October 3, 2026

Florida Financial Affidavit Short Form 12.902(b), Explained

Form 12.902(b) is the short Family Law Financial Affidavit, a sworn list of your monthly income, expenses, property, and debts. This guide explains who the official instructions say uses it, what each section asks, and what papers to gather first.

Written by Jurisio with AI assistance. Each legal statement is cited to the official source listed below; Jurisio checked the quoted passages against those sources on October 3, 2026. Jurisio is not a law firm and this page has not been reviewed by a lawyer.

A financial affidavit is a sworn statement about your money: what comes in each month, what goes out, what you own, and what you owe. Florida has two versions. Form 12.902(b) is the short form. The current version is dated October 2021, shown as "(10/21)" on each page [1].

Short form or long form?

The official instructions draw the line at income. The short form is used when "your individual gross income is UNDER $50,000 per year" [1]. The instructions for Form 12.932 say the same thing and point people with income of $50,000 or more to the long form, Form 12.902(c), covered in the long form guide [2].

Two words in that rule matter:

Individual means your own income, not your household's combined income.
Gross means before taxes and other deductions come out.

Even below the line, the other party can ask you to fill out the long form by serving a standard set of written questions called interrogatories (Form 12.930(b), or 12.930(c) in a modification case) [2].

When no financial affidavit is needed

The instructions list three situations where the short form is not used [1]:

A simplified dissolution of marriage under rule 12.105 where both spouses waived the financial affidavit [1].
No minor children, no support issues, and a filed written settlement agreement that settles all financial issues [1].
The court lacks jurisdiction to decide any financial issues [1].

Filing it with the court vs. giving it to the other side

The official papers talk about two different things that are easy to mix up: filing the affidavit with the court, and giving (serving) a copy to the other party.

Giving it to the other party. In the part about spouses agreeing not to exchange the other disclosure documents, the Form 12.932 instructions say that exception does not apply to the financial affidavit, "which is required in all cases and cannot be waived" [2].
Filing it with the court. In 2023 the Florida Supreme Court amended Rule 12.285 to let parties waive the requirement to file financial affidavits in certain circumstances, "although the affidavits must still be exchanged by the parties" [4]. Those changes took effect November 1, 2023 [4]. The official form for this is Form 12.902(k), Notice of Joint Verified Waiver of Filing Financial Affidavits [3]. Its instructions say it is used only when each side has already received the other's complete financial affidavit, both prefer not to file them with the court, and the form is signed before any agreement that would resolve the case [3]. The Form 12.932 instructions also name Form 12.902(k) as an exception to filing the financial affidavit [2].

Read side by side, the "cannot be waived" sentence and the filing waiver can look like they conflict. The 2023 opinion treats them as separate: filing can be waived in certain circumstances, while the exchange still happens [4]. The printed Form 12.902(b) instructions are dated 10/21, before that change, and still say the affidavit must be filed with the court [1]. This guide does not decide whether the filing waiver fits any particular case.

When it is due

The printed instructions say a copy must be filed with the court and served on the other party (or their lawyer) within 45 days of being served with the petition, if it was not served with your first papers [1]. The filing part is subject to the Form 12.902(k) joint waiver described above [3].

Everything must be monthly

The instructions say the affidavit must be completed using monthly amounts [1]. If you are paid on a different schedule, they give these conversions [1]:

Hourly: hourly rate × hours worked per week × 52 weeks ÷ 12 months [1].
Daily: daily rate × days worked per week × 52 weeks ÷ 12 months [1].
Weekly: weekly amount × 52 weeks ÷ 12 months [1].
Every two weeks: amount × 26 ÷ 12 months [1].
Twice a month: amount × 2 [1].

The instructions say expenses are converted the same way [1]. For example, $500 paid every two weeks is $500 × 26 ÷ 12, or about $1,083 a month [1].

Section by section

The top of the form

You list your occupation, your employer and its address, and your pay rate and how often you are paid. If you are unemployed, there is a box to check, and the form asks you to explain on a separate sheet your efforts to find work [1].

Section I: Present monthly gross income

Lines 1 through 16 list every type of income: wages, bonuses and tips, business income, disability benefits, workers' compensation, unemployment, pensions, Social Security, alimony received, interest, rental income, trusts, and any other recurring income [1]. The form says items under "other" are listed separately, each with its own dollar amount [1]. Line 17 is the total [1].

Lines 18 through 25 are deductions, and several have limits [1]. They cover income taxes, FICA or self-employment tax, Medicare, and mandatory union dues and retirement payments [1]. Health insurance (including dental) counts, excluding the portion paid for any minor children of this relationship [1]. Child support counts only if it is court-ordered, actually paid, and for children from another relationship [1]. Court-ordered alimony actually paid is listed separately [1]. Line 27 is your net monthly income, which is gross income minus those deductions [1].

Section II: Average monthly expenses

This section groups regular costs into household, car, children's expenses, insurance, other expenses, and payments to creditors [1]. In a divorce, if the amounts are not what you pay now, the form says to write "estimate" next to each estimated amount [1]. Lines 28 through 32 compare your net income with your expenses and show a surplus or a deficit [1].

Section III: Assets and liabilities

Here you list what you own (cash, bank accounts, stocks, real estate, cars, retirement plans, and other property) with its current fair market value, which means what it would likely sell for today. Then you list debts such as mortgages, car loans, and credit cards with the amount owed. The form says to list only the last 4 digits of account numbers [1]. In a divorce, a check mark shows which items you are asking the judge to give you or which debts you think you should pay. The nonmarital column is for items you believe belong to only one spouse, which the form says is typically property or debt one spouse had before the marriage [1].

Last comes contingent assets and liabilities, meaning things you might get or might owe, like a possible inheritance, a bonus, or a possible lawsuit. The form says you must list them [1].

Section IV: Child Support Guidelines Worksheet

You check whether a Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (Form 12.902(e)) is or will be filed. The form says that worksheet must be filed at or before any hearing to establish or modify child support, and the parties cannot waive this [1]. The other box is for cases where child support is not an issue and no worksheet is being filed [1].

Certificate of service and signature

You fill in the date and how you delivered a copy to the other party. You then sign under penalty of perjury, declaring that the facts are true [1]. If a nonlawyer helped you, that person fills in their name and contact details at the bottom [1].

What to gather first

The Form 12.932 checklist lists the documents each spouse gives the other in mandatory disclosure. Pulling them together first also makes the affidavit much easier:

Tax returns for the past 3 years, with W-2s, 1099s, and schedules [2].
Pay stubs or other proof of earnings for the 6 months before disclosure [2].
Checking account statements for the last 12 months [2].
Credit card and other debt statements [2].
Retirement plan statements, life insurance papers, and health insurance cards [2].
Your monthly bills: rent or mortgage, utilities, phone, car costs, child care, and insurance.

The 12.932 instructions say copies are fine, but the originals must be produced if the other party asks to see them [2].

Questions

Is the $50,000 limit for my household or just me?

The instructions say "individual gross income," so it is your own income before taxes, not your household's [1].

Do I need a notary for the short form?

The current short form ends with a statement signed "under penalties of perjury" rather than a notary block [1].

Can my spouse and I agree to skip the financial affidavit?

The Form 12.902(b) instructions list three situations where no affidavit is used [1]. Outside those, the Form 12.932 instructions say the affidavit is not covered by an agreement to skip the document exchange [2]. Filing it with the court is a separate question: Form 12.902(k) is a joint waiver of filing, used only after both sides have exchanged complete affidavits [3].

What if my income changes after I file?

The Form 12.932 instructions describe a continuing duty to give the other party updated information when your finances change [2].

Can I keep my address off this form?

The instructions say a person a judge has found to be a victim of certain crimes, including domestic violence, should leave the address lines blank and instead file Request for Confidential Filing of Address, Form 12.980(h) [1].