File the short financial form

Find instructions on how to file the financial statement short form in the courts for hearings involving alimony, child support, division of property, or other financial matters. File the short form if your annual income is less than $75,000 before taxes.

Probate and Family Court locations

The Details   of File the short financial form

What you need   for File the short financial form

Each person in your case must file a completed financial statement within 45 days after the plaintiff delivers the complaint to the defendant and at all court hearings involving alimony, child support, division of property, or any other financial matters. If your annual income is less than $75,000 before taxes, you need to file a short form. If your income is more than $75,000 a year, please see file the long financial form.

You may also need to file other forms in addition to the short form.

  • If you're self-employed or own your own business, you need to file Schedule A
  • If you have rental property income, you need to file Schedule B.

Fill out the form completely and truthfully. Signing the form means that the information you provided is true to the best of your knowledge. Since you’re signing under the penalties of perjury, untrue statements can lead to criminal prosecution.

Fill in every line. As information is added to the short financial statement, it self-calculates for your convenience. If you have nothing to put on a line, write the word “NONE”. If you need more space for the information in Sections 5, 8, 10 or 11, you may attach additional sheets of paper. 

1. Personal Information. 

If you’re not currently working, write “UNEMPLOYED” in the space where the form asks for an “Employer.”

2. Gross Weekly Income/ Receipts from All Sources. 

Your gross income should reflect all income you received before deductions. You must use weekly amounts. Only list your income, not the income of other people involved in the case. 

  • If you’re paid monthly — Divide your monthly gross income by 4.3. 
  • If you’re paid every 2 weeks —  Divide your gross income from each paycheck by 2. 
  • If you’re paid twice a month — Divide your gross income from each paycheck by 2.15. 

Write “NONE” on any line you have no income for. It’s helpful if you bring your most recent pay stub to court. If you’re self-employed, bring last year’s tax return, including Schedule C and any other related forms.

3. Itemized Deductions from Gross Income. 

Fill in the deductions that appear on your paycheck. Use weekly amounts, dividing in the same way that you did for your gross income.

4. Adjusted Net Weekly Income. 

Subtract “Total Deductions” on line 3(f) from “Total Income” on line 2(r).

5. Other Deductions from Salary/Wages. 

Fill in any other amounts deducted from your wages.

6. Net Weekly Income.  

Subtract "Total Deductions" (line 5 (e)) from "Adjusted Net Weekly Income" (line 4).

7. Gross Yearly Income from Prior Year. 

Fill in your total income from last year before taxes or other deductions, and attach copies of last year's W-2 and 1099 form(s) showing your income.

8. Weekly Expenses. 

Fill in weekly amounts. Divide monthly amounts by 4.3 to get weekly amounts. Don’t list expenses that you’ve listed as deductions from your pay in Section 3 or Section 5. Do include weekly payments for any liabilities listed in Section 11. If someone else in your household pays some of the expenses, you should only write down the amount that you actually pay.

9. Counsel Fees. 

Write in the amounts that you’ve paid and that you expect to pay to a lawyer. If you have a lawyer, they can help you complete this section.

10. Assets. 

Fill in the present value of real estate, motor vehicles, retirement plans, life insurance, bank accounts, stocks and bonds and any other items of value you own. For savings, checking money market accounts, and certificates of deposit, list the name of the financial institution and the account number. You should bring the most recent statements for all accounts to court.

11. Liabilities. 

List all of your debts on the chart. List the creditor, the kind of debt, when you first borrowed the money, (or the date that you were ordered to pay the money) and the current amount due. If your credit card “amount due” column represents multiple purchases made at different times, please write “various dates” in the “date incurred” column. If you make payments on a liability, write “see weekly expenses” in the “Weekly Payment” column, and include the weekly amount in Section 8.

Don't forget to sign and date the form. If you have a lawyer, they must complete the “Statement By Attorney” on the back of the form. 

How to file   File the short financial form

File the original form with the Probate & Family Court. Keep one copy and mail a copy to the other person in your case. If the other person has a lawyer, mail the copy to their lawyer.

File the original form with the Probate & Family Court. Keep one copy and mail a copy to the other person in your case. If the other person has a lawyer, mail the copy to their lawyer.

Downloads   for File the short financial form

Contact   for File the short financial form

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