Divorce Checklist

Working with us is pretty straightforward. Here is what you will need to work out for a divorce with children in Seattle or King County: 

Checklist for Uncontested Divorce With Children

Divorce Court Forms

Petition: FL 201, CIF, Vital Statistics for Health Department

Additional Forms: Declaration in Lieu, Certificate of Compliance, Case Information Cover Sheet

Parenting Forms: FL 130 Support Order, Support Worksheet, FL 140 Parenting Plan

Finalization Forms: FL 231 Findings and Conclusions, FL 241 Final Dissolution

Child Support

Budget for each parent      

• Home mortgage/rent for each parent
• Insurance
• Tax considerations
• 4 categories of child expenses

State Calculation/Formula

• Use the state formula to find net income and support for each parent
• 4 categories of child expenses factored
• Spousal maintenance can be paired or separate
• Worksheet filed with the court

Children’s Special Needs

• Educational needs
• Health needs
• Activities (skiing, lessons, computers)
• Travel (for family or parents who live in different cities)

Division of Expenses

• By income ratio, or 50-50

Parenting Plan

Decision making

• Joint or separate decision categories
• Rely on an expert
• Dispute resolution

Time Flow Considerations

• Activities
• Children’s temperament (is change easy or difficult, do they prefer tigth schedules or flexibility, etc)
• Creative ways to add parent/child time to the schedule (one parent does school drop off every morning, one parent takes child out for treat halfway through block of other parent’s time)
• Parent’s needs in re work, weekends, travel
• School/daycare calendar management

Holidays

• Joint or separate
• Travel
• Extended family considerations

Financial Asset Division

Home

• Will one parent stay?
• Mortgage required?
• Refinance BEFORE paperwork filed
• Scheduling needs for refinance
• Divide equity, and if necessary use equity to adjust other payments to each parent

Debts

• Student loans are separate debt
• Revolving credit can be retired with home equity
• Pay off cars with home equity or transfer payments

Accounts

• RSUs or other employment benefits
• IRA/Roth for each parent – check for QDRO requirements
• Retirement considerations
• SSA benefits (10-year marriage, etc)
• Pensions

Spreadsheet of Assets and Debts