As you’re preparing to start a divorce, a great first step to take in getting organized is gathering all the necessary records and paperwork. Although it can seem overwhelming at first, taking care and paying attention to details at this stage can be hugely helpful during your divorce proceedings—be thorough now, and you’ll very likely thank yourself later.
Here are the documents you should gather for a divorce, as well as some tips for organizing yourself early in the process.
- Financial disclosures will be required as part of the divorce, so it can be helpful to begin gathering financial information.
- Make sure you have access to your account information both physically and online, and verify the account’s contact information is correct.
- Consider tracking your income and spending for a couple of months to see what you have coming in and going out on a regular basis.
- Make a clear copy of all tax returns, wills, trusts, financial statements, banking information, brokerage statements, loan applications (including pending loan applications) and documents, credit card statements, deeds to real estate, and car registrations.
- Gather your respective year-to-date pay stubs, tax-assessed valuations and/or real estate appraisals, and insurance inventories—if you’ve supplied an inventory of belongings to your homeowners insurance company for instance—with any attached appraisals.
- Make copies of records that can trace and verify separately owned property, such as an inheritance or family gift.
- Try to gather at least 3 years' worth of documents, but check what your state might require.