For those navigating family law matters in Santa Barbara, the Income and Expense Declaration (Form FL-150) is a critical document. While every page holds significance, Page 3 is particularly crucial as it provides a comprehensive picture of your living situation and monthly expenses, directly impacting decisions regarding child support, spousal support, and attorney fees.
Why Page 3 Matters
Page 3 helps the court understand your actual financial needs and the environment in which you and your children reside. It covers:
- Household Composition (Question 12):This section details who lives with you, their age, relationship to you, and their gross monthly income, as well as whether they contribute to household expenses. This information helps the court assess your household's overall financial landscape and your individual needs.
- Average Monthly Expenses (Question 13): This is where you itemize your typical monthly expenditures, from housing costs like rent or mortgage (including principal and interest) and property taxes, to utilities, groceries, healthcare, childcare, auto expenses, and even entertainment. Providing accurate figures here is vital for the court to determine a fair support order.
- Installment Payments and Debts (Question 14): Any ongoing installment payments or debts not listed elsewhere should be detailed here, including who you pay, for what, the amount, balance, and date of the last payment. This section highlights your financial obligations.
- Attorney Fees (Question 15): If you are requesting attorney fees, this section is used to disclose how much you've paid, the source of those funds, what you still owe, and your attorney's hourly rate. This transparency is essential for the court to consider fee orders.
Step-by-Step Guide to Filling Out Page 3
Here's a breakdown of how to accurately complete Page 3:
Question 12: The Following People Live With Me
- List the name, age, and relationship of everyone living in your household (e.g., son, daughter, roommate).
- Indicate each person's gross monthly income.
- Check "Yes" or "No" to whether each person pays some of the household expenses.
Question 13: Average Monthly Expenses
- a. Home:
- (1) Rent or Mortgage: Enter your monthly rent or mortgage payment. If it's a mortgage, also specify the average principal and interest amounts.
- (2) Real property taxes: List your average monthly property tax payment.
- (3) Homeowner's or renter's insurance: If not already included in your mortgage, enter the monthly cost.
- (4) Maintenance and repair:Estimate your average monthly cost for home maintenance and repairs.
- b. Health-care costs not paid by insurance: Enter your out-of-pocket health-care expenses.
- c. Child care: List your monthly childcare costs.
- d. Groceries and household supplies: Provide your average monthly spending on these items.
- e. Eating out: Include your average monthly expenses for dining out.
- f. Utilities (gas, electric, water, trash): Enter your average monthly utility costs.
- g. Telephone, cell phone, and e-mail: List these communication expenses.
- h. Laundry and cleaning: Include expenses for laundry services or cleaning supplies.
- i. Clothes: Enter your average monthly spending on clothing.
- j. Education: If applicable, include any education-related expenses.
- k. Entertainment, gifts, and vacation: Provide an average monthly amount for these discretionary expenses.
- l. Auto expenses and transportation: Include insurance, gas, repairs, and public transportation costs.
- m. Insurance (life, accident, etc.; do not include auto, home, or health insurance): List other insurance premiums.
- n. Savings and investments: Include any regular contributions to savings or investments.
- o. Charitable contributions: Enter your average monthly donations.
- p. Monthly payments listed in item 14: This will be a sum from the next section.
- q. Other: If you have other significant monthly expenses not covered above, specify them here.
- r. TOTAL EXPENSES: Add up all your expenses from (a) through (q).
- s. Amount of expenses paid by others: If someone else contributes to your expenses, list that amount here.
Question 14: Installment Payments and Debts Not Listed Above
- For each debt, list: "Paid to," "For" (what the debt is for), "Amount" (monthly payment), "Balance" owed, and "Date of last payment".
Question 15: Attorney Fees
- a. To date, I have paid my attorney this amount for fees and costs:Enter the total amount paid so far.
- b. The source of this money was:Explain where the funds came from (e.g., savings, loan).
- c. I still owe the following fees and costs to my attorney: State the total outstanding balance.
- d. My attorney's hourly rate is: Your attorney should provide this information.
Seek Legal Guidance
While this guide provides a step-by-step process, accurately completing the FL-150, especially Page 3, can be complex. Errors or omissions can have significant repercussions on your family law case. It is highly recommended to consult with an experienced Santa Barbara family lawyer at Morales Law. We can help ensure your Income and Expense Declaration accurately reflects your financial situation and supports your case effectively.