Amica Divorce Australia: What It Does and What It Doesn't

Amica is an AI-powered online tool backed by the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department that helps separating couples divide property and create parenting plans without going to court. It's free to use for the agreement-building stage, and it produces legally structured documents that can be filed as consent orders.

But here's what catches people off guard: amica cannot file a divorce application. It handles property and parenting — two critical pieces of the separation puzzle — but the actual legal dissolution of your marriage is outside its scope. You still need to file through the Commonwealth Courts Portal or engage a lawyer.

What Amica Actually Does

Amica guides cooperative couples through two parallel processes:

Property division. The platform walks both parties through a disclosure of assets, debts, and superannuation. Its AI engine then suggests a percentage split based on the factors a court would consider — financial contributions, non-financial contributions, homemaking, and future needs. If both parties agree to the suggested split (or negotiate a modified version), amica generates the documentation for consent orders.

Parenting arrangements. Amica helps parents build a shared parenting plan covering living arrangements, school holidays, special occasions, handover logistics, and communication protocols. The resulting plan can be filed as a parenting consent order.

Consent order drafts. For $270, amica generates a draft consent order for either property or parenting. For $900, it produces a full set of consent orders covering both. These documents can then be filed with the FCFCOA for a $215 court filing fee.

What Amica Can't Do

File for divorce. The legal dissolution of your marriage requires a separate application through the Commonwealth Courts Portal, with its own filing fee ($1,170 standard or $390 with a concession). Amica doesn't touch this process.

Handle contested situations. Amica only works when both parties voluntarily participate and are willing to negotiate in good faith. If one spouse refuses to engage, disputes the asset disclosure, or is uncooperative, amica can't help. You'll need mediation, a lawyer, or a court application.

Provide legal advice. Amica is an agreement-building tool, not a law firm. It doesn't advise you on whether the split it suggests is fair for your specific circumstances, and it doesn't represent either party.

Address family violence situations. If your relationship involves family violence, coercive control, or financial abuse, amica is not appropriate. The platform is designed for couples who can communicate and negotiate safely.

Where Amica Fits in the Separation Timeline

Separation, divorce, and financial settlement are three distinct legal processes in Australia, each with its own timeline:

1. Separation happens first — you and your spouse start living separate lives (even if under the same roof).
2. Property and parenting arrangements can be negotiated and formalised at any time after separation — and this is where amica fits.
3. Divorce requires 12 months and one day of separation before you can file, and it's a separate court application.

The smart sequence: start your property settlement and parenting arrangements as early as possible after separation (using amica, mediation, or lawyers), then file for divorce once the 12-month separation period has passed. Waiting until after the divorce to settle property is risky — once the divorce is final, you have only 12 months to file a property claim with the court.

Amica's Limitations in Practice

Both parties must agree to use it. There's no mechanism to compel a reluctant spouse to log in and participate.

Complex assets are difficult. Business interests, discretionary trusts, company structures, and overseas assets require forensic accounting that amica's platform isn't designed to handle. If your asset pool includes anything beyond straightforward real estate, bank accounts, and superannuation, you'll likely need professional valuation.

Superannuation splitting has technical requirements. While amica can suggest a percentage split of super, the actual splitting order requires notifying the fund trustee, waiting 28 days for objections, and filing compliant orders with the court. Amica helps with the agreement — the technical execution often still needs a lawyer.

The Cost Comparison

Amica is a genuinely useful tool for the property and parenting side of separation. But it's not a substitute for the divorce filing process itself.

The Queensland Divorce Filing Process Guide covers the complete divorce application process that amica doesn't handle — from the Commonwealth Courts Portal to service of documents to the final order.

See more Queensland guides →