Florida Form 12.928 is the Cover Sheet for Family Court Cases, a one-page form the petitioner files with the very first pleading in any new or reopened family law matter. The clerk uses it to assign a case number, route the case to the right division, and report workload data to the Florida Supreme Court.1Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes Section 25.075 – Uniform Case Reporting System You can download the current version, dated 02/2024, in PDF or RTF from the Florida Courts website.2Florida Courts. Cover Sheet for Family Court Cases It takes only a few minutes to complete, but the wrong box in the wrong section can stall your case.
When You Have to File One
Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.100(c)(3) requires a completed cover sheet with the first pleading or motion filed to open or reopen a case in all domestic and juvenile matters.3Calhoun County Clerk of Court. Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure – Rule 12.100 That covers dissolution of marriage, domestic violence injunctions, paternity, adoption, name change, child support enforcement through the Department of Revenue, petitions for temporary custody by extended family, and emancipation of a minor, among others.4Florida Courts. Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.928 – Cover Sheet for Family Court Cases
Reopenings count too. If you file a supplemental petition to modify child support, alimony, or time-sharing, or a motion for civil contempt to enforce an existing order, you need a fresh cover sheet with that filing.4Florida Courts. Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.928 – Cover Sheet for Family Court Cases
Forget to include it and the clerk will still accept your petition, but all proceedings in the case pause until you submit a properly completed cover sheet. If you are filing in person without a lawyer, the clerk is required to help you complete the form at the counter.3Calhoun County Clerk of Court. Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure – Rule 12.100
Filling Out the Form Section by Section
The form has four numbered sections plus a signature block.
Section I: Case Style
Enter the full legal names of the Petitioner (the person filing) and the Respondent (the other party), the judicial circuit, and the county. If a case number and judge have already been assigned, enter them; for a brand-new case, leave those blank and let the clerk fill them in.
Section II: Type of Action or Proceeding
Check either “New Case” or “Reopening Case.” If you check reopening, you also pick one of three sub-options: Modification/Supplemental Petition (asking the court to change an existing order), Motion for Civil Contempt/Enforcement (asking the court to enforce an order the other side has violated), or Other.4Florida Courts. Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.928 – Cover Sheet for Family Court Cases
Section III: Type of Case
You check one box from a list of 24 categories labeled A through X. If your case could fit more than one, the form instructs you to pick the most definitive one.4Florida Courts. Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.928 – Cover Sheet for Family Court Cases The categories include Simplified Dissolution of Marriage (A), Dissolution of Marriage (B), Domestic Violence (C), Dating Violence (D), Repeat Violence (E), Sexual Violence (F), Stalking (G), Support IV-D and Non-IV-D (H and I), UIFSA IV-D and Non-IV-D for interstate support (J and K), Support for Dependent Adult Children (L), Other Family Court (M), Adoption under Chapter 63 (N), Name Change (O), Paternity/Disestablishment of Paternity (P), Juvenile Delinquency (Q), Petition for Dependency (R), Shelter Petition (S), Termination of Parental Rights under Chapter 39 (T), Adoption under Chapter 39 (U), CINS/FINS for Children or Families in Need of Services (V), Petition for Temporary or Concurrent Custody by Extended Family (W), and Emancipation of a Minor (X).
Section IV: Notice of Related Cases
Check one of two boxes: either you know of no related cases involving the same parties or children, or related cases exist and you are filing a separate Family Law Form 12.900(h) listing them.4Florida Courts. Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.928 – Cover Sheet for Family Court Cases Related cases might include prior dependency proceedings, existing domestic violence injunctions, or open support orders. Disclosing them lets the court coordinate the matters before a single judge instead of risking conflicting orders from different ones.
Signature Block
Sign and date the form; your signature certifies that the information is accurate.4Florida Courts. Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.928 – Cover Sheet for Family Court Cases An attorney filing on your behalf signs and includes their Florida Bar number. If a nonlawyer such as a document preparation service helped you fill out the form, that person completes a separate section with their name, business name, address, and phone number.
Simplified Versus Regular Dissolution
The choice between category (A) Simplified Dissolution and (B) Dissolution of Marriage trips up a lot of filers. Simplified dissolution is available only when every one of these conditions is met:
- The couple has no minor or dependent children, the wife has no minor or dependent children born during the marriage, and the wife is not currently pregnant.
- Both spouses agree on how to divide all assets and debts, and a written settlement agreement will be filed at the final hearing.
- Neither spouse is requesting alimony.
- Both spouses waive their right to a trial and an appeal.
- Both spouses will attend the final hearing together.
- At least one spouse has lived in Florida for at least six months before filing.
If any one of those conditions fails, the case has to proceed as a regular dissolution under category (B).5Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court. Simplified Dissolution of Marriage Checking the wrong box will not invalidate your petition, but it creates an administrative mismatch the clerk or judge has to sort out, and that slows your case down.
How to File It and What It Costs
The cover sheet is filed together with your petition or initial pleading, never on its own.
E-Filing
The Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at myflcourtaccess.com lets you upload documents and pay fees online.6Florida Courts E-Filing Authority. Florida Courts E-Filing Portal Attorneys are required to e-file. Self-represented litigants may also e-file, and forms should be signed and notarized before you upload them.7Florida Courts. Filing Your Forms
Paper Filing
Self-represented filers who prefer paper can bring printed copies to the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office during normal business hours. If you need help with the cover sheet itself, the clerk is required to assist you.3Calhoun County Clerk of Court. Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure – Rule 12.100
Fees
The cover sheet itself has no separate fee, but you pay the filing fee for the underlying case at the same time. Florida Statutes section 28.241 sets a base filing fee of up to $295 for family law cases filed under chapters 39, 61, 741, and 742, plus a small education surcharge.8Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes Section 28.241 – Filing Fees Local clerks add county-level surcharges on top. One county’s published schedule shows dissolution of marriage at $408, general domestic relations at $400, and paternity at $300.9Pasco County Clerk, FL. Family Court Fees and Costs Check your county clerk’s current fee schedule before you file.
If you cannot afford the fee, apply for a determination of civil indigent status under Florida Statutes section 57.082. The application asks for your income, assets, and debts, and the clerk decides whether to waive the fee; if the clerk denies the application, you can ask the court to review that decision.10Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes Section 57.082 – Determination of Civil Indigent Status
Keeping Confidential Information Out of the File
Form 12.928 does not ask for Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, or other sensitive identifiers. The documents you file alongside it, though, often do. Financial affidavits, child support guidelines worksheets, and settlement agreements routinely contain that information.
Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.425 limits sensitive data in court filings: no full Social Security numbers, no full bank or credit card account numbers, and only the year of a person’s birth date rather than the full date.11Florida Bar. Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration – Rule 2.425 If a document you file does contain protected information, include a separate Notice of Confidential Information so the clerk can restrict public access to those pages. The clerk may flag an unredacted filing for correction, and unredacted sensitive data in a public court file can expose either party to identity theft.