How Much Does a Prenup Cost in New York City? (2026)

Couples in Brooklyn, Manhattan and across New York City usually ask two questions before they call about a prenup: what will it cost, and what are we paying for? This guide answers both, using our own fixed fees and the New York rules that decide whether a prenup will hold up years from now.

Our fixed fees for prenups and postnups

At Neuhaus & Yacoob, a prenuptial agreement is billed as a fixed fee, set at the start according to how complex your finances are, so you know the price before the work begins.

The fee covers our work for one of you: the consultation, a review of the financial disclosure, drafting, negotiation with your partner’s lawyer, and guidance on signing so that each signature is acknowledged the way New York requires. Joel Yacoob handles every agreement personally. The full process is on our prenuptial agreement and postnuptial agreement pages.

What drives the cost of a prenup

Two prenups can look alike on paper and take very different amounts of work. These are the factors that move an agreement from the standard tier to the complex or high-net-worth tier:

• A business or professional practice. Deciding whether the business stays separate, how its growth is treated and what happens to the income it produces takes careful drafting. See protecting your business in divorce.
• Real estate. An apartment or house owned before the wedding, or one you plan to buy together, raises questions about appreciation, mortgage payments and contributions from marital funds.
• Trusts and expected inheritances. Family money often comes with its own documents, and the agreement has to fit them. See trusts in a New York divorce.
• Spousal maintenance terms. An agreement that limits or waives maintenance needs extra care. In J.M. v. G.V., 87 Misc. 3d 171 (Sup. Ct., Kings County 2025), a Brooklyn trial court set aside the maintenance waiver of a spouse who signed without a lawyer, because he had not been given the guideline maintenance calculation, including both parties’ incomes. The rest of the agreement survived under its severability clause. See our analysis of the decision.
• Financial disclosure. Each of you should disclose income, accounts, property and debts. New York’s statute does not list disclosure as a formal requirement, but concealment can support a later claim of fraud or overreaching, so the disclosure has to be gathered and reviewed.
• Negotiation. Each round of comments from your partner’s lawyer adds work. Couples who agree on the main terms before the lawyers start usually finish faster.

Why your partner needs a separate lawyer

New York does not require either partner to have a lawyer for a prenup, and we represent only one of you. Separate lawyers are still the norm, for a good reason: independent advice helps show that each of you understood the agreement and signed it voluntarily, which matters if the agreement is ever challenged. Agreements between spouses can be set aside if they were the product of fraud, duress, or overreaching that resulted in manifest unfairness (Christian v. Christian, 42 N.Y.2d 63 (1977)). Each partner usually pays his or her own lawyer.

The expensive mistake: a prenup that is not signed correctly

A New York prenup is enforceable in a divorce only if it is “in writing, subscribed by the parties, and acknowledged or proven in the manner required to entitle a deed to be recorded” (DRL § 236(B)(3)). Courts apply that rule strictly. In Galetta v. Galetta, 21 N.Y.3d 186 (2013), the Court of Appeals held a prenup unenforceable because the notary’s certificate left out language confirming that the notary knew or had proof of the signer’s identity. In Matisoff v. Dobi, 90 N.Y.2d 127 (1997), an agreement both spouses had signed was unenforceable because it was never acknowledged.

A template or an online form can cost less up front. But if the acknowledgment is defective, or a maintenance waiver leaves out what a court expects to see, the savings disappear in the divorce, which is exactly when the agreement matters.

How timing affects the process

New York sets no waiting period between signing a prenup and the wedding. Even so, a prenup started a few weeks before the wedding leaves little room for disclosure, review by both lawyers and revisions, and a rushed signing invites later claims of pressure. Starting a few months ahead keeps the process calm and avoids last-minute changes.

What a postnup costs, and why it takes more care

Our postnuptial agreements are a fixed $3,000 (standard) or $5,000 (complex). A postnup takes more care than a prenup because spouses owe each other a duty of good faith, and courts look closely at agreements between them. In Petracca v. Petracca, 101 A.D.3d 695 (2d Dep’t 2012), the Appellate Division, Second Department, set aside a postnuptial agreement as manifestly unfair. Full disclosure, separate lawyers and a fair process carry even more weight for a postnup. See postnuptial agreements in New York.

Adding a halachic prenup

Many observant couples sign a halachic prenup, in which both spouses agree that a designated Beis Din will decide disputes about the Get, alongside the financial prenup. The two documents should be drafted to work together. Ask about it at your consultation, and see our Orthodox Jewish prenup guide.

How to keep the process efficient

• Start a few months before the wedding.
• Talk through the main terms together before the lawyers begin.
• Gather statements for accounts, real estate, business interests, debts and income early.
• Answer your lawyer’s questions promptly, and combine comments on each draft into one round where you can.

Prenups for Brooklyn and New York City couples

Our office is at 195 Montague Street, 14th Floor, in Brooklyn Heights, near Borough Hall. Consultations are by phone or video, so couples in Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island and beyond can work with us without extra trips, and you can sign at our office when the agreement is ready. Joel Yacoob is admitted in New York and New Jersey.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a prenup cost in NYC?

Prices vary by firm and by how complex your finances are. Our fixed fees are $2,500 for a standard prenup, $4,000 for a complex prenup and $6,000 and up for a high-net-worth prenup. Your partner’s lawyer is a separate cost.

Is a prenup a flat fee or billed hourly?

It depends on the firm. We charge a fixed fee, set at the start based on your finances, so you know the price before the work begins.

Do both partners need a lawyer for a prenup in New York?

New York does not require it, but separate lawyers are strongly recommended. Independent advice helps show that each partner understood the agreement and signed it voluntarily. We represent one partner; the other should have his or her own lawyer.

Does a prenup have to be notarized in New York?

Each signature must be acknowledged in the form required to record a deed (DRL § 236(B)(3)), usually before a notary public. A defective acknowledgment can make the agreement unenforceable, as in Galetta v. Galetta, 21 N.Y.3d 186 (2013).

How much does a postnup cost?

Our postnuptial agreements are a fixed $3,000 (standard) or $5,000 (complex). Postnups take more care than prenups because spouses owe each other a duty of good faith and courts review these agreements closely.

This article is attorney advertising and is provided for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every situation is different; consult a New York matrimonial attorney about your circumstances.