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Form 12.902(b) is Florida's financial affidavit, short form, for family cases. It lists your monthly income, deductions and expenses, and your assets and debts, in one sworn statement. Parties in divorce, alimony and child support cases use it, especially those with modest incomes.
This guide shows when the short form fits, what to gather, and how to complete each section line by line, with a picture of every part. You can fill in the form with our builder and print it when it is done.
A financial affidavit in a family case is a sworn statement of your income, deductions, living expenses, assets and debts, with income and expenses written as monthly amounts so a judge can compare both parties.
The Florida short form opens with a header that names the case and the parties. Its sections then move from income to deductions, from expenses to property and debts, and end with a signature block.
The figures feed decisions on alimony, child support and the division of property. Each line you complete gives the judge part of that picture, so a careful affidavit helps your side of the case.
The Florida financial affidavit comes in two versions, the short form 12.902(b) and the long form 12.902(c), and your own gross income for the year decides which one you use.
The Short Form, 12.902(b), is used when an individual’s gross income is under $50,000 per year, while the Long Form, 12.902(c), is used when an individual’s gross income is $50,000 or more per year.
Count your own gross income, before taxes and deductions, not your household's. The long form follows the same order but asks for more detail, and you can find it on our Form 12.902(c) long form page.
A financial affidavit is the sworn money statement in a Florida family case, and the statute below names when a child support case needs one.
Every petition for child support or for modification of child support is accompanied by an affidavit showing the party's income, allowable deductions and net income, under § 61.30(14), Fla. Stat.
In a child support case, the respondent makes the same kind of affidavit whether or not a stipulation is entered, under § 61.30(14), Fla. Stat.
For a divorce, alimony or property case, the instructions that come with Form 12.902(b) explain when the form is used and when it is not. Read them before you begin.
Before you start the short form, gather your pay stubs, checkbook, receipts and bank statements, plus a rough estimate of the small expenses you pay in cash each month.
With these papers on hand, each section takes far less guessing, and your figures match the paperwork behind them.
Every income, deduction and expense amount on the short form is a monthly figure, so convert weekly, biweekly, twice-monthly and yearly amounts before you enter them, and use the same method on every line.
Section III is different: it takes the current value of what you own and the balance of what you owe, not monthly amounts. For expenses, a bill you pay every few months or once a year is spread across the months it covers.
Example: you earn $18 an hour for 40 hours a week. 18 × 40 = $720 a week. 720 × 52 = $37,440 a year. 37,440 ÷ 12 = $3,120 a month.
To fill out the financial affidavit short form, work through its header and sections in order, enter monthly amounts for income, deductions and expenses, and total each table before you move on.
Fill in the Document Header
Enter the judicial circuit and the county at the top, as they appear on the petition or the papers you received. Below, name the Petitioner, the person who started the case, and the Respondent, the other party. Copy the case number and division from earlier papers, or leave them blank if you have none yet.
Enter Your Name and Employment
Write your full legal name. Fill in the lines about your job if you work, or mark that you are unemployed.
Determine Your Monthly Income
Section I asks for your gross income for each month, one line per type of income, such as wages, a pension or benefits. Convert any amount you receive on another schedule into a monthly figure first.
For example, if you are paid by the hour, multiply your hourly rate by the hours you work per week. Multiply that by 52, the number of weeks in a year. Then divide by 12 to get the monthly amount for the line.
Be sure to fill in line 17, which shows your total income for the month.
Specify Monthly Deductions
The next part of Section I lists what comes out of your pay each month: taxes, health insurance, support you already pay for another case, and other deductions taken from your paycheck.
To fill in line 26, add up all the previous deductions. In line 27, enter your net income: your total income on line 17 minus your total deductions on line 26, since net income is obtained by subtracting allowable deductions from gross income under § 61.30(3), Fla. Stat. Living expenses are not taken off on this line.
List Your Monthly Expenses
Section II covers what you spend each month on your home, your car, your children, health insurance and personal items such as clothing and gifts. Its last part lists your monthly payments on loans and credit cards.
Give honest averages taken from your bills. A judge reads these lines to see what you need to live on, so an expense left out is an expense nobody counts. Put anything the lists miss on the “Other” line.
Be sure to calculate your average monthly expenses for line 28 at the top of the next page.
Make the Summary Calculations
Move the corresponding numbers to lines 29 and 30 and make calculations for the two following lines according to the instructions in parentheses.
The result shows the gap, if any, between what you take home and what you spend.
List Your Assets and Debts
Section III lists what you own and what you owe, with a value for each item. Check the box beside any item you consider nonmarital and mark whose it is, Petitioner or Respondent. The first table covers assets.
The second table covers debts, such as loans, credit cards and amounts secured by property.
The third table covers possible gains or debts that depend on a future event, such as a pending claim. Describe each one briefly.
Total each table before you move on.
Answer the Child Support Worksheet Question
Check the box that says whether a Child Support Guidelines Worksheet will be completed, has been completed, or does not apply to your case.
Complete the Certificate of Service
Mark how you delivered a copy to the other party, such as by e-mail, mail or hand delivery, and enter the date you sent it.
Sign the Affidavit
Date the form and fill in your name, address, phone number and e-mail in the signature block. Read the oath wording before you sign, because you swear that the figures are true. Do not sign until you have read the signature block and the form's instructions, which say before whom you swear to them.
The last block applies only if a nonlawyer helped you fill out the form. In that case, enter that person’s details there.
The most common mistakes on the financial affidavit short form are picking the wrong version, mixing weekly and monthly figures, totals that do not add up, blank lines and missing debts.
A mistake on the affidavit can hold up the rest of the case. Checking each total twice takes little time and saves a corrected version later.
After you sign the financial affidavit, follow the instructions that come with Form 12.902(b) on where the original goes next, and keep a copy for yourself.
The certificate of service records how and when the other party received their copy.
In a child support case, the affidavit is served at the same time as the petition, under § 61.30(14), Fla. Stat.
In that case, the respondent includes their affidavit with the answer to the petition or as soon as practicable after it, but at least 72 hours before any hearing on the finances of either party, under § 61.30(14), Fla. Stat.
If your income or expenses change before a hearing, prepare an updated affidavit so the figures match your life today.
Section 61.30 of the Florida Statutes sets the child support guidelines, and its subsection (14) describes the affidavit of income, allowable deductions and net income that goes with a child support petition (§ 61.30(14), Fla. Stat.).
The form's own instructions explain the rest of its use, line by line. Read them together with this guide.
Looking for another document? Browse our full set of printable affidavit form pages.
Yes, a child support case uses a financial affidavit as well: under § 61.30(14), Fla. Stat., every petition for child support or for modification of child support is accompanied by an affidavit of the party's income, allowable deductions and net income. Your income decides whether you use the short or the long version.
In a child support case, yes: the petitioner's affidavit goes with the petition, and the respondent makes one whether or not a stipulation is entered, under § 61.30(14), Fla. Stat. For a divorce or alimony case, the instructions that come with Form 12.902(b) say who completes one.
Multiply your hourly rate by the hours you work in a week. Multiply that by 52, the number of weeks in a year, then divide by 12. Enter the result on the matching income line of the first section.
Line 17 shows your total income for the month. Line 26 adds up your deductions, and line 27 shows your net income: line 17 minus line 26, as net income is obtained by subtracting allowable deductions from gross income under § 61.30(3), Fla. Stat.
Use it for any expense that the lists above it do not mention. Give each one a short name and its monthly amount, so the reader can see what it covers.
They are the names of the two Florida financial affidavit forms: 12.902(b) is the short form and 12.902(c) is the long form. The other letters in the same series name other supporting forms for family cases.
Yes, you can complete the financial affidavit short form in our builder, then print it, sign it and keep a copy for yourself before you send it.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
