New Jersey Case Information Statement (CIS): Line by Line

The New Jersey Case Information Statement (CIS) is the sworn financial disclosure form the Family Part uses in most divorce and family cases to establish income, expenses, assets, and debts. Under New Jersey Court Rule 5:5-2, it must be filed in most contested family actions that raise custody, support, alimony, or equitable distribution — generally within 20 days after an Answer or Appearance is filed. If you’re representing yourself in an NJ divorce or support case, the CIS is very likely the single most important document you’ll complete, because the court and both sides use it to evaluate your finances and, in support cases, to run the child support guidelines calculation.

What Is the CIS, and Who Has to File One?

The Family Part Case Information Statement (form CN 10482) is a certified statement of your income, monthly expenses, assets, and liabilities. Per the instructions printed on the official form, it “must be fully completed, filed and served, with all required attachments, in accordance with Court Rule 5:5-2.” Because you sign it under penalty of the court’s certification requirements, accuracy matters — it becomes part of the record the judge (and the other party’s attorney) relies on.

Rule 5:5-2 requires the CIS in all contested family actions except summary actions in which there is any issue as to custody, support, alimony, or equitable distribution. In other family actions, a judge can still order one on motion. Where it applies, each party must file a CIS (or a certification that none is required) with the county clerk within 20 days after the Answer or Appearance is filed.

One important distinction for pro-se parents: many child-support-only “summary” actions (the kind commonly filed through the county Probation/Family Division without a full divorce complaint) instead use the shorter financial affidavit or certification described in Rule 5:5-3, Financial Statement in Summary Support Actions — not the full CIS. Ask your Family Division intake staff which form your case type requires; the paperwork differs even though both feed the same support calculation.

Why the CIS Drives the Child Support Number

New Jersey’s child support guidelines (Rule 5:6A and Appendix IX) run on income and expense data. The guidelines materials specify that before a hearing to establish or modify child support, the parties submit either a Case Information Statement under Rule 5:5-2 or a Rule 5:5-3 financial statement, and the court uses that information — along with the required Appendix IX-A considerations — to populate the child support guidelines worksheet. That’s why Part G of the CIS itself requires you to attach a completed Appendix IX Child Support Guideline Worksheet “as applicable, based upon available information.” If your income or expense entries on the CIS are wrong or incomplete, the worksheet — and the support order built on it — inherits that error.

The CIS Line by Line: Parts A Through G

The current form (revised August 2025, effective September 1, 2025) is organized into seven parts. Here’s what each one covers.

Part A — Case Information

Basic case data: date of the statement, cause of action, marriage/civil union date, date of complaint and separation, both parties’ names, addresses and birthdates, and the children’s names, addresses, birthdates, and who they live with. This section also flags which issues are actually in dispute (custody, parenting time, alimony, child support, equitable distribution, counsel fees, college contribution, etc.) and asks whether any agreement already exists between the parties.

Part B — Miscellaneous Information

Employer name and address, whether you have employer-provided insurance (medical, dental, prescription, life, disability), and whether an Affidavit of Insurance Coverage under Rule 5:4-2(f) has been filed. This part also requires you to attach a list of any prior or pending family actions involving support, custody, or domestic violence, with docket numbers and outcomes, plus copies of existing orders.

Part C — Income Information

The most detailed section. It covers last year’s gross and net income for you, the other party, and (if applicable) joint totals; your current average weekly income based on your three most recent pay stubs; a full year-to-date earned-income breakdown with tax and other deductions; year-to-date unearned income (unemployment, disability, Social Security, rental income, interest, dividends, etc.); and a long list of follow-up questions covering raises, bonuses, commissions, overtime, stock compensation, cash distributions, alimony paid or received, existing child support, and wage executions. You’re required to attach tax returns, W-2s, 1099s, and pay stubs to support these figures.

Part D — Monthly Expenses

Your household budget, computed at 4.3 weeks per month and broken into two side-by-side columns — “Joint Life Style” (the marital standard of living) and “Current Life Style” (your expenses now). It’s split into four schedules: Schedule A (Shelter — rent or mortgage, utilities, insurance, phone/internet); Schedule B (Transportation — car payment, insurance, fuel, commuting costs); Schedule C (Personal — food, medical, childcare, education, entertainment, and dozens of other line items, including a newer catch-all line for streaming services and technology subscriptions such as cloud storage and other device-related fees); and Schedule D (Non-Recurring — averaged over 24 months, e.g., home repairs, snow removal, registration fees).

Part E — Balance Sheet of Assets and Liabilities

A full net-worth statement. Assets include real property, bank and mobile-payment accounts, vehicles, tangible personal property, stocks/bonds/securities, retirement accounts, IRAs, business interests, life insurance cash value, loans receivable, cryptocurrency and digital currency, children’s accounts (529 plans, trusts), and tax carryovers or refunds — each with title (Plaintiff/Defendant/Joint), value, and valuation date. Liabilities cover mortgages, other long-term debt, revolving credit cards, short-term debts, contingent liabilities, and tax liabilities, with monthly payment and total owed for each. The form totals to gross assets, gross liabilities, and net worth, split between property subject to and not subject to equitable distribution.

Part F — Statement of Special Problems

A short narrative space to flag anything unusual — for example, a complex business valuation, a special medical need in the family, or another issue the numbers alone don’t capture.

Part G — Required Attachments

A checklist confirming you’ve attached: full federal and state tax returns, last year’s W-2s/1099s/K-1s, your three most recent pay stubs, bonus/commission documentation, a corporate benefits statement, the Rule 5:4-2(f) Affidavit of Insurance Coverage, a list of prior/pending family actions, wage execution details, any non-budgeted support payments, existing agreements, and — where applicable — an Appendix IX Child Support Guideline Worksheet and college-contribution documentation. Part G ends with your certification that the information is complete, accurate, and true.

Keeping the CIS Current

Filing the CIS isn’t a one-time task. Court rule imposes a continuing duty to inform the court of material changes to the information on your statement, and if your case is heading to a final hearing, an amended CIS generally must be filed no later than 20 days before the final hearing under Rule 5:5-2(c). If you move, change jobs, or your income or expenses shift materially while the case is pending, plan on updating the form rather than relying on the original filing.

What Happens If You Don’t File — or You’re Not Honest On It

Failing to file a required CIS carries real consequences: the rule allows the court, on its own motion or the other party’s, to dismiss a party’s pleadings for not filing one. And because the form ends with a certification — “I certify that the foregoing information contained herein is true. I am aware that if any of the foregoing information contained therein is willfully false, I am subject to punishment” — misstating your income, expenses, or assets is not a low-stakes shortcut. Beyond the certification itself, inaccurate financial disclosures can affect support and equitable-distribution outcomes and, depending on the facts, expose you to separate legal consequences. This is a good moment to get a document review from an attorney or a court self-help center rather than guessing.

Filling Out the CIS Without a Lawyer

The CIS’s biggest challenge for pro-se parents isn’t any single question — it’s the sheer number of interlocking fields across income, monthly budget, and net worth, all of which need to reconcile with your attachments. Navigating Child Support’s guided forms tool walks you through plain-English questions about your income, household expenses, and assets, then produces fully typed court forms — including the financial disclosure paperwork your case needs — with a free preview before you pay anything.

If you’d rather work from a complete reference guide as you go, Navigating Child Support is a 50-state manual that walks through state-by-state child support procedure and includes one free forms packet.

Filing In Another State?

Financial disclosure forms vary by state — New Jersey’s CIS has a different structure than, say, Florida’s Family Law Financial Affidavit or Georgia’s Domestic Relations Financial Affidavit. If your case is in a different jurisdiction, see our line-by-line breakdowns of the Florida Financial Affidavit (12.902(b) vs. 12.902(c)) and the Georgia Domestic Relations Financial Affidavit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who must file a Case Information Statement in New Jersey?

Under Rule 5:5-2, each party generally must file a CIS in contested family actions (other than summary actions) that involve custody, support, alimony, or equitable distribution, within 20 days after an Answer or Appearance is filed.

Is a CIS required in child-support-only cases?

Many child-support-only summary actions use a shorter financial statement or certification under Rule 5:5-3 instead of the full Case Information Statement. Check with your county’s Family Division to confirm which form applies to your case type.

What happens if I don’t file a required CIS?

The court may, on its own motion or the other party’s, dismiss your pleadings for failing to file a required Case Information Statement.

What happens if I lie on my CIS?

The form requires you to certify that the information is true and that you’re aware willfully false statements can subject you to punishment. Inaccurate disclosures can also affect the court’s support and property-division decisions.

When do I need to update or amend my CIS?

You have a continuing duty to inform the court of material changes to your financial circumstances, and an amended CIS generally must be filed no later than 20 days before the final hearing under Rule 5:5-2(c).