How to Complete Florida Form 12.902(b): Income, Expenses, Assets

Florida Form 12.902(b), the Family Law Financial Affidavit (Short Form), is the sworn financial disclosure you file in a Florida family law case when your individual gross annual income is under $50,000. On it, you report your monthly income, expenses, assets, and debts so the court can decide child support, alimony, and how to divide property. You sign under penalty of perjury, so the numbers need to match your pay stubs, tax returns, and bank records.

Who Uses the Short Form

Florida has two versions of the financial affidavit. Form 12.902(b) is the short form for filers whose individual gross annual income is under $50,000. Form 12.902(c) is the long form for anyone at $50,000 or above, and it asks for more detail on assets, business interests, and complex income.¹

Even if you qualify for the short form by income, the other party can request the long form through Standard Family Law Interrogatories, and a judge can order it on their own.²

Under Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285, the financial affidavit requirement cannot be waived by the parties, and the completed form must be filed with the court. There are only three narrow situations where you don’t file one at all:

A simplified dissolution under Rule 12.105 where both parties have jointly waived financial affidavits.
A case with no minor children, no support issues, and a written settlement agreement already filed that resolves all financial matters.
A case where the court lacks jurisdiction to decide any financial issues.

Outside those situations, you file the affidavit whether the case is contested or uncontested.¹

Section I: Monthly Income and Deductions

Section I asks for your present monthly gross income, meaning income before taxes and deductions. Florida’s definition is broad. On a monthly basis, report:

Wages and salary before deductions.
Bonuses, commissions, overtime, and tips.
Business income (gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary business expenses) from self-employment, a partnership, or a close corporation.
Disability, SSI, Workers’ Compensation, unemployment, Social Security, and pension or retirement payments.
Interest, dividends, rental income (gross receipts minus ordinary expenses), and royalties or trust income.
Alimony received, whether from this case or another.
Employer expense reimbursements to the extent they reduce your personal living costs.
Profits from selling property, unless the gain is a one-time event.
Any other recurring income.

Public assistance under Section 409.2554 is excluded from gross income.³

Then list your monthly deductions to reach net income. Allowable deductions are federal, state, and local income taxes; FICA or self-employment taxes; Medicare; mandatory union dues; mandatory retirement contributions; health insurance premiums (excluding the portion covering minor children from this case); and any court-ordered child support or alimony you actually pay for a different relationship.¹

Converting Pay to a Monthly Figure

Every number on the form is monthly. If you’re paid on any other schedule, convert:

Hourly: hourly rate × hours per week = weekly; weekly × 52 ÷ 12 = monthly.
Weekly: weekly × 52 ÷ 12 = monthly.
Biweekly: biweekly × 26 ÷ 12 = monthly.
Semi-monthly: semi-monthly × 2 = monthly.

A common error is dividing biweekly pay by two. That misses two paychecks a year. Multiply by 26 and divide by 12 instead. The same logic applies to any expense that isn’t billed monthly.¹

Section II: Average Monthly Expenses

Section II covers what you spend each month, grouped into categories:

Household: mortgage or rent, property taxes, utilities, phone, food, dining out, and home maintenance.
Automobile: gas, repairs, and car insurance.
Children’s expenses: daycare, school lunches, clothing, grooming, holiday gifts, and uninsured medical or dental costs.
Insurance: health, dental, life, and other policies not already listed.
Personal expenses: clothing, uninsured medical, grooming, entertainment, gifts, charitable contributions, and miscellaneous spending.
Creditor payments: monthly payments to each creditor, listed by name.

Judges look at the gap between your income and your stated expenses when they set support. Understating expenses can leave you short on support you actually need; inflating them undermines your credibility on everything else in the form.

Section III: Assets and Liabilities

Section III is a snapshot of what you own and what you owe on the date you sign. For assets, list cash on hand and in bank accounts, stocks and bonds, real estate including your home, vehicles, personal property, and retirement accounts such as pensions, IRAs, and 401(k) plans, with the current fair market value of each.¹

For liabilities, list mortgages, auto loans, credit card balances, and any other debts. There’s also a contingent section for things that aren’t certain but could materialize: potential inheritance, accrued vacation or sick leave, expected bonuses, or a pending lawsuit. Don’t leave that section blank because the items feel speculative. Blank fields tend to read as concealment rather than as an oversight.

Documents You Must Provide With the Affidavit

Rule 12.285 requires you to exchange supporting financial records alongside the affidavit. What you owe depends on the type of hearing.

For a temporary financial relief hearing, provide:

All federal and state income tax returns filed for the past year (an IRS tax transcript is acceptable for temporary hearings).
IRS Forms W-2, 1099, and K-1 for the past year if the return hasn’t been prepared yet.
Pay stubs or other evidence of earned income for the three months before the affidavit was served.

For initial or supplemental proceedings seeking permanent financial relief, the list is longer:

Tax returns for the past three years.
W-2s, 1099s, and K-1s for the past year.
Three months of pay stubs.
An income statement covering the three months before service, if your income isn’t reflected on pay stubs.
All loan applications and financial statements prepared or used in the past 12 months.
All deeds from the past three years, promissory notes from the past 12 months, and current leases where you hold an interest.

These documents let the other side and the court check what you reported. Numbers on the affidavit that don’t match your pay stubs or tax returns will draw scrutiny.⁴

Deadlines for Serving and Filing

In initial and supplemental proceedings, you must serve your financial affidavit on the other party within 45 days of the respondent being served with the initial petition. The 45-day clock runs from service on the respondent, not the filing date of the petition.²

If either party requests a temporary financial hearing during that window, the deadlines tighten. The party seeking temporary relief must serve the affidavit on the other side at least 10 days before the hearing. The responding party must serve theirs at least 5 days before the hearing if delivered directly, or 7 days before if sent by mail. The responding party gets no fewer than 12 days total to prepare and serve the required documents unless the court orders otherwise.²

Missing these deadlines can stall the case or leave the judge with nothing to work from at a temporary support hearing.

Signing Under Penalty of Perjury

The affidavit ends with a sworn declaration: “Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have read this document and the facts stated in it are true.” A judge who finds that you underreported income, hid assets, or inflated expenses can respond in several ways. Florida Statute 61.075 lists “intentional dissipation, waste, depletion, or destruction of marital assets” as a factor supporting an unequal distribution, and hiding assets falls within that language.⁵ Courts can also hold a dishonest spouse in contempt, order them to pay the other party’s attorney fees and forensic accounting costs, and in some cases reopen a finalized divorce if concealed assets surface later.

Honest mistakes cause problems too. If your stated income doesn’t line up with your tax returns or pay stubs, the court has reason to doubt the rest of your disclosures. Gather your financial records first, then work through each line with the documents in front of you.

Filing the Form and Updating It Later

You can download Form 12.902(b) from the Florida Courts website or pick up a copy at your local courthouse self-help center.⁶ Type it or print in black ink. After completing every section, sign it, file it with the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the petition was filed, and serve a copy on the other party or their attorney. Keep a copy for yourself. If a nonlawyer helps you fill it out, that person must give you a Disclosure from Nonlawyer (Form 12.900(a)) and list their name, address, and phone number on the last page.¹

If your finances change meaningfully while the case is pending, file an updated affidavit. Judges decide based on the most recent snapshot in front of them, and correcting a support order after the fact is harder than updating the form before the hearing.

1
Florida State Courts. Instructions for Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.902(b) – Family Law Financial Affidavit (Short Form)
2
Florida State Courts. Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285 – Mandatory Disclosure
3
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 61.30 – Child Support Guidelines
4
Florida State Courts. Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285 – Mandatory Disclosure
5
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 61.075 – Equitable Distribution of Marital Assets and Liabilities
6
Florida Courts. Family Law Financial Affidavit (Short Form)