How Long Does Divorce Take in Illinois?

What Is the Average Time to Get Divorced? Illinois Residents Should Expect.

The average time to get divorced for Illinois couples falls between two and 18 months, with the split driven almost entirely by how much the two sides agree on. Cases where both spouses sign a settlement move on the court’s calendar alone, which in the collar counties is measured in weeks. Cases where they do not move at the speed of the slowest disputed issue.

Under 750 ILCS 5/401, one spouse must have lived in Illinois for 90 days. However, that requirement can be measured to the date the judgment is entered, not only to the date of filing. Specifically, a spouse who moved to Barrington last month can file now and still finish on schedule.

Uncontested Divorce Timelines in Illinois

Uncontested cases generally move through the system fastest. An uncontested divorce in Illinois can be finalized in a matter of weeks once both spouses agree on every issue, because Illinois imposes no post-filing waiting period.

When spouses agree on parenting, support, and property division, the case can avoid much of the discovery, depositions, subpoenas, and valuation work that causes delays. Scheduling matters as well, and prove-up hearings in Lake, McHenry, and Kane counties may be available sooner than in Cook County.

Why Does a Contested Divorce Take So Much Longer?

Contested divorces run 12 to 18 months because every disputed issue carries its own procedural sequence. For example, discovery alone can consume six months once interrogatories, document requests, and depositions enter the picture.

Court scheduling then stacks on top of that, and these stages account for most of the added months:

• Responsive pleadings after service, which the other spouse has 30 days to file
• Written discovery and document production
• Depositions of both spouses and any third parties
• Appraisals, business valuations, and written professional reports
• Pretrial conferences and settlement attempts
• Trial dates, which are set months out and sometimes continued

Any one of those steps can stall on a single missing document. In contrast, a case with full voluntary disclosure skips most of the sequence entirely.

Why Is Joint Simplified Divorce the Fastest Legal Route?

Joint simplified dissolution offers one of the quickest paths to divorce in Illinois, often taking about 30 to 90 days. However, eligibility is limited by strict requirements. Under 750 ILCS 5/452, both spouses must confirm that every required condition is met:

• The marriage has lasted no more than eight years.
• No children were born to or adopted by the couple, and neither spouse is pregnant.
• Combined gross annual income stays under $60,000, with neither spouse above $30,000
• Total marital property, after debts, is worth less than $50,000
• Neither spouse holds an interest in real property, or any retirement benefits other than individual retirement accounts worth under $10,000 combined.
• Neither spouse depends on the other for support, nor do both waive it.

Couples who meet every requirement can use simplified court forms and avoid much of the standard divorce process. The real property condition alone rules out homeowners, which disqualifies a large share of couples across Barrington, Crystal Lake, and the surrounding communities. If even one condition is not satisfied, the case must proceed through the regular dissolution process.

Why Valuation Adds Months to High-Asset Divorces

High-asset cases usually run 18 months to three years because the numbers have to be established before anything can be divided. Valuation is slow work, and it often requires professionals whose reports take weeks to produce.

Assets that routinely extend a suburban Illinois divorce include:

• Closely held businesses and professional practices
• Executive compensation, including stock options and deferred pay
• Commercial real estate and rental portfolios
• Pensions requiring actuarial valuation
• Trust interests and inherited property that got commingled

Our attorneys frequently see cases where a single business appraisal adds four months. Starting valuation early is the most reliable way to keep that from becoming a year.

How Long Is the Divorce Process Illinois Courts Require When Children Are Involved?

Parenting issues typically add four to eight months, and answering how long the divorce process is for Illinois parents starts with two statutory clocks. Parents have 120 days after service, or after a petition for allocation of parental responsibilities is filed, to submit a proposed parenting plan.

When parents remain divided on parenting issues, 750 ILCS 5/602.10 generally requires mediation before those disputes proceed to trial. Appointing a guardian ad litem or child representative can extend the timeline further while that professional investigates the family’s circumstances and prepares findings for the court.

How Can I Speed Up a Divorce in Illinois?

Most delays are self-inflicted, which is encouraging news for anyone watching a case drag on. Couples who exchange complete financial information voluntarily save months over couples who force formal discovery.

Mediation can help resolve contested issues faster and avoid protracted litigation without giving up either spouse’s right to counsel.

Several choices made early in the case can keep the process moving efficiently. Steps that often shorten the timeline include:

• Gathering three years of tax returns and account statements before filing
• Agreeing to accept service instead of using the sheriff
• Narrowing disputes to the two or three issues that genuinely matter
• Completing any county-required parenting class early
• Agreeing on one neutral appraiser for any property that needs valuing

The first step in almost every case our attorneys handle is document gathering. A complete financial picture removes the most common reason judges grant continuances, and it costs nothing but a few evenings of sorting.

Mediated Divorce Timelines

Mediated divorces usually wrap up in three to six months from filing. A neutral guides both spouses through the disputed terms across a handful of sessions while each keeps separate counsel reviewing the numbers.

Sessions get scheduled around the parties rather than a judge’s docket, which is where the time savings come from. Most couples meet three to five times over six to 10 weeks.

Collaborative Divorce Timelines

Collaborative divorce commonly takes four to eight months, slightly longer than mediation but well short of litigation. Both spouses and both attorneys sign an agreement to reach terms without going to court, and financial neutrals or child development professionals join as needed.

The structure trades a little speed for a lot of thoroughness. Team meetings run on a set schedule, so the case advances at a predictable pace, no matter how crowded the local docket is.

What Shapes an Illinois Divorce Timeline?

A realistic Illinois divorce timeline depends on several factors that can affect the case separately. Two couples filing in Woodstock at the same time may finish months apart simply because their cases involve different issues. The factors that most influence timing are as follows:

• Level of agreement: The single biggest driver, since every contested issue adds its own discovery and hearing sequence.
• Financial complexity: Businesses, pensions, and multi-state property require appraisals that take weeks apiece.
• Children and parenting disputes: Plans, mediation, and evaluator reports all carry their own deadlines.
• County calendar: Collar-county courts in Lake, McHenry, and Kane counties generally set dates sooner than Cook County.
• Cooperation with disclosure: Voluntary production can cut six months compared with motions to compel.
• Attorney workload on both sides: Every hearing date has to clear two law firm calendars before it gets set.

Changing even one of those variables moves the finish date by months in either direction. Most couples have real influence over the first and the last one on that list.

Temporary Orders and What Happens While You Wait

A lengthy divorce does not mean waiting until the final judgment for financial or practical relief. Illinois courts regularly issue temporary orders early in the case to address immediate needs. Under 750 ILCS 5/501, interim relief may cover the following:

• Temporary maintenance: Support paid to a lower-earning spouse until the judgment is entered.
• Temporary child support: Payments set under the same income-shares math the final order will use.
• Exclusive possession: One spouse’s right to remain in the marital residence during the case.
• Restraining orders on assets: Restrictions preventing either spouse from selling or moving marital property.

A well-documented financial affidavit filed with that motion is usually what determines how quickly the order enters. Incomplete affidavits get continued, which is exactly the delay the motion was meant to avoid.

FAQs: How Long Does Divorce Take in Illinois

These questions come up most often once someone has decided to move ahead and wants to plan around a realistic date.

Can My Spouse Deliberately Drag Out Our Divorce?

Delay tactics definitely can happen. That said, Illinois judges have tools to shut them down.

A motion to compel discovery, a request for fees against the stalling party, or a motion to set the case for trial all put pressure back on the calendar. Courts in the collar counties tend to be direct about moving cases along once a pattern shows.

Does Filing First Make My Divorce Finish Sooner?

Filing first does not shorten the case. However, it does set the venue and start the clock on the other side’s response deadline.

The petitioner also presents first at trial, which matters more for strategy than speed.

What Happens if We Reconcile Partway Through?

Either spouse can move to dismiss the petition at any point before judgment, and the case closes without a divorce. Nothing filed becomes permanent until the judge enters the judgment.

How Long Before I Can Remarry After the Judgment?

Illinois does not require a waiting period to remarry after a divorce is finalized. Once the judge enters the judgment of dissolution, the marriage is legally over, and either former spouse may obtain a new marriage license. Some people choose to wait until the time for an appeal has passed, but state law does not require that delay.

Will a Prenuptial Agreement Shorten the Process?

A valid prenuptial agreement can cut months by removing property division from the disputed column entirely. Challenges to the agreement’s enforceability can have the opposite effect and add a separate hearing.

What Should I Expect at the Final Hearing?

Uncontested prove-up hearings are usually brief, often lasting 10 to 15 minutes. The judge confirms the residency requirement, asks a short set of questions about the settlement terms, and enters the judgment that day. Contested trials look nothing like that short hearing and can run for several full days.

Get a Realistic Read on Your Own Timeline

Averages are useful for planning, though the number that matters is the one attached to your household, your county, and your particular disagreements. A short conversation with someone who works these calendars weekly will tell you more than any range published online.

At the Law Offices of Lawrence S. Manassa, P.C., a Barrington family law attorney can help you understand the specific timeline for your case. We approach divorce with clarity, structure, and an eye toward long-term outcomes rather than legal tactics alone. Reach our office at 847-221-5511 or through our online contact form to set up a free consultation.