Before starting an online divorce interview, it helps to have the basic paperwork ready. SimpleEnding.com asks for details about the marriage, children, finances, property, and other terms of the divorce. Having those details ready means fewer interruptions to look up a date, account balance, or other piece of information.
The Basic Information You’ll Need
Marriage and Residency Details
Have the date and place where you were married, along with information about the county where the divorce will be filed. Utah generally requires the petitioner or respondent to have lived in the same Utah county for at least three months immediately before the divorce petition is filed. The marriage certificate can provide the marriage details, while a lease, utility bill, driver’s license, or another record may help confirm residency information.
Information About Any Children
If you have children, have their full legal names, birthdates, and current living arrangements ready. If you and your spouse have already agreed on a parenting schedule, write it down before starting the interview. Even a simple outline can make it easier to enter the details into the parenting plan.
If there are children under 18, both parents must take Utah’s divorce orientation and parenting classes, unless the court waives the requirement.
Financial Information to Gather
The financial questions can take a little longer, especially when you need to find account balances, income figures, or debt amounts.
Income and Accounts
Recent pay stubs or tax returns can provide the income figures you’ll need. For accounts and investments, have recent bank statements, retirement statements, or investment account records available so you can check the balances rather than guess at them.
Financial information can also matter after the initial filing. Utah’s domestic-relations rules require financial disclosures in applicable cases, so keeping the underlying records organized can make that part of the process easier.
Property and Debt
You’ll want to have a few documents ready:
- Mortgage statement or property deed
- Vehicle titles and any loan balances
- Credit card and loan statements
- Retirement account statements
- Records for property owned separately before the marriage
You may not have every figure finalized yet. Checking the actual documents is still better than relying on memory and correcting the numbers later.
What You and Your Spouse Need to Decide
Not every question is asking for information you can look up. Some require a decision that you and your spouse have already discussed.
What You Have Already Agreed On
If you’re preparing an uncontested divorce, you and your spouse should have your positions on property division, custody and parent-time, child support, and alimony settled before completing the paperwork. The forms can record those decisions, but they cannot resolve a disagreement between the spouses. If those terms still need to be negotiated, handle that conversation before starting the paperwork. Utah’s divorce materials specifically recognize property, retirement funds, alimony, custody, child support, and parent-time as issues that may need to be addressed in the divorce.
Details That Are Easy to Miss
A former name restoration is one of those details that can be easy to overlook. If either spouse wants to restore a former name, make that decision before the divorce documents are prepared. It is a small item compared with property or parenting issues, but leaving it out can create another problem to deal with later.
Before Starting the Interview
Having the basic information, financial records, and property details ready can make an online divorce interview easier to complete. It also helps to settle decisions about property, parenting time, support, and other terms before starting the paperwork. SimpleEnding brings those details into one guided process, giving couples a more organized way to prepare their divorce documents.