The financial affidavit: how to fill out Connecticut form JD-FM-6

When it is due

Two deadlines govern it:

• Under the automatic orders, both spouses must complete and exchange sworn financial affidavits within 30 days of the Return Date, and the affidavit must also be filed with the court.
• Both parties' affidavits must be on file at least 5 business days before any hearing on alimony, support, or fees.

A stale affidavit is a problem too: the numbers describe your finances now, so a hearing months later usually means an updated affidavit.

It is sworn, and the form says what that means

The certification you sign states that the information is complete, true, and accurate, and that willful misrepresentation will subject you to sanctions and may result in criminal charges. Treat every number as something you may be asked to back up with a document.

Income: weekly, gross, everything

The form works in weekly figures and asks for gross income, before taxes, from all sources: wages, self-employment, overtime, bonuses, benefits. The figure is computed from your year-to-date pay, using no less than your last 13 weeks. If you are paid on another schedule, the form's own conversion math applies:

• Paid every two weeks: divide by 2
• Paid twice a month: multiply by 2, then by 12, then divide by 52
• Paid monthly: multiply by 12, divide by 52
• Paid annually: divide by 52

Gather your pay stubs for the last 13 weeks before you start. Deductions from pay are listed separately on the form, so the court sees both gross and net.

Expenses: weekly, honest, no double counting

Expenses use the same weekly conversion math. The form walks through categories: housing, utilities, groceries (after food stamps), transportation, insurance premiums, clothing, and children's costs including child care after any subsidies and credits. Two rules keep it clean:

• If you are not currently paying an expense, or someone else pays it, the form has a box to mark exactly that. Mark it rather than listing the expense as yours.
• Do not list the same obligation under both expenses and debts.

Debts and assets

The liabilities section lists each debt with the creditor, the balance, when it was incurred, and the weekly payment. Do not repeat expenses already listed, and do not list a mortgage balance here when the house and its mortgage appear in the assets section. The assets section lists what you own and what is owed against it; the difference is the net figure the $75,000 version test looks at.

Before you sign, check four things

1. 1.Every source of income is included, computed from at least your last 13 weeks.
2. 2.Every converted figure used the form's own weekly math.
3. 3.Nothing appears twice across expenses, liabilities, and assets.
4. 4.Each number matches a document you could produce: a pay stub, a bank statement, a bill.

What happens with it

Your affidavit is exchanged with the other party and filed with the court, and it is what the judge works from at any hearing about money. The court's own information pages accompany the form; the link at the top of the form leads to field-by-field help.

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.