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The Pre-Divorce Checklist: 30 Days Before Filing

Reviewed by the Amicably document team · Updated August 23, 2026

The 30 days before you file are where a Florida divorce tends to go smoothly or stall on something that should have been sorted out earlier: a missing document, an unsettled money question, or a form signed in the wrong order. This checklist walks through what to confirm, which conversations to have, which documents to gather, and how to choose the right filing package in the month before you file an uncontested case, so the filing itself takes the roughly 15 minutes it's supposed to instead of getting held up.

It's written for couples who already agree, or expect to, on ending the marriage on terms they can work out together. If you and your spouse disagree about the divorce itself, or can't resolve the split of property, parenting, or support between you, this checklist doesn't apply yet; that's a contested case, and it needs a lawyer rather than a document preparation service.

Confirm the basics apply to you

Before anything else, make sure the uncontested path is actually available to you. Two things have to be true. First, at least one spouse must have lived in Florida for the 6 months before filing , shown with a Florida driver license, state ID card, or voter registration card. What matters is the document's issue date, not how long you've held it: it has to have been issued at least 6 months before you file . Second, both of you need to actually agree, not just be willing to eventually agree, on ending the marriage and on the practical terms.

Have the conversations before the paperwork

Every form in an uncontested divorce records a decision the two of you already made. Making those decisions before you start the paperwork, rather than while you're filling out a form, is what keeps the packet accurate the first time. Work through, together, where each of you will live, how you'll split accounts, property, and debt, and, if you have children, a time-sharing schedule and how you'll split their expenses. If alimony is on the table for either of you, settle roughly what and for how long before it becomes a form field.

None of this has to be finished to the last dollar in one sitting. It does need to be settled well enough that neither of you is surprised by what shows up in the settlement agreement later. If a conversation stalls on one specific issue, a mediator can help you close that single gap without turning the whole case contested.

Documents to gather

Amicably prepares every required form for you from the information you provide, but the underlying documents and numbers have to come from you first. Gathering them in the first two weeks, rather than the night before filing, is the single biggest time-saver in this checklist.

1. Your Florida driver license, state ID, or voter registration card, for proving the 6-month residency requirement.
2. A list of income sources for both spouses: pay stubs, recent tax returns, and any self-employment or benefit income, for the financial affidavit each of you may need to complete.
3. A list of joint and separate property and debts: the house, vehicles, retirement accounts, bank accounts, and any credit cards or loans, so the marital settlement agreement reflects what you actually own and owe.
4. If you have minor children, or the wife is pregnant, a working draft of the time-sharing schedule and who covers which expenses, for the parenting plan and child support worksheet.
5. Each spouse's current mailing and email address, which the court uses for notices throughout the case.

Route-scoped note: the financial affidavit step looks different by package. Simplified Dissolution cases that file a full settlement agreement are usually exempt from filing affidavits at all; when a county still expects them, or in Package 2 and 3 cases, each spouse files their own short form (income under $50,000 a year) or long form ($50,000 or more) . Couples who'd rather keep income private can exchange affidavits privately first, then file a joint waiver instead, but that order matters and the waiver has to come after the exchange, not before.

Decide which Florida route fits

Florida's uncontested process branches into three packages, and which one applies changes both the forms and the hearing requirement. Match your situation against the table before you gather anything else, since it determines exactly what "the documents" means for you.

Whichever package fits, the customer is always the one who files. Amicably prepares the complete, specialist-reviewed packet and gives step-by-step guidance through Florida's e-filing portal; Florida's rules require the filing spouse to submit their own case, so no service, including this one, can file it for you.

Line up the pieces that take lead time

A few steps in an uncontested divorce depend on someone else's schedule, which means they're worth starting early rather than leaving for the week you plan to file.

• Notarization. Florida allows remote online notarization, so both spouses can sign from wherever they live over a video session; book it once your settlement agreement and other notarized forms are close to final, rather than the day you want to file.
• The parenting course. Cases with children require both parents to complete the Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course , a minimum four hours, available online in most counties. Each parent has their own deadline: the petitioner within 45 days of filing, the other parent within 45 days of being served, and both certificates must be filed before the final judgment. Starting it in your 30-day window, rather than after filing, removes it as a late-stage bottleneck.
• The filing fee. Budget the county clerk's own filing fee, roughly $408 to $409 depending on the county, plus small portal or administrative charges some counties add . It's paid to the clerk, separate from any document preparation fee, on any route including a lawyer.

Your 30 days, day by day

There's no legal requirement that any of this take exactly 30 days; some couples who already have their documents and agreement in hand move faster. This is a realistic pace for a couple starting from a blank slate.

1. Days 1-7Confirm residency and eligibility, and have the money and parenting conversations with your spouse. Start gathering the documents list above.
2. Days 8-14Finish gathering income, property, and debt information. If you have children, start the parenting course now so its own deadline doesn't collide with filing.
3. Days 15-21Settle any remaining terms in the settlement agreement and, if applicable, the parenting plan. Begin preparing your documents with a specialist review.
4. Days 22-28Complete remote online notarization on the finished packet. Confirm both spouses' current mailing and email addresses are on file.
5. Day 30File. Florida requires at least 20 days between filing the petition and the final judgment on every uncontested route , so this is the start of the waiting period, not the end of the case.

Mistakes that push filing back

Filing before you've actually agreed. An uncontested case assumes settled terms. Filing while a detail is still unresolved usually means amending the petition or agreement later, which costs more time than finishing the conversation first.

Signing forms out of order. The Answer and Waiver accepts the petition and settlement agreement exactly as written, so the cooperating spouse signs it last, after those documents are final. Signing it early can lock in terms before they're settled.

Starting the parenting course late. Its 45-day deadlines run from filing or service, not from when you get around to it, and both parents' certificates have to be filed before the final judgment.

Using an ID or voter card issued too recently. The court checks the issue date on your residency document, not how long you've lived here; a card issued four months ago doesn't meet the 6-month rule no matter how long you've actually lived in Florida.

Frequently asked questions