., published October 1, 2026): “for not less than 6 months next preceding the commencement of”
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 767, Actions Affecting the Family (2023-24 Wis. Stats., published October 1, 2026): “The expiration of 120 days after service of”
Where a settlement agreement fits
Spouses may stipulate to a division of property, maintenance, child support, and custody and placement, subject to the court’s approval.
The text itself:
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 767, Actions Affecting the Family (2023-24 Wis. Stats., published October 1, 2026): “subject to the approval of the court”
CMG’s QDRO cost and divorce and your money pages cover what a divorce does to retirement accounts and taxes.
What the documents do not say
- Whether the court system offers these forms free of charge: not found in the documents read.
- The court’s fee total excludes the electronic filing fee, and it is a different figure from the base fee in the statute that CMG’s filing-fee table by state quotes.
- Child custody, child support and property-division rules, and local court rules, were not read.
Common mistakes
- Choosing the without-minor-children form when the spouses have minor children; the court’s forms come in a version for each.
- Assuming the answer for one state applies to another, or that a form filled in correctly is the same as a form the court has accepted.
Related: divorce filing fees by state, divorce and your money, and what a QDRO costs.
Sources
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 767, Actions Affecting the Family (2023-24 Wis. Stats., published October 1, 2026): https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/767.pdf
- FA-4100V Basic Guide to Divorce/Legal Separation (09/24): https://www.wicourts.gov/formdisplay/FA-4100V_instructions.pdf?formNumber=FA-4100V&formType=Instructions&formatId=2&language=en
- Wisconsin Circuit Court Fee, Forfeiture, Fine and Surcharge Tables (updated September 2, 2026): https://www.wicourts.gov/courts/circuit/docs/fees.pdf
- CV-410A Petition for Waiver of Fees and Costs: Declaration of Indigency (09/24): https://www.wicourts.gov/formdisplay/CV-410A.pdf?formNumber=CV-410A&formType=Form&formatId=2&language=en
- FA-4110V Joint Petition-With Minor Children (05/24): https://www.wicourts.gov/formdisplay/FA-4110V.pdf?formNumber=FA-4110V&formType=Form&formatId=2&language=en
Sources: the primary documents linked above, read on October 16, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a tax professional or the state agency itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.