How to Fill Out Ohio Affidavit of Income, Expenses and Financial Disclosure + FAQs

The Ohio Affidavit of Income, Expenses and Financial Disclosure is the sworn financial statement that every party in a divorce, dissolution, legal separation, annulment, child support, or spousal support case must file with the domestic relations or juvenile court so the judge can divide property, set support, and allocate debts based on verified numbers. The statewide version is Uniform Domestic Relations Form Affidavit 1, adopted by the Supreme Court of Ohio under Civil Rule 84, and many counties pair it with a local version that adds extra schedules.

Filing this affidavit is not optional. Under Ohio Civil Rule 75(N), each spouse must exchange financial disclosures within 45 days of service, and a false affidavit can trigger perjury charges under R.C. 2921.11, contempt sanctions, reopened property divisions, and reversal of support orders. Ohio domestic relations courts process more than 65,000 divorce and dissolution filings each year, and clerks report that incomplete or unsworn financial affidavits are among the top three reasons a case stalls before the first pretrial.

Here is what you will learn:

📄 What Affidavit 1 is, who must file it, and how it interacts with child and spousal support worksheets
🧾 Every document you need to gather before you open the form, with a pre-filing checklist
✍️ A line-by-line walkthrough of every page, box, and signature block on the official form
👨‍👩‍👧 Three full named-filer scenarios showing exactly what each person writes in each section
⚖️ The most common mistakes, the legal consequences of each, and 12+ field-specific FAQs

What the Form Is and Who Must File It

The Ohio Affidavit of Income, Expenses and Financial Disclosure is a sworn, notarized snapshot of your finances. It tells the court what you earn, what you spend, what you own, and what you owe on the day you sign it. Judges, magistrates, and child support enforcement agencies (CSEAs) use the numbers on Affidavit 1 to calculate child support under R.C. 3119, spousal support under R.C. 3105.18, and equitable property division under R.C. 3105.171.

You must file Affidavit 1 if you are a party in any of these cases:

A divorce, dissolution, legal separation, or annulment in an Ohio domestic relations court
A post-decree motion to modify child support or spousal support
A juvenile court action to establish or modify child support, custody, or parenting time
A contempt action where the other party’s income is in dispute

The form is mandated statewide by the Supreme Court of Ohio’s uniform forms package, but counties layer on local rules. Franklin County Domestic Relations Court, Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court, Hamilton County, Summit County, and Montgomery County each post their own version with extra county-specific schedules. Always pull the form from the court where your case sits, and check the revision date in the lower-left corner so you are not filing a retired version.

The receiving agencies are the Clerk of Courts in the county of filing, the assigned judge or magistrate, and the county CSEA when child support is in play. The statute that requires the disclosure is Civ. R. 75, the deadline is 45 days from service of the complaint or petition, and the penalty for ignoring the rule is a court order compelling production, sanctions, attorney fees, contempt, and in extreme cases default judgment on financial issues.

Before You Start: Documents and Information You Need

Open a folder, paper or digital, and pull every document below before you touch the form. Filers who guess at numbers and “fix it later” almost always produce affidavits that get challenged, amended, or thrown out. The Ohio State Bar Association’s self-help guide and most county law libraries recommend gathering the full packet first.

Pre-filing checklist (minimum, gather all of these):

Three most recent pay stubs from every job, including overtime, bonuses, and shift differentials, because the form asks for year-to-date gross and the court verifies it against your stubs.
Federal and Ohio income tax returns for the last two years, with all schedules and W-2s, since hidden Schedule C income is the most common reason affidavits get attacked.
W-2s, 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, and K-1s for the last two tax years, because the court treats unreported 1099 income as imputed income under R.C. 3119.01(C)(17).
Profit-and-loss statements for any self-employment for the current year-to-date, since self-employed filers must complete Schedule A inside Affidavit 1.
Three months of statements for every checking, savings, money market, and brokerage account so balances on the asset page tie to real numbers.
Most recent statements for every retirement account (401(k), 403(b), IRA, OPERS, STRS, SERS, OP&F) because public-employee pensions are marital property in Ohio and require a DOPO for division.
Mortgage statements and a current Zillow or appraisal value for every parcel of real estate to fill out the real property schedule.
Auto loan statements and Kelley Blue Book values for every vehicle, since the court compares your stated value to KBB private-party value.
Credit card statements, medical debt collection letters, student loan statements, and any judgment liens so the debt schedule is complete.
Health insurance premium proof (deduction line on a pay stub or carrier invoice) because the child support worksheet requires the cost of the children’s portion only.
Childcare invoices or daycare receipts for work-related childcare, which the worksheet credits against your support obligation.
A government-issued photo ID for the notary block on the last page.

If any item is missing, the affidavit is still filed on time, but you write “to be supplemented” in the field and produce the document as soon as it arrives. Missing documents do not excuse a missed 45-day deadline.

Where to Get the Form and How to Access It

The official statewide form lives on the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Domestic Relations Forms page, where Affidavit 1 is downloadable as a fillable PDF. Pull it directly from the court’s site, not a third-party form aggregator, because aggregators often host outdated revisions.

If your county uses a local version, download from the county’s domestic relations court site. The Franklin County form lives on the DR Court Forms page, the Cuyahoga County version is on the Cuyahoga DR Forms page, and Hamilton County posts its packet at the Hamilton County DR Forms page. Always confirm the revision date printed at the bottom-left of page one — Affidavit 1’s most recent statewide revision is dated within the past two years.

You can complete the form three ways:

Type into the fillable PDF using Adobe Reader, then print, sign before a notary, and file
Print blank and handwrite in black ink with block letters, which is acceptable but slower for the court to read
Use a county-provided online interview such as Ohio Legal Help’s guided interview, which auto-fills the form from your answers

Filers who qualify financially can get free help completing Affidavit 1 from Legal Aid, county self-help centers, and law school clinics. Attorneys typically e-file through the county’s e-filing portal, while pro se filers can file in person at the Clerk of Courts or by mail.

Step-by-Step: How to Fill Out Affidavit 1 Line by Line

Affidavit 1 is organized into a caption block, a personal information section, Schedule A (income), Schedule B (monthly expenses), Schedule C (assets), Schedule D (debts), and a notarized signature block. Work the form top to bottom and never skip a field. Write “N/A” where a field does not apply rather than leaving it blank, because blank fields read as omissions to the court.

Caption Block: Court, County, Case Number, and Party Names

The caption block sits at the top of page one and tells the clerk where the case lives.

Plain English: This box asks which Ohio court your case is in, the county, your case number, and which spouse is the plaintiff/petitioner and which is the defendant/respondent.

How to answer it: Write the full court name, e.g., “Court of Common Pleas, Division of Domestic Relations, Franklin County, Ohio.” Enter the case number assigned at filing. Type your name in ALL CAPS in the plaintiff line if you filed first, and the other party in the defendant line.

Example entry: Maria Lopez files first in Franklin County, so she writes “MARIA LOPEZ” on the plaintiff line and “CARLOS LOPEZ” on the defendant line, with case number “26 DR 001234.”

Nuance or edge case: Dissolutions use the labels “Petitioner” and “Co-Petitioner” instead of plaintiff and defendant. Use the labels printed on the petition you filed.

Common mistake and consequence: Filers swap their name and the other party’s name across captions on different forms, which causes the clerk to reject the filing for a caption mismatch and delays the 45-day disclosure clock from being satisfied.

Misconception: Filers think the case number can be left blank if they do not have it yet. The clerk assigns the number at filing, so you fill it in once stamped, but every later affidavit must carry that number.

Personal Information: Name, Address, DOB, SSN

Plain English: The form asks who you are, where you live, when you were born, and your Social Security number.

How to answer it: Write your full legal name as it appears on your Social Security card. Use your current residential address, not a P.O. Box, unless you have a domestic violence protective address order. Use MM/DD/YYYY for your date of birth. Most counties now mask the SSN; if the form has a “last four” box, write only the last four digits.

Example entry: Carlos Lopez writes “CARLOS ANTONIO LOPEZ,” address “482 Maple Ave, Columbus, OH 43215,” DOB “05/14/1984,” and SSN last four “1234.”

Nuance or edge case: A filer who has a confidential address under Ohio’s Address Confidentiality Program writes the program’s substitute address, not the real one.

Common mistake and consequence: Filers use a nickname instead of legal name, which causes the support order to issue in a name that does not match SSA records, blocking income withholding through the Ohio Child Support Payment Central.

Misconception: Filers believe writing the full SSN is mandatory. Under Sup. R. 45, full SSNs are confidential and only the last four belong on the public-facing affidavit.

Employment and Employer Information

Plain English: Tell the court where you work, what you do, how long you have worked there, and how often you are paid.

How to answer it: Enter the employer’s legal name (not the trade name), full address, your job title, hire date in MM/DD/YYYY, and your pay frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly).

Example entry: Maria writes employer “Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company,” address “One Nationwide Plaza, Columbus, OH 43215,” title “Senior Claims Adjuster,” hired “03/01/2018,” paid “bi-weekly.”

Nuance or edge case: Gig workers and 1099 contractors write “Self-Employed” and attach a Schedule C summary. Multiple employers each get their own row; if the form has only one row, attach a continuation page labeled “Additional Employment.”

Common mistake and consequence: Filers list the staffing agency instead of the actual worksite, which makes it impossible for the CSEA to send an income withholding order to the right payroll department, delaying support by 30–60 days.

Misconception: Filers think recent unemployment lets them write “None” and skip income. The court imputes income under R.C. 3119.01(C)(17) based on prior earnings, education, and local labor market data.

Schedule A — Gross Income (Yearly and Monthly)

This is the most consequential page. Every dollar you earn in a year must show up here.

Plain English: List every source of money that comes to you, gross (before taxes), for the past calendar year and the current year-to-date.

How to answer it: Pull the gross-pay year-to-date from your most recent pay stub and the prior-year W-2 box 1 plus pre-tax deductions. Convert to a monthly average by dividing annual gross by 12. Include wages, salary, overtime, bonuses, commissions, tips, self-employment net profit, rental income, dividends, interest, royalties, pensions, Social Security, unemployment, workers’ compensation, VA benefits, and recurring gifts.

Example entry: Carlos earns $72,000 salary plus $6,000 annual bonus, so he writes annual gross “$78,000.00,” monthly gross “$6,500.00,” and lists “Bonus – Annual – $6,000.00” on the bonus line.

Nuance or edge case: Self-employed filers report net Schedule C profit, not gross receipts, with ordinary and necessary business expenses deducted, but the court adds back depreciation, home-office, and personal-use vehicle expenses under R.C. 3119.01(C)(9).

Common mistake and consequence: Filers report net take-home pay instead of gross, which understates child support income by 25–35% and produces a support order the other side will move to vacate as soon as discovery exposes the W-2.

Misconception: Filers believe overtime and bonuses are excluded if “not guaranteed.” Ohio courts include three years of historical overtime and bonus averages unless the filer proves the income source ended.

Schedule A Continued — Deductions From Pay

Plain English: This section asks what comes out of your paycheck before it hits your bank account.

How to answer it: List federal income tax, Ohio income tax, local/municipal tax, school district tax (Ohio is one of the few states with school district tax), Social Security, Medicare, mandatory union dues, and mandatory retirement contributions. Public employees write OPERS, STRS, SERS, or OP&F on the retirement line.

Example entry: Maria, a state employee, writes federal “$612.00/month,” Ohio “$210.00/month,” Columbus city tax “$162.50/month,” OPERS mandatory “$650.00/month,” Medicare “$94.00/month.”

Nuance or edge case: Voluntary 401(k) contributions are not deductible from gross for child support purposes under R.C. 3119.05, even though they reduce your taxable wages on a W-2.

Common mistake and consequence: Filers list voluntary 401(k) deferrals on the mandatory retirement line, which artificially lowers gross income on the worksheet and triggers a motion to recalculate support once opposing counsel pulls the plan documents.

Misconception: Filers think pre-tax health insurance reduces their gross income for support. It reduces taxable wages, but the worksheet adds it back and credits only the children’s portion of the premium.

Schedule B — Monthly Living Expenses

Plain English: Tell the court what it actually costs you to live each month.

How to answer it: Walk every category and enter a monthly figure: rent or mortgage, real estate taxes (if not escrowed), homeowner’s insurance, utilities (gas, electric, water, sewer, trash), phone, internet, groceries, clothing, transportation, auto insurance, fuel, medical, childcare, life insurance, entertainment, charitable giving, and “other.” Convert any quarterly or annual bill to a monthly figure by dividing by 3 or 12.

Example entry: Janet writes mortgage P&I “$1,420.00,” property tax escrow “$385.00,” gas “$95.00,” electric “$130.00,” groceries “$850.00,” and so on for each line.

Nuance or edge case: If you live with a parent or new partner, list only your share of household expenses, not the whole household, and add a footnote “shared with [name], 50% allocated.”

Common mistake and consequence: Filers inflate expenses to create a “shortfall” that justifies higher spousal support. Magistrates compare expenses to bank statements, and inflation gets caught in deposition, destroying credibility on every other line.

Misconception: Filers believe credit card minimum payments belong in Schedule B. Debt service goes in Schedule D, not Schedule B, to avoid double counting.

Schedule C — Assets (Real, Personal, Financial, Retirement)

Plain English: List everything you own that has value, whether it is in your name, your spouse’s name, or both.

How to answer it: Group by type: real estate (address, fair market value, mortgage balance, equity), vehicles (year/make/model, KBB private-party value, loan balance, equity), bank accounts (institution, last four of account, balance), brokerage and crypto, retirement (plan, balance, vested amount), life insurance cash value, business interests, and personal property over $500 in value.

Example entry: Carlos writes “482 Maple Ave, Columbus OH – FMV $310,000 – Mortgage $214,000 – Equity $96,000,” and “2019 Honda Pilot – KBB $22,500 – Loan $9,200 – Equity $13,300.”

Nuance or edge case: Premarital, inherited, and gifted assets are separate property under R.C. 3105.171(A)(6), but you must still list them and check the “separate” box, then attach tracing documents.

Common mistake and consequence: Filers omit a small Robinhood, Coinbase, or Acorns account thinking it is too small to matter. Omission of any asset, regardless of size, supports a fraud-on-the-court finding and reopening of the property division under Civ. R. 60(B).

Misconception: Filers think a 401(k) earned during marriage is “theirs” because the employer is theirs. Retirement accumulated during marriage is marital property, divided by Division of Property Order (DOPO) for public pensions or QDRO for private plans.

Schedule D — Debts and Liabilities

Plain English: List every debt you owe, in your name, your spouse’s name, or jointly.

How to answer it: For each debt, write the creditor name, account last four, current balance, monthly payment, whose name, and purpose of debt (mortgage, car loan, credit card, student loan, medical, tax debt, judgment).

Example entry: Maria writes “Discover Card – 4421 – $4,820.00 – $145/month – Joint – Household,” and *”Sallie Mae – *0098 – $28,400.00 – $310/month – Maria only – Pre-marital education.”

Nuance or edge case: Debts incurred after the date of separation are presumed separate under Ohio case law if the other spouse received no benefit, but you still list them and mark the “separate” box.

Common mistake and consequence: Filers leave off medical debts in collections because they “don’t intend to pay them.” Unpaid medical debt is still a liability and omitting it skews the equitable distribution analysis under R.C. 3105.171(F).

Misconception: Filers believe a credit card in only their name is “their” debt. If the charges were for marital expenses, the court can allocate the debt to either spouse regardless of whose name is on the account.

Health Insurance and Childcare Block

Plain English: Tell the court who covers the kids on health insurance, what the children’s portion costs, and what work-related childcare costs each month.

How to answer it: Write the carrier name, the children’s portion of the monthly premium (carrier letter or HR allocation), and the monthly work-related childcare cost from invoices.

Example entry: Janet writes “Anthem BCBS – Children’s premium $245.00/month – Bright Horizons childcare $1,180.00/month.”

Nuance or edge case: If the family policy covers a non-child dependent (a stepparent, a domestic partner), only the children’s allocated share counts on the child support worksheet.

Common mistake and consequence: Filers list the full family premium instead of the children’s portion, which inflates the credit and produces a support number the CSEA will adjust on audit.

Misconception: Filers think summer camp counts as childcare. Only work-related childcare during employment hours qualifies; summer enrichment camp does not.

Notarization and Signature Block

Plain English: This is where you swear, in front of a notary, that everything above is true.

How to answer it: Do not sign the affidavit until you are physically (or by Ohio’s online notarization) in front of a notary. Print your name, sign in blue or black ink, and let the notary complete the jurat with date, county, and seal.

Example entry: Carlos signs “Carlos A. Lopez” on the signature line on “06/14/2026” before a Franklin County notary who applies the seal and signs the jurat.

Nuance or edge case: Ohio allows remote online notarization (RON) through approved vendors, which is useful for filers stationed out of state or deployed military.

Common mistake and consequence: Filers sign at home and bring the signed affidavit to the notary. A notary cannot notarize a signature that was not made in their presence; the affidavit gets rejected and you start the notary trip over.

Misconception: Filers think a notary “approves” the contents. Notaries verify identity and witness the signature only; they do not vouch for accuracy. The sworn statement under penalty of perjury is yours alone.

Three Filled-Out Examples Using Real Scenarios

Scenario 1 — Maria Lopez, W-2 Employee, Two Kids, Mortgage

Form Section	What Maria Enters
Caption	Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations, Franklin County, Case 26 DR 001234
Party labels	MARIA LOPEZ, Plaintiff; CARLOS LOPEZ, Defendant
Personal Info	DOB 03/22/1985, SSN **6789, address 482 Maple Ave, Columbus OH 43215
Employer	Nationwide Mutual Insurance, Senior Claims Adjuster, hired 03/01/2018, paid bi-weekly
Schedule A Income	Annual gross $96,000.00; monthly gross $8,000.00; bonus $5,000
Schedule B Expenses	Mortgage $1,420, utilities $355, groceries $950, childcare $1,180
Schedule C Assets	Home equity $96,000; 401(k) $78,400; checking $3,200
Schedule D Debts	Discover $4,820, Honda Pilot loan $9,200, student loan $22,300
Health/Childcare	Anthem children’s portion $245.00/mo; Bright Horizons $1,180/mo
Signature/Notary	Signed 06/14/2026, notarized by Franklin County notary

Scenario 2 — Marcus Johnson, Self-Employed Contractor, Fluctuating Income

Form Section	What Marcus Enters
Caption	Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations, Cuyahoga County, Case 26 DR 005678
Party labels	MARCUS JOHNSON, Petitioner; TANYA JOHNSON, Co-Petitioner
Personal Info	DOB 11/02/1979, SSN **1122, address 2210 W 25th St, Cleveland OH 44113
Employer	Self-Employed – Johnson Contracting LLC, EIN on file, paid as invoiced
Schedule A Income	3-yr avg net Schedule C $84,500; monthly $7,041.67; YTD net $31,200
Schedule B Expenses	Rent $1,650, utilities $310, groceries $700, fuel $420
Schedule C Assets	Truck $28,000 (loan $14,200); SEP-IRA $41,500; tools $8,500
Schedule D Debts	Truck loan $14,200; AmEx $6,400; IRS installment $3,800
Health/Childcare	Marketplace plan, children’s portion $310/mo; no childcare
Signature/Notary	Signed 07/02/2026, notarized via Ohio RON

Scenario 3 — Janet Whitaker, Stay-at-Home Parent, 22-Year Marriage

Form Section	What Janet Enters
Caption	Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations, Hamilton County, Case 26 DR 002211
Party labels	JANET WHITAKER, Plaintiff; ROBERT WHITAKER, Defendant
Personal Info	DOB 08/19/1972, SSN **3344, address 17 Linden Pl, Cincinnati OH 45208
Employer	Not currently employed; last employed 2003 as RN, BSN
Schedule A Income	Annual gross $0; minimum-wage imputation noted $21,840
Schedule B Expenses	Mortgage $2,140, utilities $420, groceries $1,100, medical $280
Schedule C Assets	Home equity $285,000 (joint); joint brokerage $112,000; her IRA $14,800
Schedule D Debts	Joint HELOC $28,400; medical $2,300 in her name
Health/Childcare	Husband’s employer plan covers all; her COBRA quote $612/mo
Signature/Notary	Signed 06/30/2026, notarized at Hamilton County Clerk

Across these three filers, you can see how a W-2 wage earner, a 1099 self-employed filer, and a non-earning spouse each populate the same form differently. Aisha Patel, a fourth example, would use Schedule A’s “Other Income” line for her monthly SNAP benefits and unemployment, and Daniel Reyes, a fifth filer with rental properties, would attach a separate rental schedule listing each parcel’s gross rent, operating expenses, and net cash flow.

How to File the Completed Form

Ohio domestic relations courts accept Affidavit 1 through several channels. Confirm your county’s preferred channel on its court website before you file, because some counties require e-filing for represented parties.

E-filing is available in nearly every Ohio county through the local portal. Franklin County uses eFileDR, Cuyahoga County uses the Court of Common Pleas e-filing system, and Hamilton County uses CourthouseDirect e-filing. There is no separate filing fee for the affidavit when it is filed with an existing case; the affidavit rides on the underlying case fee. Payment for case filings is by credit card or ACH, and the portal returns a stamped PDF as proof of filing — save it and email a copy to yourself.

In-person filing is available at the Clerk of Courts office in the county courthouse during business hours, typically 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Bring two copies plus the original and a self-addressed stamped envelope, pay any case fee in cash, check, or card, and the clerk time-stamps your copy as proof.

Filing by mail works in most counties; mail the original and two copies plus a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Clerk of Courts at the courthouse address. Use certified mail, return receipt requested, so you have proof of mailing date. Processing time is 3–7 business days for in-person and mail, and same day or next day for e-filing.

Fax filing is rare but accepted in a handful of counties under Civ. R. 5(E); confirm the cover-sheet rule and fax number with the clerk before sending. Always serve a file-stamped copy on the other party (or their attorney) by ordinary mail or e-service the same day you file, because filing without service violates Civ. R. 5.

What Happens After You File

Once Affidavit 1 hits the docket, four things happen. First, the clerk dockets the affidavit and serves it electronically on the other party’s counsel. Second, the assigned magistrate or judge reviews it for completeness, and an incomplete affidavit triggers an order to amend within 14 days. Third, the CSEA uses your numbers to draft a child support worksheet under R.C. 3119.022 for sole-parenting cases or 3119.023 for shared-parenting cases.

Fourth, the other party can move to compel further disclosure, depose you about your numbers, or subpoena employer payroll records, bank statements, and tax transcripts directly from the IRS. If your affidavit’s gross income disagrees with your W-2 or your bank deposits by more than a small margin, expect a motion challenging credibility.

Plan to update the affidavit before any temporary orders hearing, before the final hearing, and any time your income changes by more than 10% under Loc. R. requirements that vary by county. Failure to amend a known-stale affidavit is itself sanctionable. Final divorce decrees and child support orders rest entirely on the numbers in the most recent affidavit, so the document you sign drives the order you live with for years.

Mistakes to Avoid When Filling Out the Form

Filers lose money, custody leverage, and credibility on the same recurring errors. Avoid every one below.

Listing net pay instead of gross pay, which understates support income and gets the order vacated on motion.
Omitting overtime, bonuses, and commissions, which the court averages back in over a 3-year lookback.
Using a P.O. Box on the address line, which violates the residential-address requirement absent a confidentiality order.
Forgetting school district income tax on the deductions schedule, which inflates net disposable income.
Counting voluntary 401(k) deferrals as mandatory deductions, which falsely lowers worksheet income.
Skipping small bank, brokerage, or crypto accounts, which exposes you to fraud-on-the-court findings.
Failing to list separate property as separate, which converts inherited or premarital assets into marital property by default.
Inflating monthly expenses beyond what bank and credit card statements support, which destroys cross-examination credibility.
Listing the full family health insurance premium instead of the children’s allocated portion, which the CSEA later adjusts.
Signing the affidavit before reaching the notary, which voids the jurat and forces a refile.
Missing the 45-day Civ. R. 75(N) deadline, which invites a motion to compel and attorney-fee sanctions.
Failing to update before the temporary orders hearing, which freezes a stale snapshot into a real support order.

Each mistake has a direct consequence on the docket, and most are easy to avoid by working from documents instead of memory.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do:

Do pull the form from your county’s official website to ensure you have the current revision.
Do match every income line to a pay stub, W-2, 1099, or tax return so cross-examination has nothing to hit.
Do write “N/A” in fields that do not apply rather than leaving blanks the court must interpret.
Do attach continuation pages clearly labeled with the schedule and filer name when you run out of space.
Do keep a fully executed copy with all attachments in a single PDF for your records.
Do update the affidavit before any contested hearing where your finances are at issue.

Don’t:

Don’t sign before a notary witnesses you, because that single error voids the entire filing.
Don’t estimate income when documents are available, because the court will compare and impute.
Don’t omit assets you “do not consider marital,” because the court — not you — decides what is marital.
Don’t combine multiple debts into a single line, because the court allocates by creditor, not by category.
Don’t use nicknames or maiden names inconsistently across filings, which breaks SSA matching for support orders.
Don’t rely on third-party form aggregators, because they often host outdated revisions of Affidavit 1.

Pros and Cons of Filing on Your Own vs. With Help

Pros of filing pro se:

Lower cost, since attorneys typically charge $1,500–$3,500 to prepare a thorough affidavit
Direct control over every disclosed number, with no translation through counsel
Faster turnaround when you already have the documents organized
Free guidance available through Ohio Legal Help and county self-help centers
Full familiarity with your own numbers when you take the witness stand at hearing

Cons of filing pro se:

High risk of misclassifying separate vs. marital property, which permanently shifts equity
Easy to miss imputation issues for self-employed or unemployed filers
No privilege protection for your worksheets and notes
Limited ability to challenge the other party’s affidavit without procedural training
A single notarization or signature error can void the filing and miss the 45-day deadline

When child support, spousal support, and a marital home with significant equity are all at stake, the cost of representation is usually less than the cost of a single bad number on Schedule A or Schedule C.

Filing Channel Comparison

Filing Channel	Key Considerations
E-filing	Same-day docketing, returns stamped PDF, requires county portal account
In-person	Time-stamped receipt at counter, takes a half-day, useful for fee waivers
Mail	Use certified return receipt, 3–7 day processing, mail risk if lost
Fax	Rare, county-specific cover sheet rules under Civ. R. 5(E)

FAQs

Do I have to file Affidavit 1 if my divorce is uncontested?

Yes. Even in dissolution and uncontested cases, Civ. R. 75(N) requires both parties to file a sworn financial disclosure before the court can enter a decree.

Can I write a P.O. Box in Box 4 instead of my home address?

No. A P.O. Box does not satisfy the residential address requirement unless you have a confidentiality order or Address Confidentiality Program participation.

Do I list my full Social Security number on the form?

No. Under Sup. R. 45, only the last four digits of the SSN belong on the public-facing affidavit; the full SSN goes on a confidential disclosure form.

Should I report gross pay or net pay on Schedule A?

Yes, report gross. The Ohio child support worksheet under R.C. 3119.05 starts from gross income, not take-home pay, and net-pay reporting will be corrected by the court.

Do I include my spouse’s income on my Schedule A?

No. Each spouse files a separate affidavit reporting only their own income; your spouse’s numbers belong on their affidavit, not yours.

Are voluntary 401(k) contributions deducted from gross for support?

No. Only mandatory retirement contributions reduce gross under R.C. 3119.05; voluntary 401(k) deferrals are added back.

Do I list inherited property on Schedule C?

Yes. Inherited assets are listed and marked “separate” under R.C. 3105.171(A)(6); omission converts them to marital property by default.

What if I do not know the exact balance in an account?

Yes, you may write the most recent known balance and note the statement date. Update the figure as soon as the next statement arrives.

Can I sign the affidavit at home and bring it to a notary?

No. Ohio notaries can only notarize a signature made in their presence, in person or by approved remote online notarization.

Do I write the full family health premium on the children’s premium line?

No. Write only the children’s allocated portion, which the carrier or HR can break out from the family premium.

What happens if I miss the 45-day disclosure deadline?

Yes, consequences follow. Expect a motion to compel, a court order setting a new deadline, and possibly attorney-fee sanctions or contempt under Civ. R. 37.

Is Affidavit 1 a public record once filed?

Yes, mostly. The affidavit is part of the case file under Sup. R. 44–47, but personal identifiers like full SSN, account numbers, and minor children’s identifiers are confidential.

Do I need to amend Affidavit 1 if my income changes during the case?

Yes. File an amended affidavit before the next hearing whenever income changes by 10% or more, or whenever assets or debts change materially.

Can a magistrate impute income to me if I am unemployed?

Yes. Under R.C. 3119.01(C)(17), the court can impute income based on prior earnings, education, and local labor market data when a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed.

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