Sworn Financial Statement File Editor

The Sworn Financial Statement data entry is divided into tabs, sub-sections, and fields. Tab represent the main categories of financial data. Sub-sections divide each category into smaller sections, such as asset types or expense types. Single fields are used for entering values for each line item. Together, all entered data is combined to form a complete Sworn Financial Statement.

The editor header shows a live summary of the file: Net Income, Expenses and Payments, Excess (Shortfall), Asset Value, Child Assets, Flags, and Exclusions.

The tabs and sub-sections show markers for items that need attention: the number of flagged fields, an icon for excluded items, and an icon for unknown or TBD values.

When the file is prepared for both parties, the General, Employment, Income, Deductions and Expenses tabs show which party you are entering data for, with a button to switch to the other party. The Debts and Assets tabs are shared by both parties. The summary in the header shows the totals of the party you are entering data for, with the shared asset values.

There is no Save button on the file editor page. Every time you change a value and step off the field, the change is automatically saved.

Press the Print Statement button to generate the printed Sworn Financial Statement, and related documents, which can be filed with the court.

To change the file name, file type, permissions, or description, open the menu at the right end of the file header and select Edit File Settings. Other settings that were entered when creating the file, such as the parties and case details, can be edited from the Print Statement page.

For Pre-Decree cases, press the Property Division button to divide assets and debts between the parties, and to generate a live spreadsheet that you can edit during negotiations.

Press the Client Access button to share access to the Sworn Financial Statement file with a client, allowing them to enter their data directly. This option is only available to law firms with an active subscription.

Common Settings

• Unknown: when you don't know a certain value, enable the Unknown switch.
• TBD: if a value is To Be Determined later, enable the TBD switch.
• Flag: an easy way to mark a field as an item you need to get back to later. Click to enable, click again to disable.
• Exclude: for items that are to be reported on the Sworn Financial Statement, but should be excluded from the totals. For assets and debts, the exclusion button provides four options: Not Excluded, Exclude from calculation (printed on the Sworn Financial Statement but left out of the calculations), Exclude child asset (printed as a child asset, such as a College 529 fund, and left out of the calculations), and Exclude from SFS (not printed, but still divided on the property division).
• Period: you can enter monthly or annual amount for most line items. Deductions also provide options for common pay schedules, such as every two weeks or twice a month.
• Comment: you can enter a comment for each field and for each sub-section. These comments will be printed on the Sworn Financial Statement.
• Itemize: some fields provide an Itemize button, to break a single amount into a list of named entries, each with its own amount and period. The field then shows the calculated total and becomes read-only. You can choose to print the entries as a comment on the form.

General

Enter the household information, with an optional comment, if needed.

If you know it, enter the other party's monthly income.

Enter gross income information for both parties from the last available tax return, and the tax year of that return. Notice that in this case, this is annual income, not monthly income. If the parties filed jointly, use the Joint option to enter a single joint amount instead of the per-party amounts.

Employment

Use the employment tab to enter paycheck information, including employer data, salary, and deductions. If unemployed, fill out the Unemployment section.

Start by selecting the affiant's employment status from the drop-down list.

Employment Information

You can enter multiple employments, if needed, by pressing the Add Another Employer button.

Enter the employer information, including name, address, occupation, date employment began, and number of hours per week.

Under Salary and wages, select the pay frequency, the pay base, and the salary. Select the pay calculation method: From Paycheck, From Weeks/Hours, or Enter Monthly Amount. When feasible, the system will calculate the monthly salary for you. Otherwise, you may enter the monthly salary manually.

Instead of typing the paycheck data, you can press the Upload PDF Paycheck button (a BETA feature) to upload a pay stub. The application analyzes the PDF and extracts the employer information, salary, and deductions. Review the extracted values and press Add Paycheck to add the data as a new employer entry. When you assign several of the extracted lines to the same deduction category, that category is itemized, with each line entered as its own item.

Enter mandatory and voluntary deductions from your paycheck. By default, the period for each line item is set to the pay frequency, but you may override it, if needed. Add new categories, if needed.

Unemployment Information

Enter the date last worked, reason for unemployment, and a comment, if needed.

Income

Enter all income not included on the Employment tab. Review the standard fields under the Main and Miscellaneous sub-sections, and add additional fields if needed.

Deductions

Normally, you enter deductions for each paycheck under the Employment tab. However, sometimes there are deductions that are not associated with a paycheck. Use the Deductions tab for these deductions, but do not enter the paycheck deductions here again. If you do, you will get duplicate deductions on the Sworn Financial Statement.

Expenses

Select an expenses category from the list (Housing, Utilities, etc) and then enter the expenses for this category.

For Housing, Utilities, and Transportation, you can enter multiple items to match a real estate or vehicle asset. For example, if the affiant owns two houses, you can enter the expenses for each house separately. The printed Sworn Financial Statement will list the expenses for each asset, and then the total expenses for the sub-category.

Debts

Do not include debts that are secured against an asset, such as a mortgage on a house. The asset editor provides a place to enter loans against the asset.

Include unsecured debts such as credit cards or loans. Select a reason for the debt from the list, or enter a custom value. Each debt can also carry an account number, a balance date, a minimum payment, and the obligated person.

If part of the debt can be attributed to one of the parties before the marriage, you may enter that portion under the Separate Debt section. This option is available for pre-decree cases.

Assets

Select an asset type from the list, then add assets as needed for each category. If you have no assets for a type, leave it empty. The printed Sworn Financial Statement will mark this section as empty.

For Real Estate assets and Motor Vehicle assets, you may enter loans against the asset (up to ten loans per asset). The net value of each asset will be calculated and printed on the Sworn Financial Statement. Assets can also carry a valuation date and the party currently holding possession.

Use the item menu to reorder the items in a section (Move to Top, Up, Down, or Bottom), and to move financial assets between the Bank Accounts, Investments, and Retirement Funds sections.

Most of the drop-down fields provide common list of values, but also allow you to enter custom text, if needed. For example, under Miscellaneous assets, the Asset Type field provides a long list of asset types, but the list is not limited to these values.

Assets and Debts Owners

The owner of each of the assets and debts can be:

• Joint (most common for pre-decree cases)
• One of the parties
• Third party.