Florida Financial Affidavit: 12.902(b) vs 12.902(c)

If your individual gross income is under $50,000 a year, you file Florida Family Law Form 12.902(b), the short-form Financial Affidavit. If your individual gross income is $50,000 a year or more, you file Form 12.902(c), the long-form Financial Affidavit. The two forms cover the same ground — income, expenses, assets, and liabilities — but the long form asks for more detail in each category.

This article is general information about Florida court forms, not legal advice. It does not create an attorney-client relationship, and it is not a substitute for advice from a licensed Florida attorney about your specific case. Court forms, thresholds, and procedures can change; always confirm current requirements with the clerk of court in your county or with the official Florida Courts forms page before filing.

Which Financial Affidavit Do You File in Florida?

Nearly every Florida family law case that involves money — divorce, paternity, child support establishment or modification — requires one of the two Financial Affidavit forms approved under the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure. Which one you use comes down to a single number: your individual gross annual income.

• Under $50,000 per year — use Form 12.902(b), the Family Law Financial Affidavit (Short Form).
• $50,000 or more per year — use Form 12.902(c), the Family Law Financial Affidavit (Long Form).

The income threshold is based on your own gross income, not your household’s or your spouse’s combined income. Florida’s official instructions for both forms describe the same three exceptions where a financial affidavit may not be required at all: (1) you are filing a simplified dissolution of marriage under Rule 12.105 and both parties have waived the affidavit requirement, (2) you have no minor children, no support issues, and have filed a written settlement agreement resolving all financial issues, or (3) the court does not have jurisdiction to decide financial issues in your case. Outside of those situations, one of the two affidavits is required.

Both forms must be completed using monthly income and expense figures. If you are paid weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, or by the day, the official instructions include simple conversion formulas (for example, weekly pay × 52 ÷ 12 = monthly amount). A copy must be filed with the clerk of court and served on the other party — generally within 45 days of being served with the petition, unless it was already served with the initial paperwork.

Short Form vs. Long Form: What’s the Real Difference?

Both 12.902(b) and 12.902(c) are sworn statements of your financial situation, and both are organized around the same core sections: income, expenses, and assets/liabilities. The difference is granularity. The short form groups expenses into a handful of broad categories. The long form breaks those same categories into many more individual line items (for example, separate lines for electricity, water and sewer, lawn care, and pest control, instead of one combined “utilities” line), and its assets/liabilities section asks for more detail, including separate tracking of marital versus nonmarital property and specific categories like digital wallets and virtual currency. If your income puts you at or near the $50,000 line, use the actual gross figure — not a rounded estimate — to decide which form applies, and when in doubt, consult the clerk of court or an attorney.

Line-by-Line Orientation: What’s Inside the Affidavit

Both forms follow the same basic architecture. Here’s what each section covers.

Section I: Income

This section lists your present monthly gross income from every source — wages, self-employment or business income, bonuses and commissions, disability or workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, retirement or pension payments, Social Security, alimony received, interest and dividends, rental income, and any other recurring income. You then subtract allowable deductions (income tax, FICA/self-employment tax, Medicare, mandatory union dues and retirement contributions, health insurance premiums, and court-ordered child support or alimony you actually pay) to arrive at your present net monthly income.

Section II: Expenses

This section lists your average monthly expenses, grouped into household costs (rent or mortgage, utilities, food, maintenance), automobile costs, children’s expenses, insurance, payments to creditors, and other miscellaneous expenses. The short form uses broader categories; the long form itemizes many more individual expense lines within the same groups. At the end of this section, the form compares your net income to your total expenses to show a monthly surplus or deficit.

Section III: Assets and Liabilities

Here you list what you own (cash, bank accounts, real estate, vehicles, retirement accounts, and other property) and what you owe (mortgages, auto loans, credit card balances, and other debts), along with the current fair market value or amount owed for each. If your case is a dissolution of marriage, you also indicate whether you believe an asset or debt is marital or nonmarital. Both forms include a section for “contingent” assets and liabilities — things that might happen, like a possible inheritance, unused vacation payout, or a pending lawsuit.

Child Support Guidelines Worksheet

If child support is being established or modified in your case, a separate form — the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, Form 12.902(e) — must also be filed. The financial affidavit asks you to confirm whether that worksheet is or will be filed. It cannot be waived by agreement of the parties when child support is at issue.

Filling Out the Form Without Losing an Afternoon to It

Because every dollar figure has to be converted to a monthly amount, and every asset and debt has to be listed individually, the financial affidavit is one of the more time-consuming forms in a Florida family law case. If you’d rather answer plain-English questions about your pay, bills, property, and debts and let software sort those answers into the correct lines, boxes, and totals, the Florida forms interview is built for exactly this — it asks you plain-English questions and types your answers into the correct 12.902(b) or 12.902(c) fields for you, based on your reported income.

FAQ

Do I file 12.902(b) or 12.902(c) if my income is exactly $50,000?

Based on the official form instructions, 12.902(b) applies when individual gross income is under $50,000, and 12.902(c) applies when it is $50,000 or more. At exactly $50,000, that places you in the long-form category. If you’re unsure how to classify irregular or seasonal income, confirm with the clerk of court or an attorney before filing.

Is the income threshold based on my income alone or my household’s combined income?

It’s based on your own individual gross income, not a combined household figure.

What happens if I file the wrong form?

Court staff or the other party may flag it, which can delay your case. If you’re close to the threshold or unsure which form applies, it’s worth double-checking with the clerk of court before filing rather than after.

Do I have to file a financial affidavit in every Florida family law case?

Not always. The official instructions list specific exceptions — for example, an uncontested simplified dissolution where both parties waive the affidavit, or a case with no minor children, no support issues, and a written settlement agreement covering all financial matters. Outside those narrow exceptions, an affidavit is generally required.

How often do I need to update or refile my financial affidavit?

Requirements can vary by circuit and by what’s happening in your case (for example, a modification or a hearing on support). Check with your local clerk of court or the presiding judge’s requirements for your specific proceeding.

Where do I get the official, current version of these forms?

Always download the current version directly from the Florida Courts website rather than a third-party site, since forms are periodically revised.

Closing

The short form and long form financial affidavits ask for the same basic story about your finances — what comes in, what goes out, what you own, and what you owe — just at different levels of detail depending on your income. Filing the correct one, filled out completely and accurately, is one of the more important steps in a Florida family law case involving support or property. For a deeper walkthrough of the entire Florida child support process, including how the financial affidavit connects to the support guidelines calculation, see Navigating Child Support.