This video is intended only to provide general legal information about how to fill out a Short Form Financial Statement.
The information in this video is not intended to be relied upon as legal advice. For legal advice you should consult an attorney.
By continuing with this video, you are agreeing to the statement above.
Welcome to the How-to Series: How to Complete Short Form Financial Statements in Massachusetts Probate and Family Court cases.
The Financial Statement is important because it is used by the Judge to make support orders and to decide if agreements are fair and reasonable. Many times, it is the biggest source of information the Court uses to make decisions.
This video will only be able to assist you in filling out a short form financial statement which is the form you would use if your annual gross income, or earnings before taxes is below $75,000
This video will not discuss the long form financial statement (which is the form you would use if your annual gross income, or earnings before taxes, is equal to or above $75,000 (before taxes)),
What you will need to fill out this form:
First make sure you have the correct form
Next, gather the documents you will need in order to report accurate financial information. For example:
If you are employed have your taxes or a paycheck available to help with calculations.
If you receive unemployment, retirement, public benefits or disability, it is helpful to have that information available.
It may also be helpful to have monthly bills available because later in the form there will be questions about your expenses, assets and debts. In order to fill these sections out accurately, it is best to be prepared with documents such as loan statements, credit card statements, utility bills (such as gas, electricity, oil, cable, internet, and phone), mortgage or rental statements, retirement account statements, insurance policies, and estimates of the value of property such as cars and real estate.
Before you begin filling out the Short Form Financial Statement, it is important to note the following:
Please read all instructions and fill in lines as you go.
All questions on this form must be answered. Do not leave any blanks on lines and do not write N/A. If a line does not apply to you, simply put a 0.
Pay attention to when the form
Each video will go through one or more Paragraphs allowing you to follow along.
If you don’t see a particular question addressed in this video, the answer may be in the FAQ section linked to the mass.gov webpage where you found this video.
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