Share your financial information
Sharing information about your finances with your spouse (or domestic partner) is a requirement for getting a divorce or legal separation. This is called disclosure or financial disclosure.
The financial documents don't get filed with the court. You just share them with your spouse. Then, file a form with the court to let the judge know you met the requirement.
Sharing financial information makes it easier to work out an agreement
In this part of a divorce, you'll fill out forms to show what you own, owe, earn, and spend. You give these forms and copies of some financial documents to your spouse.
Then you'll use this information to divide your property and debts equally and make decisions about child and spousal support.
Being upfront and truthful makes it easier to work out an agreement. If you hide information or if you are not truthful, you run the risk of losing property and being ordered to pay the other person’s lawyer’s fees.
Learn how to finalize your divorce if your spouse doesn't respond
You must share financial information by a deadline
The first time you give your spouse this information is known as making your preliminary disclosures. You must complete preliminary disclosures by a deadline:
-
60 days after filing a Petition, if you’re the petitioner
-
60 days after filing a Response, if you're the respondent
You may need to share your information again later in your case
Later in your case, you'll need to either:
- Share information a second time (a final declaration of disclosure)
- Agree to waive final disclosures (you and your spouse sign an agreement that says you don't need to do another disclosure because you've kept each other up-to-date)
You can waive final disclosures by signing and filing a Stipulation and Waiver of Final Declaration of Disclosure (form FL-144).
Share financial information
What's next?
The first step is to gather information about how much you spend, earn, own, and owe. Then you'll complete a form and share this with your spouse. Your spouse will do the same if they filed a response or if you've decided to divorce by default with agreement.