Divorce in Iowa

How to file for divorce in Iowa

1. Check residency. None if your spouse is an Iowa resident personally served in Iowa; otherwise the filing spouse must have lived in Iowa for at least 1 year.
2. Prepare and file the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage with the District Court in your county. The filing fee is typically $265, and you can ask for a fee waiver if you cannot afford it.
3. Serve your spouse, or have them sign an acceptance of service, and file proof of service.
4. Exchange financial disclosures. Both spouses must file sworn Financial Affidavits, and courts will not finalize a dissolution without them.
5. Settle the issues in a written agreement, and a parenting plan if you have children.
6. Wait out the waiting period. 90 days from the date your spouse is served with the dissolution petition. Then ask the court for your final judgment.

Residency and grounds

Residency: None if your spouse is an Iowa resident personally served in Iowa; otherwise the filing spouse must have lived in Iowa for at least 1 year.

Grounds: No-fault only. You do not need to prove anyone did anything wrong.

Separation: None required; Iowa is a pure no-fault state where the only ground is that the marriage relationship has broken down.

How property is divided

Iowa uses equitable distribution. Marital property and debts are divided fairly, which often lands near equal but not always. Courts weigh things like the length of the marriage, each spouse's income and earning capacity, and contributions as a homemaker. Read how property is divided.

Custody and child support

Parenting terms: Iowa uses the terms legal custody and physical care. Every decision is made in the child's best interests.

Parenting class: Required statewide; commonly delivered through the court-approved 'Children in the Middle' program.

Child support: Iowa uses the income shares model, which combines both parents' incomes, estimates what parents at that income usually spend on children, and divides that amount by each parent's share of income. Try the child support calculator.

Spousal support

Iowa recognizes traditional, rehabilitative, and reimbursement spousal support, with awards decided case by case rather than through a set formula.

Estimate a range with the spousal support calculator, then have a lawyer check it if the numbers are large.

Faster and simpler options

Iowa does not have a separate simplified procedure, but an uncontested divorce with a signed agreement is fast and inexpensive.

Legal separation: available in Iowa, for couples who want support and parenting orders without ending the marriage.

How long it takes

The minimum is set by the waiting period: 90 days from the date your spouse is served with the dissolution petition. A typical timeline is 4 to 6 months from filing. Agreement is what moves the date most; contested cases add months of disclosures, discovery and hearings.

Worth knowing in Iowa

• Iowa uses 'physical care' rather than 'physical custody' as its statutory term.
• Iowa does not offer a separate summary or expedited dissolution track even for very simple cases.
• Legal separation is formally called 'separate maintenance' in Iowa.

Official resources

Official forms and instructions come from Iowa's courts. Sources we reviewed:

• iowacourts.gov

Last reviewed September 2026. Laws and fees change; confirm with your court before you file.