Florida Financial Affidavit Form 12.902: Line-by-Line Guide (2026)

You are staring at a blank Florida Financial Affidavit, and every single line feels like a trap. Should you round up or round down? What counts as gross income versus net income? What happens if you accidentally leave something out or, worse, get a number wrong that makes it look like you are hiding money?

I understand the anxiety. In my practice, I have helped hundreds of clients across Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, and Orange counties navigate the Florida financial affidavit form 12.902, and I can tell you that this document is simultaneously the most important and the most misunderstood form in all of Florida family law. Mistakes on this single form can cost you thousands of dollars in child support, alimony, or equitable distribution, or they can result in sanctions from the court.

Here is what you need to know upfront: In Florida, every party to a divorce, paternity, or support case must file a Financial Affidavit under oath as part of mandatory disclosure. If your individual gross annual income is under $50,000, you file the Short Form, which is Florida Family Law Form 12.902(b). If your individual gross annual income is $50,000 or more, you file the Long Form, which is Florida Family Law Form 12.902(c). This requirement comes from Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285, and failing to comply can result in your pleadings being struck or your case being delayed.

This guide walks you through the entire form, line by line, so you can complete it accurately, or understand exactly what our team does when we prepare it for you through our Mandatory Disclosures and Financial Affidavit service.

Why the Florida Financial Affidavit Matters More Than Any Other Document

The Financial Affidavit is the foundation of nearly every financial decision in a Florida divorce. Judges use it to calculate child support under Florida Statute 61.30, determine alimony under Florida Statute 61.08, and divide marital assets and liabilities under Florida Statute 61.075. Opposing counsel will scrutinize every number you provide. If your financial affidavit is sloppy, incomplete, or contradicts your tax returns, you will lose credibility with the court at the worst possible time.

A recent client came to us after attempting to fill out the Long Form on her own. She had left the retirement account section blank because she was not sure of the exact balance, and she had listed her gross monthly income $1,200 lower than what her pay stubs reflected because she forgot to include a quarterly bonus. When opposing counsel caught the discrepancies during a deposition in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit in Broward County, it gave her husband's attorney ammunition to argue she was not being forthcoming. We had to prepare amended disclosures, file a corrected affidavit, and spend weeks rebuilding her credibility. That is a situation I do not want you to face.

Short Form vs Long Form Financial Affidavit: Which Do You File?

The distinction between the Short Form and Long Form financial affidavit in Florida is straightforward but critical.

The Short Form, Florida Family Law Form 12.902(b), is for individuals with gross annual income under $50,000. It is a simplified version that runs about four pages and covers basic income, expenses, assets, and liabilities.

The Long Form, Florida Family Law Form 12.902(c), is for individuals with gross annual income of $50,000 or more. It is significantly more detailed, running about eight pages, with granular breakdowns of monthly expenses, asset valuations, and income from all sources.

Here is an important note that many people miss: even if your income is under $50,000, the court may require you to file the Long Form if the opposing party requests it or if the circumstances of your case warrant it. Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285(d) gives the court this discretion. If opposing counsel is involved in your case, expect them to request the Long Form.

When in doubt, file the Long Form. It provides more detail, demonstrates thoroughness, and prevents your spouse's attorney from arguing that you are hiding behind a simplified form.

Line-by-Line Guide: How to Fill Out the Florida Financial Affidavit

Whether you are completing the Short Form 12.902(b) or the Long Form 12.902(c), the structure follows the same general flow. I am going to walk through each major section. Grab your last three pay stubs, your most recent tax return, your bank statements, and your monthly bills before you begin.

Section 1: Current Employment and Income

This is where the process begins, and where I see the most errors.

You will need to provide your current employer's name and address, your occupation, your pay rate, and your pay frequency. Here is what trips people up: the form asks for gross income, which is the total amount you earn before any taxes or deductions are taken out.

Gross income under Florida Statute 61.30(2) includes wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, overtime, tips, business income, disability benefits, workers' compensation, unemployment, pension or retirement income, Social Security benefits, spousal support received from a previous marriage, interest and dividends, rental income, and essentially any other source of money you receive on a recurring basis.

When I prepare this section for clients, I always cross-reference at least three months of pay stubs against the most recent W-2 or 1099 to catch bonuses, overtime patterns, and paycheck fluctuations. Here is my step-by-step approach:

A common mistake is listing net pay instead of gross pay. Another common mistake is omitting irregular income like annual bonuses. If you receive a $6,000 annual bonus, that adds $500 per month to your gross income, and it must be reported.

Section 2: Monthly Deductions From Gross Income

This section asks you to list all mandatory deductions taken from your paycheck. These typically include:

• Federal income tax withholding
• State income tax withholding (Florida has no state income tax, so this will be zero unless you work in another state)
• FICA (Social Security and Medicare taxes)
• Mandatory union dues
• Mandatory retirement contributions (only if required by your employer)
• Health insurance premiums (for yourself only at this point)
• Court-ordered support payments from a prior case

The total of these deductions subtracted from your gross income gives you your net income. This is the number the court will use as the starting point for child support and alimony calculations. Getting this section right is essential.

Do not include voluntary deductions like 401(k) contributions you chose to make, charitable donations, or flexible spending account contributions. These are not mandatory and including them here will artificially lower your net income, which the court and opposing counsel will catch.

Section 3: Average Monthly Expenses

This is where the Long Form gets significantly more detailed than the Short Form. The Long Form breaks expenses into dozens of subcategories, while the Short Form groups them more broadly.

Here is how to approach monthly expenses accurately:

Categories you will encounter on the Long Form include:

• Housing (mortgage, rent, property taxes, insurance, maintenance, HOA fees)
• Utilities (electric, water, gas, trash, phone, internet, cable)
• Food (groceries and dining out, listed separately)
• Transportation (car payment, gas, insurance, maintenance, parking, tolls)
• Medical and dental (insurance premiums, co-pays, prescriptions, therapy)
• Children's expenses (childcare, school tuition, activities, clothing, allowance)
• Personal (clothing, grooming, dry cleaning)
• Entertainment and recreation
• Debt payments (credit cards, personal loans, student loans)
• Miscellaneous (gifts, charitable contributions, pet expenses)

When I prepare financial affidavits for clients through our Mandatory Disclosures and Financial Affidavit package at $795, I organize every expense into the correct category and reconcile the totals against actual bank statements. This level of accuracy matters because your monthly expense total directly affects how much support the court believes you need or can afford.

Section 4: Assets

This section requires you to list everything you own, along with current fair market values. The form asks for both individually owned assets and jointly owned assets.

Assets to list include:

• Cash on hand and in bank accounts (checking, savings, money market)
• Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and brokerage accounts
• Retirement accounts (401(k), IRA, pension, Roth IRA) with current balances
• Real estate with estimated fair market value
• Vehicles with current Kelley Blue Book or NADA value
• Business interests and their estimated value
• Life insurance policies with cash surrender value
• Personal property of significant value (jewelry, art, collectibles, firearms)
• Money owed to you by others
• Any other assets

For each asset, you will need to note whether it is marital, nonmarital, or uncertain. Under Florida Statute 61.075, marital assets generally include everything acquired during the marriage, while nonmarital assets include property acquired before the marriage, inheritances, and gifts to one spouse. If you are unsure whether an asset is marital or nonmarital, mark it as uncertain and discuss it with an attorney. You can learn more about how inherited property is treated in our guide on Florida divorce and inherited property.

Section 5: Liabilities

Every debt must be listed, including:

• Mortgages (with outstanding balance, monthly payment, and creditor name)
• Auto loans
• Credit card balances (list each card separately)
• Student loans
• Personal loans
• Medical debt
• Tax liabilities owed
• Any other debts or obligations

For each liability, indicate whether you believe it is a marital debt or a nonmarital debt. Similar to assets, debts incurred during the marriage are generally considered marital under Florida Statute 61.075, regardless of whose name is on the account.

If your case involves the marital home and questions about refinancing, our article on marital home refinance in divorce covers that topic in depth.

Section 6: Contingent Assets and Liabilities

This section is often overlooked but can be significant. Contingent assets are things that may produce future value but are not guaranteed, such as pending lawsuits, expected tax refunds, or unvested stock options. Contingent liabilities are potential future debts, such as pending litigation against you, co-signed loans where the primary borrower might default, or potential tax liabilities from prior years.

List everything, even if you think it is unlikely to materialize. Transparency protects you.

Section 7: The Certification and Oath

This is the part that turns a simple form into a sworn legal document. When you sign the Financial Affidavit, you are signing under oath and penalty of perjury. Florida Statute 92.525 governs the penalties for making a false statement under oath, which can include criminal prosecution.

This means every number must be accurate to the best of your knowledge. It does not mean every number must be exact to the penny. It means you must make a good-faith effort to be truthful and complete. If you are unsure of an exact figure, use the best estimate available and note that it is an estimate.

Common Mistakes That Derail Financial Affidavits

After years of reviewing financial affidavits filed by both self-represented parties and those prepared by other attorneys, here are the mistakes I see most frequently:

• Listing net income instead of gross income, which understates your income and can trigger sanctions.
• Omitting income sources like rental income, side jobs, or investment dividends.
• Inflating monthly expenses to exaggerate financial need, which backfires when opposing counsel compares your affidavit to your bank statements.
• Leaving sections blank instead of writing zero, which makes the form look incomplete.
• Failing to update the affidavit when financial circumstances change during the case.
• Not including the value of employee benefits like employer-paid health insurance or company car use.
• Forgetting to list retirement accounts because you cannot access the funds until a future date. The current balance still matters.
• Not attaching required supporting documents like pay stubs, tax returns, and bank statements as required by Rule 12.285.

What Happens If You File an Incomplete or Inaccurate Financial Affidavit

The consequences of an inaccurate financial affidavit in Florida are serious. Under Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285(e), the court can impose sanctions including striking pleadings, awarding attorney fees to the other side, holding you in contempt of court, or entering default judgment against you.

Beyond court sanctions, an inaccurate affidavit gives opposing counsel the ability to impeach your credibility on everything, not just finances. If the judge catches you being careless or deceptive about your income, that judge is less likely to believe you about custody, parenting time, or property division.

How We Help: Our Mandatory Disclosures and Financial Affidavit Service

If the thought of completing the Florida financial affidavit form 12.902 on your own feels overwhelming, especially if your case involves complex finances, opposing counsel, or high-value assets, our team can handle it for you.

For $795, our Mandatory Disclosures and Financial Affidavit service includes:

• Preparation of the correct Family Law Financial Affidavit, either the Short Form 12.902(b) or the Long Form 12.902(c), based on your income
• Certificate of Compliance with mandatory disclosure requirements
• Organization of your tax returns for the past three years
• Pay stubs and income documentation review and organization
• Bank statements organization and reconciliation
• Complete debt and asset schedules
• Retirement account statements compilation
• Filing guidance and a detailed checklist so you know exactly what to do next
• Access to the Divorce.law Client Portal for secure document upload and real-time case tracking
• 24/7 access to our Victoria AI assistant for questions about your case at any time

Turnaround is 5 to 7 business days from the time you upload all your documents to our secure portal. This service is ideal for contested divorce cases, cases with complex finances or high-value assets, situations where opposing counsel is involved, and anyone who wants to ensure full compliance with Florida mandatory disclosure rules.

If you are not sure whether you need help with disclosures or have broader questions about your divorce strategy, our strategy session is the right starting point.

Addressing Common Concerns

I Cannot Afford to Hire Someone for This

I understand the concern about cost during a divorce when money is already tight. Here is the reality: an inaccurate financial affidavit can cost you far more than $795. If your income is understated by even $500 per month, that error can swing a child support calculation by hundreds of dollars per month for years. If your expenses are not properly documented, you may receive less alimony than you are entitled to. The investment in getting this form right pays for itself many times over.

Unlike hiring a full-service attorney at $300 to $500 per hour for an entire case, our unbundled service lets you get professional help on the specific document that matters most, without paying for services you do not need.

My Spouse Makes More Money. Can They Be Required to Pay for This?

Under Florida Statute 61.16, the court may order one party to pay the other party's attorney fees and costs when there is a significant income disparity. While this typically applies to attorney fees in the broader case, the cost of preparing mandatory disclosures can be included in a fee petition. We can discuss this during a strategy session if it applies to your situation.

The Mandatory Disclosure Timeline in Florida

Understanding when the financial affidavit must be filed is just as important as understanding how to fill it out.

Under Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285(b), mandatory disclosure must be served within 45 days of service of the initial petition on the respondent. This means if you are the petitioner who filed for divorce, you have 45 days from the date your spouse was served. If you are the respondent who was served, you also have 45 days from the date you were served. If you were recently served and need guidance on your next steps, our article on what to do when served divorce papers in Florida walks you through the timeline.

Mandatory disclosure in Florida includes more than just the financial affidavit. The full package under Rule 12.285 requires:

Our $795 package handles all of these items, not just the affidavit. That is the complete mandatory disclosure package, organized and ready for service on the opposing party.

Tips From the Courtroom: What Judges Actually Look For

Having appeared before judges across multiple Florida circuits, I can tell you what stands out on a financial affidavit.

Judges look for internal consistency. Does your listed income match your pay stubs? Do your expenses add up to a number that makes sense given your income? If you claim $8,000 in monthly expenses but only earn $4,500, the judge will want to know how you are covering the gap.

Judges also compare both parties' affidavits side by side. If one party lists $400 per month for groceries for a family of four and the other lists $1,200 for the same household, someone is off, and the judge will notice.

Finally, judges respect completeness. A thoroughly prepared financial affidavit with proper documentation signals that you take the process seriously. A hastily prepared or incomplete affidavit signals the opposite.

When Your Financial Situation Is Complex

Some cases require more than just filling out a form. If your divorce involves business ownership, stock options, cryptocurrency, multiple real estate properties, trusts, or income from sources outside the United States, the financial affidavit becomes significantly more complex.

For these situations, we often recommend starting with a strategy session to map out the financial landscape before we begin preparing the affidavit. This ensures we capture every asset and income source accurately from the start.

For cases involving Social Security benefits or questions about who pays attorney fees in a Florida divorce, the financial affidavit plays a central role because the court relies on it to assess each party's financial position.

Take the Next Step Today

The Florida financial affidavit form 12.902 is not just paperwork. It is the financial foundation of your entire divorce case. Every decision about child support, alimony, and property division flows from the numbers on this form.

You can attempt it alone and hope you get every line right, or you can have our team prepare the complete mandatory disclosure package, including the financial affidavit, supporting documentation, and Certificate of Compliance, for $795 with a 5 to 7 business day turnaround.

Do not let a preventable mistake on a form cost you thousands of dollars in your final judgment. Visit our Mandatory Disclosures and Financial Affidavit service page to get started, or talk to Victoria, our AI assistant, anytime to get your questions answered.

If you have broader questions about your divorce strategy, schedule a strategy session and let us help you build a plan.

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This article provides general information about Florida divorce law and is not legal advice. Every case is unique. For advice specific to your situation, schedule a consultation with a Florida-licensed attorney.

Written by Antonio G. Jimenez, Esq., Florida Bar #21022