Form 12.902(b) Family Law Financial Affidavit, Short Form (Florida): how to fill it out, line by line

A section-by-section walkthrough of Florida’s financial affidavit for a party with individual gross annual income under $50,000: employment, monthly income and deductions, monthly expenses, assets and liabilities, and the child support worksheet statement.

Researched by Dan Martin, Legal Researcher · Published by Onbello Legal

Quick answer

Form 12.902(b) is the Florida financial affidavit for a party whose individual gross annual income is less than $50,000. Rule 12.285(e)(1) of the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure requires a financial affidavit in any initial or supplemental request for permanent financial relief, such as child support, alimony, or attorneys’ fees, and says it cannot be waived by the parties; below $50,000 it is this form, at $50,000 or more it is Form 12.902(c). The form is six pages: employment, Section I monthly income and deductions (lines 1 through 27), Section II monthly expenses and the surplus or deficit (lines 28 through 32), Section III assets and liabilities, and Section IV on the child support worksheet. Every amount is monthly, and it is signed under penalties of perjury.

Summary: what 12.902(b) does, and what you need first

Form 12.902(b) is the short-form financial affidavit, for an individual gross annual income under $50,000. Rule 12.285(e)(1) sends incomes of $50,000 or more to Form 12.902(c).
The test is gross, not take-home. The form’s subtitle reads “Under $50,000 Individual Gross Annual Income.”
You need one in most cases with financial issues. Rule 12.285(e)(1) requires it in any initial or supplemental request for permanent financial relief, including child support, alimony, equitable distribution, or attorneys’ fees, and says the requirement cannot be waived by the parties.
Every figure is monthly. The form says all amounts must be MONTHLY, and the instructions give the conversions: weekly pay times 52, divided by 12; every-two-weeks pay times 26, divided by 12; twice-a-month pay times 2.
Gather pay stubs and income records first. Rule 12.285(e)(1) says all documents supporting the income, asset and liability figures in the affidavit must also be produced, and (e)(4) asks for pay stubs or other evidence of earned income for the 6 months before compliance.
If you are unemployed, the form asks you to check the box and explain your efforts to find work on a separate sheet.
If you have business or rental income, lines 3 and 11 ask you to attach a sheet itemizing that income and its expenses.
List only the last 4 digits of account numbers in Section III, as the form instructs.
Timing: the instructions say it must be filed with the court and served on the other party within 45 days of being served with the petition, if it is not served with your initial papers. Rule 12.285(b)(2) sets the same 45 days for initial and supplemental proceedings.
If a judge has found you to be a victim of domestic violence or another listed crime and you want your address kept confidential, the instructions say to leave the address, telephone and fax blank and file Form 12.980(h) instead.

The full form

All 6 pages of Form 12.902(b) (Rev. 10/21) as the court prints them. Open a page to read it full size; the walkthrough below shows the matching part of the form under each item.

What Form 12.902(b) is, and who files it

Family Law Financial Affidavit (Short Form), Form 12.902(b), is the sworn statement of a party’s income, expenses, assets and debts in a Florida family case. The PDF published on flcourts.gov is nine pages: three pages of instructions and a six-page affidavit. The short form is the version for a party whose individual gross annual income is under $50,000.

Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285 sets who files which version. Subdivision (e)(1) requires, in any initial or supplemental request for permanent financial relief, a financial affidavit in substantial conformity with Form 12.902(b) if the party’s gross annual income is less than $50,000, or Form 12.902(c) if it is $50,000 or more, and says the requirement cannot be waived by the parties. The same subdivision lets a party request through the Standard Family Law Interrogatories, or the court order on its own motion, that a party under $50,000 complete the long form instead. Subdivision (d)(1) sets the same line for temporary financial relief.

The instructions list three exceptions: a simplified dissolution of marriage under rule 12.105 where both parties waived the affidavit; no minor children, no support issues, and a written settlement agreement disposing of all financial issues; or a court without jurisdiction over any financial issue. Rule 12.285(c)(2) separately allows the parties to file a notice of joint verified waiver, in which each acknowledges they have given the other a fully executed and sworn financial affidavit, so that the court does not require the affidavits to be filed.

The affidavit is signed, not notarized. Its last page reads “Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have read this document and the facts stated in it are true,” followed by the date and your signature. There is no notary block on the form.

The form’s footer still reads “Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.902(b).” Effective October 1, 2026, the Florida Supreme Court redesignated every family law form, including 12.902(b), as a “Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form” (No. SC2026-1262). The opinion says titles will be updated in later amendments and that existing forms remain valid in the meantime, however they are titled.

This page is public legal information, not legal advice, and Onbello is not a law firm. The item numbers and labels below are those printed on the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law form (12.902(b), Rev. 10/21). Procedures differ by county. If you can afford an attorney, we encourage you to hire one.

Form 12.902(b) section by section

The affidavit starts on page 4 of the PDF. Page 4 is the caption, the employment block and income lines 1 through 9; page 5 is lines 10 through 27; page 6 is Section II expenses A through F; page 7 is line 28, the summary at lines 29 through 32, and Section III A (assets); page 8 is Section III B and C (liabilities and contingent items); page 9 is Section IV, the certificate of service, and your signature. Line numbers below are the ones printed on the form.

When an item runs out of room

Section I says “Attach more paper, if needed,” and that items under “other” should be listed separately with separate dollar amounts. Lines 3 and 11 call for an attached itemizing sheet, the unemployment box calls for a separate sheet explaining your job search, and Sections III A and III B each have a box to check if additional pages are attached.

Caption and opening

Circuit, county, case number, division, parties, and your sworn statement

What it asks: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE ___ JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR ___ COUNTY, FLORIDA, the case number, division, Petitioner and Respondent, then “I, {full legal name}, being sworn, certify that the following information is true.”
What to put: Copy the caption from the petition or supplemental petition in your case. For example, Petitioner Maria Lopez and Respondent Daniel Reyes. Then your full legal name.
Common mistake: Using the short form when the long form applies. The heading under the title reads “Under $50,000 Individual Gross Annual Income.”

Employment

Occupation, employer, business address, pay rate

What it asks: My Occupation; Employed by; Business Address; Pay rate in dollars, with boxes for every week, every other week, twice a month, monthly, or other; and a line to check if unemployed and explain on a separate sheet your efforts to find employment.
What to put: Your current job and the pay rate as it appears on your pay stub, with the matching frequency box. If you are unemployed, check the line and attach the explanation it asks for.
Common mistake: Writing a monthly figure here and checking “every other week.” The pay rate and the box should match your actual pay period; the monthly conversion goes in line 1.

Lines 1 and 2

Monthly gross salary or wages; bonuses, commissions, overtime

What it asks: Line 1, monthly gross salary or wages. Line 2, monthly bonuses, commissions, allowances, overtime, tips, and similar payments.
What to put: Gross amounts, before taxes, converted to monthly. The instructions convert weekly pay by multiplying by 52 and dividing by 12, every-two-weeks pay by multiplying by 26 and dividing by 12, and twice-a-month pay by multiplying by 2.
Common mistake: Multiplying weekly pay by 4. The instructions use 52 weeks divided by 12 months.

Line 3

Monthly business income

What it asks: Monthly business income from self-employment, partnerships, close corporations, and/or independent contracts, figured as gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary expenses required to produce income, with an attached sheet itemizing that income and those expenses.
What to put: Your net business income per month, and the itemized sheet the line calls for.
Common mistake: Entering gross receipts with no expenses, or expenses with no sheet. The line defines the figure and requires the attachment.

Lines 4 through 8

Disability, workers’ compensation, unemployment, pension, Social Security

What it asks: Line 4, monthly disability benefits/SSI; line 5, Workers’ Compensation; line 6, Unemployment Compensation; line 7, pension, retirement, or annuity payments; line 8, Social Security benefits.
What to put: The monthly amount of each benefit you actually receive.
Common mistake: Leaving benefit income off because it is not a paycheck. Section I is present monthly gross income from every listed source.

Line 9

Monthly alimony actually received

What it asks: Alimony actually received, as the total of 9a (from this case) and 9b (from other case(s)).
What to put: What you actually receive, split between this case and any other case.
Common mistake: Entering the ordered amount when the payments are not being made. The line says actually received.

Lines 10 through 14

Interest, rent, royalties, reimbursed expenses, property gains

What it asks: Line 10, interest and dividends; line 11, rental income (gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary expenses, with an itemizing sheet attached); line 12, royalties, trusts, or estates; line 13, reimbursed expenses and in-kind payments to the extent they reduce personal living expenses; line 14, gains from dealing in property, not including nonrecurring gains.
What to put: Monthly figures for each source you have, and the itemizing sheet for line 11 if you have rental income.
Common mistake: Forgetting the rental income sheet that line 11 requires.

Lines 15 through 17

Other recurring income, and total present monthly gross income

What it asks: Line 15, any other income of a recurring nature, with its source; line 16, a blank line; line 17, TOTAL PRESENT MONTHLY GROSS INCOME, adding lines 1 through 16.
What to put: Each other recurring source on its own line with its own amount, then the total.
Common mistake: Lumping several sources into one “other” amount. The section says items under “other” should be listed separately with separate dollar amounts.

Line 18

Monthly federal, state, and local income tax

What it asks: Monthly income tax, corrected for filing status and allowable dependents and income tax liabilities, with (a) filing status and (b) number of dependents claimed.
What to put: The monthly tax figure the line describes, corrected for your filing status, allowable dependents and income tax liabilities, with 18a and 18b showing the filing status and dependents it is based on.
Common mistake: Leaving 18a and 18b blank. They are what make the tax figure checkable.

Lines 19 through 22

FICA, Medicare, union dues, mandatory retirement

What it asks: Line 19, FICA or self-employment taxes; line 20, Medicare payments; line 21, mandatory union dues; line 22, mandatory retirement payments.
What to put: Monthly amounts from your pay stubs or tax records.
Common mistake: Listing voluntary retirement contributions on line 22. The line says mandatory.

Line 23

Monthly health insurance payments

What it asks: Health insurance payments, including dental insurance, excluding the portion paid for any minor children of this relationship.
What to put: Your own share of the premium. Section II D has a separate line for the children’s medical and dental insurance.
Common mistake: Including the children’s portion here. The line excludes it.

Lines 24 and 25

Child support and alimony actually paid

What it asks: Line 24, court-ordered child support actually paid for children from another relationship. Line 25, court-ordered alimony actually paid, as the total of 25a (this case) and 25b (other case(s)).
What to put: What you actually pay under a court order.
Common mistake: Listing support for the children in this case on line 24. The line is for children from another relationship.

Lines 26 and 27

Total deductions and present net monthly income

What it asks: Line 26, TOTAL DEDUCTIONS ALLOWABLE UNDER SECTION 61.30, FLORIDA STATUTES, adding lines 18 through 25. Line 27, PRESENT NET MONTHLY INCOME, line 17 minus line 26.
What to put: The two totals. Line 27 carries forward to line 29.
Common mistake: Adding expenses from Section II into line 26. It is lines 18 through 25 only.

Section II A

Household

What it asks: Monthly mortgage or rent, property taxes, utilities, telephone, food, meals outside the home, maintenance and repairs, and other.
What to put: Average monthly amounts. The section says that if this is a dissolution of marriage case and your listed expenses do not reflect what you currently pay, write “estimate” next to each estimated amount.
Common mistake: Entering an annual property tax bill as a monthly figure. Divide it by 12.

Section II B

Automobile

What it asks: Monthly gasoline, repairs, and insurance.
What to put: Average monthly costs for the three listed items. The section has no other lines.
Common mistake: Entering a six-month insurance premium as a monthly figure. Convert it.

Section II C

Child(ren)’s expenses

What it asks: Monthly day care, lunch money, clothing, grooming, gifts for holidays, uninsured medical and dental, and other.
What to put: Average monthly amounts you pay for the children.
Common mistake: Putting the children’s uninsured medical costs here and again in Section II E.

Section II D

Insurance

What it asks: Medical/dental (if not listed on lines 23 or 45), the children’s medical/dental, life, and other insurance.
What to put: Premiums not already deducted on line 23. The printed label refers to lines 23 or 45; the short form’s numbered lines stop at 32, so line 23 is the deduction to check against.
Common mistake: Repeating your own health premium from line 23.

Section II E

Other expenses not listed above

What it asks: Clothing, uninsured medical/dental, grooming, entertainment, gifts, religious organizations, miscellaneous, and blank lines for others.
What to put: Your own recurring personal expenses, monthly.
Common mistake: Leaving off irregular but real costs. Average them to a monthly figure.

Section II F

Payments to creditors

What it asks: Each creditor and the monthly payment.
What to put: Loans and cards you are currently paying, one per line, with the monthly payment. Do not list full account numbers.
Common mistake: Listing a debt here that you do not actually pay monthly. The column is monthly payment.

Line 28 and Summary (lines 29 through 32)

Total monthly expenses, surplus or deficit

Form 12.902(b), page 7, line 28 and summary, as printed on the form — Form 12.902(b), page 7, line 28 and summary — tap to open the full page

What it asks: Line 28, TOTAL MONTHLY EXPENSES, adding all monthly amounts in A through F. Line 29, net income from line 27; line 30, expenses from line 28; line 31, the surplus if line 29 is more; line 32, the deficit if line 30 is more.
What to put: The totals, and either line 31 or line 32, not both.
Common mistake: Filling in both surplus and deficit.

Section III A

Assets

What it asks: A description of each item owned by you (and your spouse, if this is a petition for dissolution of marriage), its current fair market value, and a nonmarital column for Petitioner or Respondent. Rows cover cash on hand, cash in banks or credit unions, stocks, bonds and notes, real estate (home and other), automobiles, other personal property, retirement plans, and other, with a total.
What to put: Each asset, the last 4 digits of any account number, and its current value. Check the line next to any asset you are asking the judge to award to you. The section says to use the nonmarital column only if this is a petition for dissolution of marriage and you believe an item belongs to only one of you.
Common mistake: Writing full account numbers. The form says LIST ONLY LAST 4 DIGITS OF ACCOUNT NUMBERS.

Section III B

Liabilities

What it asks: Each debt owed by you (and your spouse, in a dissolution), its current amount owed, and the nonmarital column. Rows cover a first and second mortgage on the home, other mortgages, auto loans, charge and credit card accounts, and other, with a total.
What to put: Each debt with the last 4 digits of the account number and the balance. Check the line next to any debt you believe you should be responsible for.
Common mistake: Listing the monthly payment instead of the balance. Section II F has the payment; this column is current amount owed.

Section III C

Contingent assets and liabilities

What it asks: Possible assets (income potential, accrued vacation or sick leave, bonus, inheritance) and possible liabilities (possible lawsuits, future unpaid taxes, contingent tax liabilities, debts assumed by another), with possible value and the nonmarital column.
What to put: Anything that may become an asset or a debt. The instructions in this section say you must list them.
Common mistake: Leaving out an expected bonus or a pending claim because it is not certain yet. That is what this section is for.

Section IV

Child Support Guidelines Worksheet

What it asks: One of two statements: a Child Support Guidelines Worksheet IS or WILL BE filed because the case involves establishing or modifying child support, or one IS NOT being filed because child support is not an issue.
What to put: Check exactly one. The section states that Form 12.902(e) must be filed with the court at or prior to a hearing to establish or modify child support and that this requirement cannot be waived by the parties, which rule 12.285(k) also provides.
Common mistake: Checking “IS NOT” in a case where child support is being set or changed.

Certificate of service

I certify that a copy of this document was

What it asks: How it was sent, e-mailed, mailed, faxed, or hand delivered, the date, and the other party’s or their attorney’s name, address, city, state, ZIP, telephone, fax and e-mail.
What to put: The method and date you actually used. The instructions say the copy must be mailed, e-mailed, or hand delivered on the same day shown in the certificate, and if mailed, postmarked that day.
Common mistake: Dating the certificate for a day other than the day the copy went out.

Signature

Under penalties of perjury

What it asks: The declaration that you have read the document and the facts stated in it are true, the date, your signature, and your printed name, address, city, state, ZIP, telephone, fax and e-mail.
What to put: Your signature and contact details. The form has no notary block. If you have a confidential-address finding, the instructions say to leave the address, telephone and fax blank and file Form 12.980(h).
Common mistake: Signing before every section is complete. You are declaring under penalties of perjury that the facts in the whole document are true.

Nonlawyer block

If a nonlawyer helped you fill out this form

What it asks: Whether the form was prepared for the Petitioner or the Respondent, and the name, business, address, city, state, ZIP and telephone number of any nonlawyer who helped.
What to put: Left blank if no one helped you. If a nonlawyer did, the instructions say that person must give you a Disclosure from Nonlawyer, Form 12.900(a), before helping.
Common mistake: Leaving it blank when someone did help you complete the form.

Common pitfalls

Choosing the form by take-home pay

Rule 12.285(e)(1) draws the line at gross annual income: Form 12.902(b) below $50,000, Form 12.902(c) at $50,000 or more. The same rule lets the other party, through the Standard Family Law Interrogatories, or the court on its own motion, require a party under $50,000 to complete the long form.

Mixing pay periods

The form says all amounts must be monthly. The instructions convert hourly and daily pay to weekly, weekly pay by multiplying by 52 and dividing by 12, every-two-weeks pay by multiplying by 26 and dividing by 12, and twice-a-month pay by multiplying by 2, and say expenses may be converted the same way.

Counting the same cost twice

Your own health insurance is a deduction on line 23, which excludes the children’s portion. Section II D says to list medical and dental insurance only if it is not already on line 23, and Section II E is for expenses not listed above.

Filing the supporting documents

Rule 12.285(e)(1) requires the documents supporting the affidavit’s figures to be produced, but rule 12.285(a)(3)(A) says that, other than the financial affidavit and the child support guidelines worksheet, documents produced under the rule are not filed in the court file without a court order. They are served on the other party.

Letting it go stale

Rule 12.285(f)(1) gives parties a continuing duty to supplement their disclosure, including financial affidavits, whenever a material change in their financial status occurs. Under (f)(2), an amended affidavit must be served with the documents supporting the amendment.

What to file with 12.902(b)

12.902(e): Child Support Guidelines Worksheet. When child support is being established or modified, filed at or before the hearing under rule 12.285(k). Section IV states whether it is or will be filed.
12.932: Certificate of Compliance with Mandatory Disclosure. Rule 12.285(j) requires parties subject to mandatory disclosure to file it, identifying the documents delivered and certifying the date the financial affidavit and documents were served.
12.902(c): Family Law Financial Affidavit (Long Form). Instead of this form if your gross annual income is $50,000 or more, or if the other party requests it through the Standard Family Law Interrogatories or the court orders it, under rule 12.285(e)(1). Read the 12.902(c) walkthrough.
12.980(h): Request for Confidential Filing of Address. Instead of entering your address, if a judge has found you to be the victim of one of the crimes the instructions list.
12.915: Designation of Current Mailing and E-mail Address. If you choose to serve and receive documents by e-mail. The instructions say to designate your address on this form and give it on every form you sign.

The instructions say to file the affidavit with the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the petition was filed, and that if you file electronically you must follow the procedures of the judicial circuit where you file.

Keep reading

Form 12.902(c) Financial Affidavit (Long Form), line by line

The version for gross annual income of $50,000 or more, with its larger expense and asset tables.

Form 12.905(a) Supplemental Petition, line by line

Paragraph 8 of the modification petition states that this affidavit is or will be filed.

Form 12.903(e) Answer to Supplemental Petition, line by line

Paragraph 4 of the answer states the same for the responding party.

Florida child support

How the guidelines use the income figures this affidavit reports.

Writing affidavits in Florida

The financial affidavit alongside the other sworn statements in a Florida case.

Hidden income in Florida cases

When the other party’s affidavit does not match their lifestyle.

Common questions

Who uses the short form financial affidavit in Florida?

A party whose gross annual income is less than $50,000. Rule 12.285(e)(1) of the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure calls for Form 12.902(b) below $50,000 and Form 12.902(c) at $50,000 or more, and lets the other party, through the Standard Family Law Interrogatories, or the court on its own motion, require a party under $50,000 to complete the long form.

When is the financial affidavit due?

The instructions say it must be filed with the court and served on the other party within 45 days of being served with the petition, if it is not served with your initial papers. Rule 12.285(b)(2) sets 45 days from service of the initial pleading for initial and supplemental proceedings, and (b)(1) sets earlier deadlines before a temporary financial hearing.

Does the financial affidavit have to be notarized?

The form itself has no notary block. Its last page is a declaration that you have read the document and the facts stated in it are true, made under penalties of perjury, followed by your signature.

Can the parties agree to skip the financial affidavit?

Rule 12.285(e)(1) says the financial affidavit requirement cannot be waived by the parties. Rule 12.285(c)(2) allows a notice of joint verified waiver of filing financial affidavits, but in it both parties acknowledge that they have each given the other a fully executed and sworn financial affidavit.

Do I attach my pay stubs and bank statements to the affidavit?

Rule 12.285 requires the supporting documents to be produced to the other party, but rule 12.285(a)(3)(A) says that, other than the financial affidavit and the child support guidelines worksheet, those documents are not filed in the court file without a court order. The form itself asks for attachments only where it says so, such as the itemizing sheets for lines 3 and 11.

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