Three Reasons to Exclude Property and Debt from a Pennsylvania Divorce

Pennsylvania is the only state in the U.S. where judges actually prefer that you don't include issues related to your property and debts in the divorce. Here are three reasons why you should consider excluding property and debt issues from your Pennsylvania divorce case.

1. Reduce Risk of Rejection

Pennsylvania divorce cases filed without a lawyer, or pro se, are sometimes rejected just because they included property and debt. The Clerk usually will not explain that to the filer and will instead simply say the forms are wrong or that there are too many of them. Pro se divorce filers in Pennsylvania generally find that the filing process is much easier, and documents are rejected far less often, when property and debt are not included in the divorce proceedings.

2. Less Expensive

If you include property and debt in your divorce, it must be listed as a separate count in the Complaint, which triggers a separate filing fee. That means filing fees could be as much as $100.00 more than if you didn’t include it.

3. More Privacy

Because divorce cases are a matter of public record, excluding property and debt from a Pennsylvania divorce gives more privacy to both the spouses. The Settlement Agreement, which is public record, will detail the property and debt division. If you do not include property or debt, you will not need a Separation Agreement.