WHAT DOCUMENTS WILL YOU NEED FOR YOUR DIVORCE?

Beginning the divorce process can be quite daunting. A good way to make it easier on you and help you to avoid anxiety is to prepare what you can ahead of time. The court will require certain documents in order to file for divorce. You may need additional documents, especially in cases where your divorce is contested. The more documents you can gather ahead of time, the better.

To file the initial divorce, you will need the following:

1.     A completed Complaint for Divorce (if contested) or a Joint Petition for Divorce (if uncontested)

2.     An original copy of your marriage certificate

3.     A completed financial statement. You will need to fill out the short form if you make under $75,000 per year; you will need to fill out the long form if you make $75,000 or more per year.

4.     A completed Record of Absolute Divorce form for the Registry of Vital Statistics

5.     A check for the filing fee ($220.00 if contested; $215 if uncontested)

***If you have children, you will also need to fill out an Affidavit Disclosing Care and Custody and a Child Support Guideline Worksheet.***

During the divorce process, you may be asked by your spouse or your spouse’s attorney to provide them with mandatory financial disclosures, required by Supplemental Probate and Family Rule 410. These will likely include paystubs, tax information, bank and credit card statements, retirement account statements, information relating to loans and/or mortgage applications, etc. It’s advisable to gather these documents for the past three years, as it is standard to request those documents for that time frame.

You may also be asked to respond to requests for further production of documents, requests for admissions, and requests for answers to interrogatories. These responses have deadlines associated with them much like the other documents but can be confusing to complete. Please call Kelliher & Beyer, LLP at (508) 960-1112 to get the assistance you need.