Guides
Getting documents and answers from the other party in a Connecticut family case
General information about Connecticut court procedure, not legal advice.
Family cases are decided on facts, and some of the facts you need are in the other party's hands: their pay records, their accounts, their tax returns. Connecticut's rules give you ways to get them, and one of those ways, mandatory disclosure, requires nothing more than asking. This guide covers money discovery in family cases: the mandatory disclosure request, the broader discovery tools, and the duty that runs both directions.
Mandatory disclosure: the 60-day exchange
In a case for divorce, legal separation, annulment, or support, or on a postjudgment motion to change alimony or support, either party can request mandatory disclosure, and the other party must exchange financial records within 60 days of the request. The rule's list includes:
- All federal and state income tax returns filed within the last 3 years, including returns filed for any partnership or closely held corporation the party is a partner or shareholder in
- IRS forms W-2, 1099, and K-1 for the last 3 years, including the past year if that year's return has not been prepared yet
- All pay stubs or other evidence of income for the current year, and the last pay stub from the past year
The rule's full list covers more financial records; the request invokes all of it. The request works both ways: your opponent can make it too, so expect to assemble the same records yourself.
The broader discovery tools
Beyond mandatory disclosure, the rules that govern discovery in Connecticut civil cases apply in family matters: written questions the other party must answer under oath (interrogatories), requests for the production of documents, and depositions. These tools reach facts the financial records alone do not: where money went, what an asset is worth, what a party will say happened.
A practical order of operations: the mandatory disclosure request first, because it is the broadest financial sweep for the least effort, then targeted discovery for what it does not cover.
Answers are sworn, and the duty continues
Discovery responses are given under oath. And the duty does not end when you respond: if a party later learns that an earlier response was incomplete or has become untrue, the rules require correcting it. Treat your own responses with the same care as a financial affidavit, because the court will.
Discovery and your financial affidavit
The records the 60-day exchange produces are the same records behind both parties' sworn Financial Affidavits. Read what you receive against what the other party filed; differences between the two are exactly what hearings examine. Our guide on the financial affidavit covers that form.
If the other party does not comply
Silence past the deadline, partial production, or answers that dodge the question have their own set of rules and consequences. Our guide on discovery noncompliance covers that path.
Where to get help
Connecticut's Court Service Centers offer free help for self-represented parties. The clerk's office can answer questions about procedure but cannot give legal advice. Legal aid organizations serve people who qualify. If you want legal advice, talk to a licensed Connecticut attorney.
ProSay is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. ProSay is a self-help document preparation service.