To fill out an income and expense information form, download your state’s current version from the judicial branch website, gather recent pay stubs, tax returns, bills, and account statements, and then report your gross and net income, monthly expenses, assets, and debts truthfully under oath. The form — called an Income and Expense Declaration in California (FL-150), a Sworn Financial Statement in Colorado (JDF 1111), or a Financial Affidavit elsewhere — gives a judge the numbers needed to set child support, spousal support, or divide property. Accuracy matters at every line, because you sign under penalty of perjury and the figures drive the court’s ruling.
Where to Get the Right Form
Start at your state judiciary’s website. Most state court systems publish their financial disclosure forms as free, fillable PDFs under “family law forms,” “self-help,” or “domestic relations.” Download the most current edition. Courts routinely reject outdated versions.
If you cannot download, visit the clerk of court’s office. Most courthouses stock printed copies in a self-help center or family law facilitator’s office. Ask which version applies to your case — some jurisdictions use a short form for lower-income cases and a long form once income or assets exceed a set threshold.
The form is usually an attachment to a support motion or divorce petition rather than a standalone filing, so no separate filing fee typically applies. If you cannot afford the fees that attach to the underlying motion, you can ask the court for a waiver. Federal courts allow litigants to proceed without prepaying fees by submitting an affidavit of inability to pay, and most state courts offer a similar process.
Gather Your Documents First
Having paperwork in front of you before you touch the form prevents the kind of estimation that erodes credibility with a judge. Pull together:
- Pay stubs covering at least the last two months.
- Your most recent federal tax return (Form 1040) with all schedules. If you are self-employed, Schedule C is especially important.
- 1099s and benefit statements for Social Security, disability, unemployment, rental, and investment income.
- Health insurance premium statements, with the cost of covering your children broken out separately.
- Child care receipts tied to your work schedule — daycare, after-school programs, summer camp.
- Housing and utility bills: mortgage or lease, property tax, homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, electricity, gas, water, internet, and phone.
- Debt statements showing each creditor’s name, the balance owed, and the minimum monthly payment.
- Bank, retirement, and brokerage statements.
Organize everything by income, expenses, assets, and debts. That mirrors the layout of most forms and makes the transfer straightforward.
Reporting Income
The income section is where judges focus first. You will report both gross income (before taxes and deductions) and net income (take-home pay).
Gross Income
Gross income includes virtually every dollar coming in: salary, hourly wages, overtime, tips, bonuses, commissions, self-employment revenue, rental income, dividends, interest, Social Security, disability, pensions, and trust distributions. Non-cash compensation counts too. If your employer provides a vehicle for personal use, housing, or meals, courts treat the fair market value as income.
When earnings fluctuate, total the last twelve months and divide by twelve. That smooths seasonal swings and beats a single recent stub from a slow or busy stretch. For overtime, bonuses, and commissions specifically, some jurisdictions average the previous three years instead of one so a single unusual year does not skew the number.
Deductions and Net Income
After reporting gross income, subtract mandatory deductions: federal income tax, state and local income tax, Social Security tax, and Medicare tax. These should match your pay stubs exactly. A mismatch gets flagged.
Voluntary deductions go in their own section — retirement contributions to a 401(k) or 403(b), union dues, health insurance premiums taken from your paycheck, and flexible spending account contributions. Courts separate the two because a judge may decide heavy voluntary retirement savings should not reduce the income available for support.
If You Are Underemployed
If you are currently unemployed or earning well below your historical level, expect the other party to argue the court should impute income to you. Imputing income means the judge assigns an earning level based on your education, work history, skills, and the local job market rather than accepting your current reported figure. Courts do this when they conclude someone has voluntarily reduced earnings to avoid support obligations. If you left a job for a legitimate reason — a layoff, a documented medical condition, or caregiving — bring evidence. Without it, the court may treat you as though you still earn what you earned before.
Self-Employment Income
Self-employed filers face extra scrutiny because the line between personal and business finances is blurry. At minimum, bring your most recent Schedule C, which reports business profit or loss for sole proprietors.1Internal Revenue Service. About Schedule C (Form 1040), Profit or Loss from Business (Sole Proprietorship) If you operate through an LLC or S-corp, the equivalent documents are Schedule K-1 and your business tax return.
Prepare a profit and loss statement covering at least the previous twelve months. Judges are skeptical of business deductions that look like personal spending. A home office is routine; a large vehicle depreciation deduction on a luxury SUV that doubles as a family car will invite questions. Keep detailed records and be ready to explain any expense that blurs the personal-business boundary. If you use a personal vehicle for business, the IRS standard mileage rate for 2026 is 72.5 cents per mile, which gives you a defensible basis for the transportation figure you list.2Internal Revenue Service. IRS Sets 2026 Business Standard Mileage Rate at 72.5 Cents Per Mile, Up 2.5 Cents
Listing Monthly Expenses
The expense section asks you to itemize what it costs to run your household each month. Typical categories include housing (rent or mortgage, property tax, insurance), utilities, food, clothing, laundry, out-of-pocket medical and dental costs, transportation, child care, education, entertainment, and personal grooming. Some forms also ask about life insurance premiums, charitable contributions, and savings.
Two mistakes trip people up. The first is inflating expenses to look cash-strapped. Judges compare claimed monthly expenses against reported income; if expenses exceed income by a wide margin with no evidence of debt accumulation or outside help, the numbers lose credibility. The second mistake is underreporting to look self-sufficient when you actually need support. Report what you genuinely spend, backed by the bills and statements you gathered.
For costs that vary — car repairs, medical co-pays, clothing — total the last twelve months and divide by twelve, the same method you used for fluctuating income. That gives you a defensible monthly average rather than a guess.
Assets and Debts
Most forms include a section for everything you own and everything you owe. Assets typically cover cash on hand, bank balances, investment and retirement accounts, real estate (at current market value, not purchase price), vehicles, and personal property of significant value such as jewelry or collectibles.3Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Income and Expense Information Form
For each debt, list the creditor’s name, the total outstanding balance, the interest rate if the form asks, and the minimum monthly payment.3Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Income and Expense Information Form Common entries include mortgages, auto loans, student loans, credit card balances, personal loans, medical debt, and any existing court-ordered payments like support from a prior case.
The difference between total assets and total liabilities gives the court your net worth. Judges use this alongside your income and expenses to decide whether one party has resources the other lacks — a factor in both support and attorney-fee awards.
Redact Sensitive Information
These forms require data that identity thieves want: Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, and dates of birth. Federal courts require redaction. Include only the last four digits of a Social Security or taxpayer identification number, the last four digits of financial account numbers, a minor child’s initials rather than full name, and only the birth year rather than the full date of birth.4Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 5.2 – Privacy Protection for Filings Made with the Court Most state courts follow the same or similar standards.
Tax returns, pay stubs, and bank statements attached as supporting documents often contain full account numbers and Social Security numbers. Many courts require you to file those attachments under seal using a confidential cover sheet so the judge and the other party can see them while they stay out of the public record. Check your local rules before filing. Attaching unredacted tax returns to a public filing is hard to undo.
Signing, Filing, and Serving
Nearly every version of this form requires verification under oath or under penalty of perjury. Some jurisdictions require a notarized signature; others accept an unsworn declaration signed under penalty of perjury, which federal law permits as a substitute for a notarized oath in most situations.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1746 – Unsworn Declarations Under Penalty of Perjury Check whether your form includes a notary block or a declaration block and follow whichever appears.
Once signed, the form goes to the court clerk. Most courts accept electronic filing through a statewide e-filing portal; if yours does not, deliver the original to the clerk’s office. The filing stamp is your proof that you met the disclosure deadline.
After filing, serve a copy on the other party so they have a fair chance to review your numbers before any hearing. Depending on the jurisdiction, service can be made by a neutral adult, a professional process server, certified mail, or sometimes email if both parties agreed to it. File a proof of service afterward to confirm delivery happened under the rules.
Once both sides have filed and served, the judge uses the numbers to run the state’s child support guidelines formula or evaluate spousal support. If the other party disputes your figures, expect a hearing where you may need to testify about specific entries and produce the underlying documents. That is exactly why every number on the form should trace back to a pay stub, bank statement, or receipt you already have in hand.
Updating Your Disclosure
Filing the form once does not end your obligation. If your income or expenses change significantly before the final hearing or trial, you have a duty to update your disclosure. Federal rules require a party to supplement prior disclosures in a timely manner whenever the earlier information becomes materially incomplete or incorrect.6Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 26 – Duty to Disclose; General Provisions Governing Discovery State family courts impose similar requirements, and many demand a new or amended form within a set number of days before any subsequent hearing. Even after a support order is in place, a major, lasting, involuntary change — a job loss, a serious medical diagnosis, or a significant jump in the other party’s income — can justify filing a new form to request a modification.
Consequences of False Information
Because you sign under oath or under penalty of perjury, false information carries the same consequences as lying on the witness stand. Federal perjury is punishable by a fine and up to five years in prison.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1621 – Perjury Generally State perjury statutes carry their own penalties, often ranging from misdemeanor charges for less severe misstatements to felony charges when the false information materially affects the outcome.
Criminal prosecution is not the only risk. Judges who discover hidden assets or understated income can impose a range of civil sanctions:
- Contempt of court, which can bring fines, attorney-fee awards to the other party, or jail time until you comply with disclosure orders.
- Adverse inferences, meaning the court assumes the worst about what you hid and factors that assumption into its ruling.
- Fee shifting, where you pay the other party’s attorney fees and forensic accounting costs incurred to find the true numbers.
- Lopsided property division — in some jurisdictions, a judge can award a concealed asset entirely to the other spouse as a penalty.
- Reopened judgments, if the fraud surfaces after the case is over and the other party petitions to redistribute assets or recalculate support.
Report every dollar honestly, even when a number feels unflattering. Judges expect imperfect finances. They do not expect deception. A well-documented form with unfavorable numbers will always serve you better than a polished one that falls apart under scrutiny.