The papers you need to file for a divorce in Washington start with three documents: a Petition for Divorce, a Summons, and a Confidential Information Form. If you have minor children, you add a proposed Parenting Plan, Child Support Worksheets, and a Child Support Order. At the end of the case, you submit Findings and Conclusions About a Marriage and a Final Divorce Order for the judge to sign. Washington is a no-fault state, so you only need to state that the marriage is irretrievably broken.1Washington State Legislature. RCW 26.09.030 – Petition for Dissolution of Marriage or Domestic Partnership At least one spouse must be a Washington resident or an active-duty service member stationed here when the case is filed, and there is no minimum number of days you must live in the state first.
Forms That Open Every Case
Four documents start a Washington dissolution regardless of whether children are involved.
- Petition for Divorce (FL Divorce 201). This is the formal request that opens the case. It identifies both spouses, states basic facts about the marriage, and lists what you want the court to do: divide property, order maintenance, restore a name, and so on.2Washington State Legislature. RCW 26.09.020 – Petition – Contents
- Summons (FL Divorce 200). Formal notice to your spouse that a case has been filed, along with what they must do and how long they have to respond.3Washington State Courts. Court Forms: Divorce (Dissolution)
- Confidential Information Form (FL All Family 001). Collects Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and other sensitive identifiers. The court seals this form so it is not part of the public case file.4Washington State Courts. Confidential Information Form
- Certificate of Dissolution (DOH 422-027). A vital statistics form the clerk forwards to the Washington Department of Health once the judge signs the final decree. You fill it out; you do not file it separately.3Washington State Courts. Court Forms: Divorce (Dissolution)
Every form is available on the Washington Courts website.
Additional Papers When You Have Children
Minor children add three required documents. The judge will not sign a final decree in a case with dependent children unless all of them are in the file.
Parenting Plan (FL All Family 140)
The parenting plan lays out where the children live, how holidays and school breaks are divided, and which parent decides questions about education, healthcare, and religion. Washington requires a parenting plan in every case involving dependent children.5Washington State Legislature. RCW 26.09.181 – Procedure for Determining Permanent Parenting Plan Detailed schedules move through court review faster. Spell out pickup and drop-off times, transportation, and how you handle schedule conflicts.
Child Support Worksheets and Child Support Order
Washington calculates support with a statewide schedule based on both parents’ combined income; the schedule and its economic table are uniform in every county.6Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 26.19 – Child Support Schedule You complete the Washington State Child Support Schedule Worksheets, which walk through each parent’s gross income, deductions, and the children’s healthcare costs. The numbers feed into the Child Support Order (FL All Family 130), which the judge signs to make the obligation enforceable.7Washington Courts. Child Support Order The order covers the base amount plus allocations for health insurance, childcare, and educational costs.
Residential Time Summary Report
At finalization, cases with children also require a Residential Time Summary Report (FL Divorce 243), filed with the final parenting plan and support order.
One boundary worth knowing: if you want the court to order help with a child’s college or vocational costs, ask for post-secondary educational support in your petition or parenting plan rather than after the decree is signed. Washington courts can award it up to the child’s twenty-third birthday when the child is enrolled in an accredited program and in good academic standing.8Washington State Legislature. RCW 26.19.090 – Standards for Postsecondary Educational Support Awards
What Goes in the Petition
RCW 26.09.020 sets out what the petition must include. At a minimum:
- Each spouse’s current address and length of Washington residency
- The date and place of the marriage
- The date of separation
- Names, ages, and dates of birth of any minor children
- Any existing custody or support orders from other courts
- A description of debts, assets, and liabilities
- The relief you are requesting: property division, spousal maintenance, name restoration, and anything else
The property and debt inventory is where most people underestimate the work. List every bank account, retirement fund, piece of real estate, vehicle, and significant personal item. Include mortgages, car loans, credit cards, student loans, and other obligations. Washington is a community property state, so anything acquired during the marriage is presumed to belong to both spouses. Property owned before the marriage, along with gifts and inheritances received by one spouse, is generally treated as separate. If you received an inheritance during the marriage and kept it in a separate account, gather the documentation now; commingling inherited funds with joint accounts is one of the fastest ways to lose separate-property treatment.
If maintenance matters to you, request it in the petition. Courts generally will not award it if you did not ask. Washington uses a factor-based analysis rather than a formula, weighing each spouse’s financial resources, the time needed for education or training, the standard of living during the marriage, its length, and the paying spouse’s ability to meet their own needs while contributing.9Washington State Legislature. RCW 26.09.090 – Maintenance Order
Where to File and What It Costs
You file with the Superior Court Clerk in the county where you or your spouse lives. Filing fees for a dissolution generally run from $250 to $320, and some counties charge more. If the fee is out of reach, you can apply for a waiver under Washington General Rule 34 by submitting financial documentation showing your income and expenses.3Washington State Courts. Court Forms: Divorce (Dissolution) The clerk accepts your paperwork, assigns a case number, and stamps everything filed. That is only the first step; the case does not truly move until your spouse is served.
Serving Your Spouse
You cannot hand the papers to your spouse yourself. Washington requires personal service by a third party who is at least 18 and not a party to the case: a friend, a professional process server, or a sheriff’s deputy physically delivers the summons and petition.10Washington State Legislature. RCW 4.28.080 – Summons, How Served The person who delivered them then completes a Proof of Personal Service (FL All Family 101), which you file with the clerk.
Your spouse has 20 days from personal service inside Washington to respond. Service outside the state stretches the deadline to 60 days, and service by mail carries a 90-day window. If you truly cannot find your spouse, you can ask the court for permission to serve by publication in a newspaper, supported by an affidavit describing your search and confirming that you mailed the papers to their last known address.11Washington State Legislature. RCW 4.28.100 – Service of Summons by Publication – When Authorized Publication adds time and cost, so exhaust other options first.
If your spouse never responds by the deadline, you can ask the court to enter a default. Your spouse then loses the right to participate, and the judge can sign final orders without further notice. One catch: in a default case, you can only receive what you asked for in your petition. Changing your requests later means serving an amended petition and giving your spouse a fresh response window.
The 90-Day Wait and Temporary Orders
Washington imposes a mandatory 90-day cooling-off period before a judge can sign the final decree. The clock starts on the later of the filing date or the service date.1Washington State Legislature. RCW 26.09.030 – Petition for Dissolution of Marriage or Domestic Partnership Most cases take longer because negotiations run long or the court calendar is full. No case can finish faster than 90 days.
If you need financial protection or a residential schedule for the children during the wait, file a Motion for Temporary Family Law Order (FL Divorce 223). Temporary orders can address child support, spousal maintenance, who stays in the family home, the residential schedule, and prohibitions on selling or hiding assets.12Washington Courts. Motion for Temporary Family Law Order These orders stay in effect until the judge signs the final decree or modifies them. If there is any risk your spouse will drain accounts or take the children out of state, filing early for temporary orders is the most important thing you can do.
Papers That Finalize the Divorce
Once the 90 days have passed and you either have an agreement or the court has held a trial, you prepare the final documents:
- Findings and Conclusions About a Marriage (FL Divorce 231). Summarizes the facts the court relied on, including jurisdiction, the breakdown of the marriage, and the basis for property and custody decisions.
- Final Divorce Order (FL Divorce 241). The decree itself. When the judge signs it, the marriage is legally over. It contains every enforceable term: property division, support obligations, parenting arrangements, and any restraining orders.
In a case with children, you also submit the finalized Parenting Plan (FL All Family 140), Child Support Order (FL All Family 130), and Residential Time Summary Report (FL Divorce 243). Where both spouses have signed off on every term, many courts allow you to present the final paperwork without a hearing; the judge reviews the file and signs the decree if everything is in order.
What the Standard Forms Do Not Handle
Two situations sit outside the standard packet and catch people off guard.
Dividing an employer-sponsored retirement plan such as a 401(k) or pension usually requires a separate Qualified Domestic Relations Order directing the plan administrator to pay a share to the non-employee spouse. Federal law requires the QDRO to name the participant and alternate payee, identify the plan, and specify the amount or percentage being transferred.13U.S. Department of Labor. QDROs Chapter 1 – Qualified Domestic Relations Orders: An Overview Washington courts do not publish a standardized QDRO form; you draft one that satisfies federal ERISA rules and the specific plan’s requirements. For Washington public-employee pensions, the Department of Retirement Systems handles the division and calls the document a property division order rather than a QDRO; contact DRS to start that process.14Washington State Department of Retirement Systems. Marriage or Divorce
Once a parenting plan is signed, a parent with a majority of the residential time who wants to move must give written notice under Washington’s Relocation Act to every other person with court-ordered residential time or visitation.15Washington State Legislature. RCW 26.09.430 – Relocation of Child – Notice Required This is a separate procedure, not something the initial divorce paperwork covers.