Affidavit of Financial Information Arizona Divorce

What the AFI Is and When You Need It

The Affidavit of Financial Information — Form DROSC13f in Maricopa County — is a sworn, approximately 12-page document that details your income, monthly expenses, assets, and liabilities. Unlike the rest of your Rule 49 disclosures (which are exchanged between the parties only), the AFI must be formally filed with the Clerk of the Superior Court.

You are required to complete an AFI in any Arizona family law case involving spousal maintenance, child support, or a request for attorney's fees. In practice, that covers the vast majority of divorce cases. Even if you believe support is not an issue, your spouse or the court may require it.

Income Section

The AFI asks for gross monthly income from all sources: employment wages, self-employment income, rental income, investment returns, Social Security, disability, and any other regular payments. If your income fluctuates — seasonal work, commissions, freelancing — calculate a monthly average using your most recent 12 months of earnings.

You must attach supporting documentation: year-to-date pay stubs, W-2, 1099, or K-1 forms, and income tax returns for the past two completed calendar years. If you are self-employed, include profit-and-loss statements and business tax returns.

The most common mistake in this section is underreporting income or omitting irregular sources. Judges and opposing counsel will compare your stated income to your tax returns and bank deposits. Inconsistencies create credibility problems that can affect the court's decisions on support and fees.

Monthly Expenses Section

This section requires you to itemize your actual monthly expenses — not what you plan to spend post-divorce, but what you are currently spending. Categories include housing (rent or mortgage, insurance, property tax, utilities, maintenance), transportation (car payment, insurance, fuel, registration), food, clothing, medical expenses, childcare, insurance premiums, and debt payments.

The hardest part for most filers is reconstructing accurate monthly averages for variable categories like groceries, dining, and household supplies. The most reliable method is to download six months of bank statements and 11 months of credit card and debt statements and categorize each transaction. Estimating from memory tends to produce numbers that are either unrealistically low (undermining a maintenance claim) or unrealistically high (undermining credibility).

Assets and Debts Sections

List every asset and liability — real estate, vehicles, bank accounts, retirement accounts, personal property, and all debts. For each, provide the current fair market value and note whether you classify it as community or separate property.

This section maps directly to your Rule 49 disclosures. If you have already compiled a thorough asset and debt inventory, the AFI becomes a summary exercise rather than a research project.

Common Pitfalls

Leaving fields blank. Every blank field invites questions. If a category genuinely does not apply, write "N/A" or "$0." A blank field can be interpreted as a refusal to disclose.

Inconsistent numbers. Your stated income on the AFI must match your tax returns. Your stated expenses should be plausible given your income. If your expenses exceed your income with no explanation, the court may assume you have undisclosed income sources.

Not updating. The AFI is a snapshot. If your financial circumstances change materially — a job loss, a raise, a new debt — you must file an amended AFI. Rule 49 imposes a continuing duty to update disclosures within 30 days of discovering new information.

Filing and Timing

The AFI is served with your initial Rule 49 disclosures, within 40 days after the filing of the first responsive pleading. It is the only core disclosure document that gets filed with the court rather than just exchanged between parties.

The Arizona Divorce Financial Split Guide includes an expense reconstruction worksheet designed to help you calculate accurate monthly averages before completing the AFI, reducing the risk of errors that could affect your support calculation.

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