The Pennsylvania Confidential Document Form is a one-page cover sheet you attach to sensitive materials — tax returns, medical records, school records, and similar documents — before filing them with the court, so those materials stay out of the public case file while remaining available to the judge, the parties, and counsel of record. It is required under Section 8.0 of the Case Records Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, and you can download it for free at pacourts.us/forms/for-the-public.1Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Forms – For the Public File a covered document without it and the clerk can reject your submission, or private information can land in the public record.
When You Need the Form
Section 8.0 lists seven categories of documents that must be filed behind the cover sheet. If what you are submitting fits any of them, it cannot go in with your regular filing.2Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Case Records Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania
- Financial source documents, including tax returns and schedules, W-2s, 1099 forms, wage stubs, credit card statements, bank and investment account statements, check registers, checks, and loan applications.
- Minors’ educational records such as transcripts, report cards, and IEP documents.
- Medical and psychological records relating to any individual’s past, present, or future physical or mental health. The policy commentary includes drug and alcohol treatment records, psychological reports in custody cases, and DNA reports here.
- Children and Youth Services records involving minors.
- The marital property inventory and pre-trial statement filed under Pa.R.C.P. No. 1920.33.
- The income and expense statement filed under Pa.R.C.P. No. 1910.27(c).
- Agreements between the parties under 23 Pa.C.S. §3105, which covers marital settlement, prenuptial, postnuptial, and property settlement agreements.
The form prints these categories as checkboxes. Check the box that matches what you are attaching, and if your filing includes documents from more than one category, check each applicable box on the same form.
Don’t Confuse It With the Confidential Information Form
Pennsylvania uses two separate confidentiality forms, and mixing them up is one of the most common filing mistakes. The Confidential Document Form (Section 8.0) protects entire documents — you tuck the complete tax return or medical record behind the cover sheet, and the whole thing stays out of the public file. The Confidential Information Form (Section 7.0) handles specific data points that need to be redacted from an otherwise public document, such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, driver’s license numbers, SID numbers, minors’ names and dates of birth, and an abuse victim’s address, employer, and work schedule in family court actions.3Cornell Law Institute. Pennsylvania Code 204 Pa Code 213.81 – Case Records Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania
A single filing can need both. If you file a motion in a divorce case and attach bank statements, the bank statements go behind the Confidential Document Form. If the motion text itself references your spouse’s Social Security number, you redact that number from the motion and list it on the Confidential Information Form. Both forms get filed alongside the redacted motion.4Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin. Pennsylvania Code Rule 1.99 – Confidential Information and Confidential Documents
Filling Out the Form
Every field matters. A missing docket number or an unsigned form gives the clerk a reason to send your filing back.5Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Confidential Document Form
- Enter both party names exactly as they appear in the case caption. The form has two fields, one for each side.
- Copy the docket or case number precisely from your existing case documents. A transposed digit can misroute the filing.
- Identify the court where the case is pending, for example “Court of Common Pleas, Chester County — Civil Division.”
- Write the title and date of the pleading or motion the confidential documents support. The form reads: “This form is associated with the pleading titled ___, dated ___.”
- Check every applicable box from the Section 8.0 categories printed on the form. Financial source documents have subcategories (tax returns, W-2s, bank statements, and so on), so check the specific subcategory as well as the parent category.
- Identify the paragraph, page, or section of your pleading where the confidential document is referenced, so the judge can connect the cover sheet to the right part of your argument.
- Sign and date the form. Add your printed name, address, telephone number, and email. Attorneys also enter their attorney identification number.
Filing the Form
Every filing that includes confidential documents also needs a Certificate of Compliance, a separate one-page form certifying that you followed the Case Records Public Access Policy by filing confidential materials separately from non-confidential ones.6Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Certificate of Compliance Download it from the same page as the Confidential Document Form. Without it, some counties will bounce your filing back.
Filing Electronically Through PACFile
Most attorneys and many self-represented litigants use PACFile, the statewide electronic filing portal. The Confidential Document Form and the confidential document itself must be uploaded as separate files within the same filing. After each upload, a dropdown asks you to classify the document’s confidentiality level. Tag the cover sheet as “Confidential Document Form” and tag the attachment as “Confidential Document.”7Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. PACFile Filing Documents Tab – Superior Court Filing Getting the tags wrong, or combining both into a single PDF, can expose the confidential document to public view in the electronic docket.
Filing on Paper at the Courthouse
If you file in person at the Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts office, bring two packets. The first is your public filing: the motion or pleading with all confidential information redacted. The second starts with the Confidential Document Form as a cover sheet, followed by the confidential documents themselves. The clerk reviews the cover sheet, confirms it matches the public filing, and places the confidential packet in a restricted folder separate from the public case file.8Allegheny County Courts. Public Access Policy – Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania
Serving the Other Parties
The form itself states that it and all attached documents “must be served on all unrepresented parties and counsel of record.”9Fulton County, Pennsylvania. Appellate/Trial Court Confidential Document Form Shielding documents from public view does not shield them from the opposing side. Every party in the case gets a copy, served under Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 440, which allows service by hand delivery, mail, or leaving a copy at the attorney’s address of record, and permits fax service when the parties have agreed or a fax number appears on a prior filing. Service by mail is complete upon mailing.10Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin. Pennsylvania Code Rule 440 – Service of Legal Papers Other Than Original Process
What Happens After You File
Once the court accepts the filing, the confidential documents are stored in a restricted section of the case file. The Confidential Document Form itself stays publicly visible, so anyone reviewing the docket can see that confidential documents were filed and which categories they fall into, but the attachments stay hidden.5Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Confidential Document Form Access is limited to the parties, counsel of record, the judge, and the custodian, typically the Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts. A public records requester receives only the redacted public version. A court can order broader access for good cause, but only by a specific ruling, and the confidentiality designation remains in place for the duration of the case and beyond unless an order changes it.
If you realize after filing that a covered document went into the public file without the cover sheet, contact the clerk’s office immediately and ask that the document be moved to the restricted folder. The longer exposed information sits in a public file, the harder it is to undo.