Guide to Finding Your Divorce Decree, Marital Settlement Agreement & Domestic Support Orders
If you are preparing for a bankruptcy case and have been divorced, our office may ask you to provide documents from your divorce or family law case. These documents help your attorney understand your current and former marital obligations, including child support, alimony/spousal support, maintenance, property division, and debts assigned during the divorce.
This guide will help you identify the documents you may already have and explain where to look if you need to request copies.
What You’ll Need Before You Start
Before looking for your divorce documents, try to have the following information available:
Your full legal name at the time of your divorce
Your former spouse's name
The county and state where your divorce was filed
Your divorce case number, if available
If you don't know your case number, don't worry. You may still be able to locate your records through the court. You can also use Find My Court to locate the correct court.
The approximate year your divorce was finalized
If you're changing your name, you'll also need documentation showing your legal name change, such as:
Marriage Certificate - If you were married in California, you can request a copy from the county recorder or clerk where your marriage license was filed.
Divorce Decree - If your divorce was finalized in California, request a copy from the Superior Court that handled your case. You can also use Find My Court to locate the correct court.
Court Order approving the name change - Request a certified copy from the California court that issued the order. If you need help finding the court, use Find My Court.
Why This Is Important
Your divorce documents contain information that may be important when preparing your bankruptcy case.
Your attorney may need to determine:
Whether you are required to pay or receive child support
Whether you are required to pay or receive alimony or spousal support
Whether you have past-due support
How property and debts were divided during your divorce
Whether you remain responsible for debts assigned in your divorce
Whether there are other ongoing obligations from your divorce
Providing the complete documents, rather than just the first page, helps our office accurately review your obligations and prepare your bankruptcy paperwork.
Step 1: Finding Your Divorce Decree or Judgment
Your final divorce document may have different names depending on the court and when your divorce was finalized.
You may see it called:
Divorce Decree
Judgment
Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage
Final Judgment
Judgment of Dissolution
These documents generally establish that your marriage was legally dissolved and may contain information about property, debts, support, and other orders.
Step 2: Finding Your Marital Settlement Agreement
A Marital Settlement Agreement (MSA) is an agreement between you and your former spouse addressing issues related to your divorce.
It may include information about:
Property
Vehicles
Bank accounts
Debts
Child support
Spousal support or alimony
Other financial responsibilities
Your MSA may be a separate document, or its terms may have been incorporated into your final Judgment.
If you have a Marital Settlement Agreement, please provide the complete agreement—not just the signature page.
Step 3: Understanding the California Divorce Forms
If your divorce was handled in California, you may see several standard Judicial Council forms in your paperwork.
Here are some of the forms our office may ask you to provide:
FL-100 — Petition — Marriage/Domestic Partnership
This is generally the document that started the divorce case.
It provides information about:
You and your spouse
Your marriage
Children
Property
Debts
Requests being made to the court
FL-120 — Response — Marriage/Domestic Partnership
The FL-120 is generally filed by the spouse responding to the divorce petition.
It provides information similar to the FL-100 from the responding spouse's perspective.
If you filed a response to your spouse's divorce petition, you may have an FL-120 in your records.
FL-142 — Schedule of Assets and Debts
This form is particularly important because it lists information about property and debts involved in the divorce.
It may include:
Real estate
Vehicles
Bank accounts
Investments
Credit cards
Loans
Other debts
Separate or community property
FL-150 — Income and Expense Declaration
The FL-150 provides information about a person's financial situation during the divorce case.
It may include:
Employment income
Other income
Monthly expenses
Housing costs
Debts
Assets
Child support
Spousal support
FL-160 — Property Declaration
The FL-160 provides additional information about property involved in the divorce.
It may identify:
Real property
Vehicles
Bank accounts
Personal property
Investments
Other assets
Don't Worry If You Don't Have Every Form
You do not need to recreate your entire divorce file yourself. If you find some of these forms but not others, send our office what you have. Your divorce case may not contain every form listed above, and forms may have been completed differently depending on your case.
The most important thing is to provide the complete divorce documents you have available.
Step 4: Finding Your Domestic Support Order
A Domestic Support Obligation (DSO) generally refers to certain court-ordered support obligations, such as:
Child support
Spousal support
Alimony
Maintenance
Your support order may not be a document specifically titled "Domestic Support Order."
Instead, the support obligation may be contained in:
Your Divorce Decree
Judgment of Dissolution
Marital Settlement Agreement
Child Support Order
Spousal Support Order
A later modification order
Another family court order
Step 5: Look for Your Current Support Amount
When reviewing your divorce paperwork, look for sections mentioning:
Child Support
Look for information such as:
Monthly payment amount
Who pays support
Who receives support
Effective date
Amount of any past-due support
Spousal Support / Alimony / Maintenance
Look for:
Monthly payment amount
Who pays support
Who receives support
When payments began
When payments end
Any later modifications
If your support amount has changed since your divorce, make sure you provide the most recent order showing the current amount.
Step 6: If Your Support Order Was Modified
Your original divorce judgment may not show your current support obligation.
For example, your original order may have required $500 per month, but a later court order may have changed the amount.
If this applies to you, provide:
The original support order
Any modification orders
The most recent order showing the current obligation
This allows our office to determine which order is currently in effect.
Step 7: Where to Get Copies If You Can't Find Your Documents
Option 1: Contact Your Divorce Attorney
If an attorney represented you during your divorce, contact their office and ask whether they still have a copy of your:
Final Judgment
Divorce Decree
Marital Settlement Agreement
Support orders
Financial disclosures
Option 2: Contact the Court
If you don't have your documents, contact the court where your divorce was finalized.
If your divorce was finalized in California, request a copy from the Superior Court that handled your case. You can also use Find My Court to locate the correct court.
Ask the clerk how to obtain copies of your divorce case documents.
You may need your:
Case number
Full name
Former spouse's name
Date or approximate year of the divorce
What to Send to Your Attorney
If applicable, please provide:
Divorce Decree / Final Judgment
Marital Settlement Agreement
FL-100 — Petition
FL-120 — Response
FL-142 — Schedule of Assets and Debts
FL-150 — Income and Expense Declaration
FL-160 — Property Declaration
Child Support Order
Spousal Support / Alimony / Maintenance Order
Any later support modification orders
Recent documentation showing your current support obligation or arrears, if applicable
Please provide the complete document, including all pages and attachments.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Sending only the first page
Divorce judgments and settlement agreements can be several pages long.
Please send the complete document.
Sending only your divorce certificate
A divorce certificate or record showing that you are divorced does not necessarily contain the financial and support information your attorney needs.
We need the complete Judgment/Decree and related documents, when available.
Sending an old support order
If your support amount has changed, your original divorce order may no longer show the current amount.
Include your most recent modification order.
Assuming "Domestic Support Order" is a specific document
You may not have a document with that exact title.
Your support obligation may be contained within your Judgment, MSA, or another family court order.
Only sending the pages that mention support
Even if you think only one page is relevant, please send the complete document so our office can review the surrounding provisions.
Need Help?
You can start by contacting the court where your divorce was finalized or the attorney who represented you.
If you're having trouble identifying your divorce documents, don't worry. Divorce paperwork can be confusing, especially when you have several forms with different numbers and names.
Our office can help you determine which documents you should provide for your bankruptcy case.
Final Thoughts
Divorce paperwork can contain a lot of information, but you don't need to understand every page before sending it to us.
When in doubt, send the complete document.
Providing your Divorce Decree, Marital Settlement Agreement, support orders, and related financial forms early helps our office accurately review your obligations and prepare your bankruptcy case.
If you have questions, feel free to contact our office for assistance.
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