How to Fill Out a Comprehensive Financial Statement for Court
- 1). Gather information about your finances. Specifically, you must know the amounts you receive each month for items such as salary, investments, Social Security payments and pension plans. Additionally, you must know your expenses, such as the cost for food, gas and rent and payments on loans.
- 2). Obtain a blank comprehensive financial statement. Generally, you can obtain this document at the courthouse or over the Internet. Your attorney may also be able to provide you with a copy.
- 3). List the names of each party at the top, and provide the case number. The filing spouse is the plaintiff; the other spouse is the respondent.
- 4). Provide your personal information and information about the marriage and your children in the "General Information" or "Personal Information" section. Forms usually provide space for you to list your name, Social Security number, employer address and other information, such as the names and birth dates of your children.
- 5). List the amount of income you earn on the appropriate lines. The form may ask for monthly or weekly amounts. Multiply weekly amounts by 4 1/3 to determine monthly amounts and by 52 to determine yearly amounts. For example, if you receive $270 each week in unemployment benefits, but the form asks for monthly amounts, you would write "$1170" on the line labeled "Unemployment Benefits," since $270 X 4 1/3 = $1,170.
- 6). List the amounts you pay in expenses on the appropriate lines. The form may split up living expenses and debts/liabilities. Living expenses include money spent for items such as food and utilities; debts/liabilities include items such as loans.
- 7). List your assets and the value of each asset. You may also need to list the date you acquired the asset and whether it was an inheritance of a gift. Assets include stocks, real property titles and cars.
- 8). Fill in any other information requested. For example, in Illinois, you must list witnesses who will provide testimony during the divorce proceedings. Additional schedules may be required; in Massachusetts, for example, you must attach separate schedules for items like self-employment income and rental income.
- 9). Sign and date the completed form. You must sign the form under penalty of perjury; by signing the form, you swear that all the information is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge.
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