# Final Divorce Decree -DIY **URL:** \ **Category:** Divorce and Separation Answers\ **Created:** [March 27, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://forum.rosen.com/t/final-divorce-decree-diy/13677 "2012-03-27T23:51:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lawquestions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5f8ce5/32.png) [@lawquestions](https://forum.rosen.com/u/lawquestions)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://forum.rosen.com/t/final-divorce-decree-diy/13677/1 "2012-03-27T23:51:29Z")
Can I file for my final divorce decree (without a lawyer)? In a couple of weeks, we will have been living apart for a year. I was told you can still get your divorce even though everything is not yet settled (ED). I cannot afford any more attorney fees and would like to do this on my own. I have a friend who just got a divorce, and it looks like it only involves filing a petition. Can you please tell me if this is possible (filing for final divorce); and if so, what are the steps to do so? Also once the divorce is final, can any claims be brought up for Alimony? I am currently paying PSS (supposed to pay for next 6 months) but haven’t discussed alimony. Is it safe to say I won’t have to pay alimony after the divorce decree is issued? Thanks so much for your invaluable advice. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Short](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/34f0e0/32.png) [@Ryan\_Short](https://forum.rosen.com/u/Ryan_Short)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://forum.rosen.com/t/final-divorce-decree-diy/13677/2 "2012-03-28T14:38:10Z")
Claims for ED and alimony die if they aren’t pending, or settled, before there is a divorce decree. Rosen Online can help you with the steps and paperwork necessary to file for divorce. ---
**Author:** ![lawquestions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5f8ce5/32.png) [@lawquestions](https://forum.rosen.com/u/lawquestions)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://forum.rosen.com/t/final-divorce-decree-diy/13677/3 "2012-03-28T17:14:02Z")
When you say pending…what exactly does that mean concerning Alimony. I’m currently paying PSS…so Alimony has not been mentioned. I guess that comes after the PSS??..and I was ordered to pay PSS for 6 more months. It will be a year on April 20th that we’ve lived apart. So if I file for divorce thru your online help, then can she come back in 6 months (after the PSS) to claim Alimony?? Or can she protest the divorce since the Alimony hasn’t been mentioned yet? And I can’t remember in her EARLY paperwork which she first filed…whether or not she was asking for Alimony. If she did, then would that be considered “pending”? ---
**Author:** ![cdavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@cdavis](https://forum.rosen.com/u/cdavis)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://forum.rosen.com/t/final-divorce-decree-diy/13677/4 "2012-03-28T17:21:09Z")
\*not an attorney If no settlement agreement and she doe not have a pending case for ED or alimony if divorce is granted those claims are dead. The ED is never really dead because there are other ways to claim ownership of assets, but whoever has assets titled in their name only or has physical possession of untitled assets certainly has a good advantage. ---
**Author:** ![lawquestions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5f8ce5/32.png) [@lawquestions](https://forum.rosen.com/u/lawquestions)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 1:33pm UTC](https://forum.rosen.com/t/final-divorce-decree-diy/13677/5 "2012-03-29T13:33:49Z")
Ryan, could you explain what you mean by “pending” Alimony? If I’m paying PSS for the next 6 mths…and my divorce can be final next month…would there be any Alimony claims since PSS hasn’t even finished yet (hence the Alimony process hasn’t started yet). OR is PSS considered pending…leading up to Alimony?? ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Short](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/34f0e0/32.png) [@Ryan\_Short](https://forum.rosen.com/u/Ryan_Short)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://forum.rosen.com/t/final-divorce-decree-diy/13677/6 "2012-03-29T21:04:43Z")
If a complaint for alimony hasn’t been filed then it isn’t pending, and if the divorce is granted then she’ll lose the right to file for it.