Domestic Relations Affidavit Kansas: How to Fill It Out Correctly

If your Kansas divorce involves any financial issue — property division, debt allocation, spousal maintenance, or child support — both spouses must file a Domestic Relations Affidavit (DRA). This isn't optional, and it isn't trivial. Getting it wrong can delay your case, trigger court sanctions, or poison your settlement negotiation before it starts.

Here's a plain-language breakdown of what the DRA requires and how to fill it out accurately.

What Is the Domestic Relations Affidavit?

The DRA is a comprehensive, sworn financial disclosure required by Kansas Supreme Court Rule 139. Both parties must complete it, exchange copies with the other side, and file it with the District Court in any domestic relations action involving financial issues.

Because it's sworn and notarized, the information must be accurate. Providing false or intentionally incomplete information constitutes perjury, which can result in severe court sanctions — including having the property division decided against you, or having the entire settlement set aside years later if the fraud is discovered.

The DRA has four main sections.

Section A: Gross Monthly Income

This section requires full disclosure of every income source. That includes:

• Wages and salary: Your gross monthly pay before taxes and deductions — not your take-home
• Self-employment income: Net income after business expenses; self-employed individuals must attach corporate profit-and-loss statements
• Rental income: Gross rents received
• Investment income: Dividends, interest, realized capital gains
• Trust distributions, pension payouts, and Social Security benefits
• Bonuses and commissions: Typically averaged over the prior 12-24 months

The most common error here is using net pay instead of gross. Courts want gross income. If your gross is $7,500 per month but you take home $5,200, you report $7,500.

Self-employment income requires more work. If you have irregular income, attach 2-3 years of tax returns and calculate a monthly average. Courts will do this themselves if you don't, and they may arrive at a number higher than you would.

Section B: Monthly Living Expenses

This section requires itemization of your actual current monthly expenses:

• Housing: mortgage or rent, property taxes, homeowners/renters insurance, HOA fees
• Utilities: electricity, gas, water, internet, phone
• Groceries and household supplies
• Vehicle payments, insurance, fuel, and maintenance
• Health insurance premiums and average out-of-pocket medical costs
• Childcare, school tuition, and children's activities
• Life insurance premiums
• Credit card minimum payments and personal loan payments
• Subscriptions and recurring expenses

The purpose of this section is to establish both parties' actual financial needs. In spousal maintenance cases, the gap between income and expenses drives the analysis. If your expenses are inflated, the other side will challenge them. If they're understated, you're hurting your own case.

List what you actually spend, not what you think sounds reasonable. Save receipts and bank statements — you may need to defend every line.

Section C: Assets

Section C requires a full inventory of everything you own, individually or jointly:

• Real estate: Current fair market value (from a recent appraisal or comparable sales, not Zillow), outstanding mortgage balance, and net equity
• Vehicles: Current value (Kelley Blue Book), any loan balance
• Bank and savings accounts: Current balances on the day you complete the form
• Retirement accounts: 401(k), IRA, pension — current balance or estimated present value
• Brokerage and investment accounts: Current market value
• Business interests: Fair market value if applicable
• High-value personal property: Jewelry, art, collectibles, firearms — reasonable market value
• Cash on hand

You must also identify any assets you claim are separate property — pre-marital assets, inherited property, or gifts — with the entry value (what they were worth when you acquired them or at the time of marriage).

Section D: Debts

Section D requires itemization of all liabilities:

• Mortgages (creditor name, current balance, monthly payment)
• Auto loans
• Credit card balances and minimum payments
• Student loans
• Tax debts (federal, state)
• Personal loans
• Any other obligations

List each debt separately. The court needs to see the full picture of liabilities alongside assets to assess net worth and make equitable decisions about who absorbs which debts.

The Notarization Requirement

The DRA must be signed in the presence of a notary public. This is not a formality — courts take the sworn nature of the document seriously. Your local bank branch, UPS Store, or county clerk's office can notarize for a small fee.

Important Local Variations

The Kansas Judicial Council provides a statewide DRA template, but some counties use their own customized versions. Johnson County and Shawnee County, for example, have local DRA forms that differ slightly from the statewide template. Check with the District Court Clerk in your county to confirm which format they require before you complete the document.

Also note: for cases involving children, courts in many Kansas counties require both parties to file updated DRAs at least 14 days before trial, per Rule 139.

Preparing Your DRA Without Errors

Gathering the financial data for a DRA — account statements, pay stubs, tax returns, mortgage statements, retirement plan documents — takes time. The quality of your preparation directly affects your settlement position: a complete, accurate DRA sends a signal of good faith and competence; an incomplete one invites scrutiny and makes negotiation harder.

The Kansas Divorce Financial Split & Asset Division Guide includes a step-by-step DRA preparation worksheet that walks you through each section, identifies common calculation errors, and maps your numbers to the exact layout the court expects — so you're not filling in blanks without a framework.

See more Kansas guides →