There are a variety of reasons someone might want to get their name changed at some point in their life. One of the most common is someone changing their last name after they get married. This happens just about every day throughout the country.

It's not the only reason someone might want to change things up with their moniker. It could be because of a divorce and you'd like to go back to your original name. Maybe you want to change your child's surname to the mother's or father's. You may want to change your name for religious reasons. Whatever the reason...did you know it's pretty expensive to do in Iowa.

Unsplash - Tim Mossholder
Unsplash - Tim Mossholder
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When you make the decision to change your name, what you're legally doing is asking the court to change the name you were given at birth, adoption, marriage, or even after divorce. According to Total Legal, the name change process beings with filing a petition with the court, in the county where you reside, and paying a filing fee. These fees differ from state to state, and can even differ between counties, so the filing fee provided by Total Legal is what is typical in each state.

Total Legal reports the typical filing fee to legally change your name in the state of Iowa is $180. According to Iowa Courts, the filing fee is typically closer to $195. For the sake of this article, we'll meet in the middle and put Iowa's filing fee as $187.50. Am I crazy when saying that seems like a ridiculous amount of money?

In Alabama, this filing fee can be as low as $10. In Hawaii, you're looking at about $50. In Maine, it'll set you back somewhere close to $42. Legal Zoom reports, most typical fees are closer to $100 around the United States but can reach up to $500, depending on how many people live in your state.

If you are looking to change your name for whatever reason and feel you can't afford to do so, there is hopeful news, as you may be able to have some of these fees waived entirely.

According to Total Legal, anyone is allowed to request a fee waiver from the court. These are normally only granted on 2 occasions: You are eligible for government assistance or, your household income is 125% less than the current poverty level, which is established by the U.S. Department of Justice. If neither of these conditions applies, you will likely have to prove this request would result in a substantial hardship in your current financial situation.

When you change your name, you're not only making a pretty big life change, but you're also making a pretty big financial decision as well...at least in the state of Iowa.

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