Financial Affidavit Florida Divorce: 12.902(b)/(c) Guide

The Family Law Financial Affidavit is the sworn financial disclosure both spouses must complete in nearly every Florida divorce. Under Florida Family Law Rule 12.285, each party files either Form 12.902(b) (short form, gross annual income under $50,000) or Form 12.902(c) (long form, $50,000 or more) within 45 days of service. Our firm prepares your uncontested divorce, including the financial affidavit, for a $750 flat attorney fee statewide (court costs ~$408-$410 and notary separate).

If you and your spouse agree on everything, the financial affidavit is usually the single most detailed document you will sign. It tells the court the truth about your income, expenses, assets, and debts so a judge can confirm your Marital Settlement Agreement is fair and lawful. This guide explains exactly which form you need, the 45-day mandatory-disclosure deadline, when you can waive financial affidavits in a simplified dissolution, and how the whole uncontested process fits together.

What Is a Financial Affidavit in a Florida Divorce?

A financial affidavit florida divorce filing is a sworn, notarized statement of your finances filed with the circuit court during a dissolution of marriage. It is governed by Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285 (mandatory disclosure) and uses one of two Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms: Form 12.902(b) (the short form) or Form 12.902(c) (the long form).

The affidavit forces both spouses to disclose, under oath, four categories of information:

• Income: wages, self-employment income, bonuses, rental income, Social Security, and other monthly gross and net amounts.
• Expenses: monthly household, automobile, insurance, and child-related costs.
• Assets: real estate, vehicles, bank accounts, retirement and brokerage accounts, and personal property.
• Liabilities: mortgages, car loans, credit cards, student loans, and other debts.

Because it is signed under penalty of perjury and notarized, the financial affidavit is the evidentiary backbone of equitable distribution under Florida Statute 61.075, child support under F.S. 61.30, and alimony under F.S. 61.08. Even in a fully agreed, uncontested case, the judge relies on the affidavits to verify that the settlement does not shortchange a spouse or a child. Filing a false affidavit is perjury and can reopen a finalized judgment.

Do You Need a Financial Affidavit for an Uncontested Divorce in Florida?

In most uncontested Florida divorces, yes. Under Florida Family Law Rule 12.285, each party must serve a financial affidavit within 45 days of service of the initial petition, even when the divorce is amicable and uncontested. This is a mandatory disclosure obligation, not a discovery request — neither spouse has to ask for it.

There are two important exceptions where you may avoid filing the affidavit:

Even where filing can be waived, the parties must still actually disclose their finances to each other so the Marital Settlement Agreement is built on accurate numbers. Our firm reviews whether your case qualifies for a waiver before recommending it, because a waiver made on incomplete information can later be challenged. For a deeper look at the agreement itself, see our Marital Settlement Agreement Florida: 2026 MSA Guide.

Form 12.902(b) vs. Form 12.902(c): Short Form or Long Form?

Florida provides two versions of the financial affidavit, and the dividing line is your gross annual income. Choosing the correct form is the most common point of confusion, so here is the precise rule under the form instructions.

Form 12.902(b) is the short-form Family Law Financial Affidavit. You use it when your individual gross annual income is less than $50,000. It asks for a condensed summary of income, expenses, assets, and liabilities and is appropriate for most straightforward, lower-income uncontested cases.

Form 12.902(c) is the long-form Family Law Financial Affidavit. You use it when your individual gross annual income is $50,000 or more. The long form requires a far more detailed, line-item breakdown of every category, including itemized monthly expenses and a complete schedule of assets and debts.

The threshold is measured per spouse, not per household. It is entirely possible — and common — for one spouse to file the short form (income under $50,000) while the other files the long form (income $50,000 or more) in the same divorce. The court does not require both spouses to use the same form.

Comparison Table: Short Form vs. Long Form Financial Affidavit

If you are unsure which form applies — for example, your income fluctuates around the $50,000 line, you are self-employed, or you have variable bonus income — the safer choice is generally the long form, because a court will never reject an affidavit for being too thorough. Both forms are available free at flcourts.gov. Our $750 flat fee includes preparing the correct affidavit for your situation.

What Information Goes on a Florida Financial Affidavit?

The affidavit is organized into four parts. Accuracy matters because every number is sworn under penalty of perjury, and the judge cross-checks the affidavit against your Marital Settlement Agreement.

Income

You disclose your average monthly gross and net income from all sources: salary and wages, overtime and bonuses, self-employment and business income, disability or Social Security benefits, pension and retirement distributions, rental income, dividends and interest, and any spousal or child support you currently receive. You list mandatory deductions (federal taxes, FICA, health insurance, mandatory union dues) to arrive at net monthly income. In cases with children, this income figure drives the child support calculation under F.S. 61.30.

Expenses

You itemize average monthly expenses across categories: housing (mortgage or rent, taxes, insurance, utilities), automobile (payments, gas, insurance, maintenance), child-related costs (daycare, school, clothing, activities), insurance (health, life, dental), and other recurring obligations. The expense schedule helps the court evaluate any alimony request under F.S. 61.08 by showing each spouse's need.

Assets

You list all assets and their values, marking each as marital or nonmarital: real property, vehicles, cash and bank accounts, retirement accounts (401(k), IRA, pension), brokerage and investment accounts, business interests, and significant personal property. This schedule is the foundation of equitable distribution under F.S. 61.075, which divides marital property fairly but not necessarily equally.

Liabilities

You list all debts: mortgages, home equity lines, vehicle loans, credit card balances, student loans, medical debt, and personal loans. Marital debts are subject to equitable distribution just like assets. Under F.S. 61.075(1)(f), a court can adjust the division if one spouse intentionally dissipated marital assets or ran up debt in anticipation of divorce.

Because Florida marital property is divided by equitable distribution and not as community property, the affidavit's marital-versus-nonmarital labeling directly shapes the outcome. For how this plays out in an agreed case, see our Property Division in Uncontested Divorce Florida (2026) guide.

The 45-Day Mandatory Disclosure Rule in Florida

Florida Family Law Rule 12.285 requires each party to provide mandatory disclosure within 45 days after service of the initial pleading. The financial affidavit is the centerpiece of that disclosure, but it is not the only document.

The full mandatory disclosure package generally includes:

• The Family Law Financial Affidavit (Form 12.902(b) or 12.902(c)).
• The last three years of personal federal income tax returns.
• IRS W-2, 1099, and K-1 forms for the past year.
• Recent pay stubs (typically the most recent three months).
• Bank, brokerage, and retirement account statements.
• Loan applications and financial statements from the past year.
• Credit card and other debt statements.

In an uncontested case, the parties can simplify some of these items by mutual agreement, and the financial affidavit itself can never be waived between the parties — only its filing with the court can be jointly waived using Form 12.902(k). The 45-day clock is measured from the date the respondent spouse is served, or in a joint filing, from the filing of the petition. Missing the deadline can delay your final hearing because the judge will not enter a Final Judgment on an incomplete record.

A short-term marriage with two cooperative spouses, modest income, and no children is the cleanest scenario for completing mandatory disclosure quickly. To understand whether your case is truly uncontested, read Uncontested vs Contested Divorce in Florida (2026 Guide).

How to File an Uncontested Divorce in Florida (Step by Step)

Here is the complete sequence for an uncontested Florida dissolution, showing exactly where the financial affidavit fits. Each step is self-contained.

For a city-specific walkthrough, see How to File an Uncontested Divorce in Miami, Florida (2026).

Forms You Need for an Uncontested Florida Divorce

Florida uses standardized Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms, all free at flcourts.gov. The financial affidavit is one piece of a small packet. Here are the core forms.

The Marital Settlement Agreement and the financial affidavit must agree with each other. If your affidavit lists a retirement account or a vehicle, your settlement agreement must say who keeps it. Inconsistencies are the most common reason a clerk or judge sends an uncontested packet back, which is exactly the kind of error attorney preparation prevents.

When Can You Waive the Financial Affidavit in Florida?

The parties can jointly waive filing the financial affidavits with the court, but they cannot waive the duty to honestly disclose finances to each other. The waiver mechanism is Form 12.902(k), the Notice of Joint Verified Waiver of Filing Financial Affidavits, authorized by Rule 12.285.

A joint waiver is generally permitted only when all of the following are true:

• There are no minor or dependent children of the marriage.
• Neither spouse is requesting alimony.
• Neither spouse is requesting child support.
• Both spouses knowingly and voluntarily sign the verified waiver.

Where children, child support, or alimony are involved, the court needs the affidavit to verify that support is set correctly under F.S. 61.30 (child support) or F.S. 61.08 (alimony), so the waiver is not available. A waiver also does not protect a spouse who later discovers the other concealed assets — a fraudulently induced settlement can be set aside.

Our firm evaluates eligibility for a waiver as part of the $750 flat-fee uncontested package. In many no-children, no-alimony cases the waiver streamlines the file; in others, completing the affidavit is the safer route. To understand a no-children case end to end, see Uncontested Divorce No Children in Florida: $750 (2026).

Common Financial Affidavit Mistakes That Delay Florida Divorces

Even uncontested cases stall when the financial affidavit is wrong. The most frequent problems are avoidable:

• Choosing the wrong form. Using the short form (12.902(b)) when income is $50,000 or more triggers a request to refile on the long form (12.902(c)).
• Forgetting to notarize. The affidavit is sworn; an unnotarized affidavit is not valid and will be rejected.
• Math that does not reconcile. Net income that does not match gross income minus listed deductions invites scrutiny.
• Omitting accounts or debts. Leaving off a retirement account or a credit card can be treated as nondisclosure and can reopen the case under F.S. 61.075.
• Mismatched documents. An affidavit that lists assets the Marital Settlement Agreement never divides is the top reason packets bounce.
• Missing the 45-day deadline. Late mandatory disclosure under Rule 12.285 delays the final hearing.

These mistakes are the practical value of attorney-prepared documents. Non-lawyer document-typing services can fill in a form, but they cannot give legal advice, cannot tell you which form your income requires, and cannot catch a substantive inconsistency between your affidavit and your settlement. A licensed Florida attorney prepares, reviews, and reconciles every document so your uncontested case moves the first time. For the broader question, read Do You Need a Lawyer for Uncontested Divorce in Florida?.

How Much Does an Uncontested Divorce Cost in Florida?

Our firm prepares a complete uncontested Florida divorce — including the financial affidavit, the petition, and the Marital Settlement Agreement — for a $750 flat attorney fee, the same price in all 67 Florida counties. Court filing fees and notary fees are separate and paid by you.

Here is how the typical costs break down:

Court filing fees are set by each county clerk and are separate from our flat attorney fee. As of June 2026, verify the current amount with your local clerk. If you cannot afford the filing fee, you may apply to defer it using Form 12.902(a), the Application for Determination of Civil Indigent Status.

The value of a flat, transparent, statewide fee is that you know your total attorney cost before you start — there is no hourly meter and no surprise billing. Antonio G. Jimenez has practiced Florida family law since 2006, and our firm handles the document preparation and filing so you do not have to decode the forms alone.

Author's Note

In nearly twenty years of Florida family law practice, the financial affidavit is the document I see clients underestimate most. Couples who agree on everything still trip over the short-form versus long-form income threshold or forget to notarize, and a rejected packet can add weeks. Handling it correctly the first time is the quiet difference between a smooth uncontested divorce and a frustrating one. — Antonio G. Jimenez, Esq., Florida Bar No. 21022.

Frequently Asked Questions

See the FAQ section below for detailed answers to the most common questions about the Florida financial affidavit, the short and long forms, the 45-day rule, waivers, and our $750 flat fee.

Legal Disclaimer

This article provides general information about Florida divorce law and does not constitute legal advice. Every case is unique. The Law Office of Antonio G. Jimenez can prepare your uncontested divorce for a $750 flat attorney fee (court costs and notary separate); contact our office to confirm whether your case qualifies as uncontested.