Redaction Rules for NJ Court Filings in Divorce

Why the Clerk Sends Your Papers Back

One of the most common reasons NJ court clerks reject pro se divorce filings has nothing to do with the substance of the case. It's unredacted personal information on documents that become part of the public record.

Court Rule 1:38-7 mandates that specific personal identifiers must be blacked out on every public filing submitted to the Superior Court. If you attach bank statements, tax returns, or pay stubs to your Case Information Statement with full account numbers visible, the clerk may return the filing for correction. That rejection adds weeks to your timeline — and you pay no less attention to the underlying issues while you fix it.

What Must Be Redacted

Rule 1:38-7 requires you to remove or obscure the following from all documents filed with the court:

• Social Security numbers — redact completely
• Driver's license numbers — redact completely
• Bank and other active financial account numbers — redact completely. If the account is the subject of litigation and cannot otherwise be identified, you may use only its last four digits.
• Credit card numbers — redact completely
• Insurance policy numbers — redact completely
• Vehicle plate numbers and military-status information — redact completely

The rule applies to every attachment and exhibit, not just the main forms. That means your W-2s, 1099s, pay stubs, bank statements, credit card statements, mortgage documents, and any other financial records you submit as supporting evidence.

Where Full Numbers Are Allowed

For this divorce packet, a key exception is the Confidential Litigant Information Sheet (Form CN 10486). This form is specifically designed to carry unredacted identifiers — full Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, and other sensitive data. It's filed as a confidential court form, shielded from the public record, and never shared with the opposing party.

So the rule is straightforward: put the identifiers the CN 10486 requires on that confidential form; omit them from public filings, with only the limited last-four active-account exception described above.

How to Redact Properly

Paper filings: Use a thick black marker or redaction tape to cover the digits. Make sure the information isn't visible when the page is held up to light. Then photocopy the redacted page — submit the photocopy, not the original with marker over it. The photocopy ensures the information is permanently obscured.

Electronic filings via JEDS: If you're working with PDFs, use a PDF editor's actual redaction tool. If you instead cover text with an opaque box, flatten the PDF or print-to-PDF to create a new file. If you simply overlay a black box without flattening, the underlying text is still selectable and copyable — which defeats the entire purpose and can still trigger a clerk rejection.

For scanned documents, redact on the physical copy first, then scan. This is the most reliable method for self-represented filers who aren't comfortable with PDF editing tools.

Common Mistakes

Redacting the wrong copy. Keep one complete, unredacted set of all your financial documents for your personal records. The redacted versions go to the court. Some filers accidentally submit their personal copies or redact their only copies, leaving themselves without records they need later.

Forgetting attachments. Your divorce complaint and CIS are usually clean — filers remember to redact those. The problem is the supporting documents: the bank statement attached as Exhibit C, the retirement account statement on page 12 of your CIS packet, the health insurance card photocopy with a group policy number. Every page gets reviewed.

Over-redacting. Don't black out information the court actually needs to see. Income amounts, employer names, property addresses, and account balances should remain visible. Only the account identifiers get redacted.

A Practical Pre-Filing Check

Before you upload to JEDS or walk into the clerk's office, go through every page of your filing packet and check each document against this list:

1. Is any Social Security number visible? (It should be fully redacted.)
2. Is any driver's license number visible? (Should be fully redacted.)
3. Are any bank, credit card, or financial account numbers visible? (They should be fully redacted; only the last four digits of an active financial account may show when it is the subject of the litigation and cannot otherwise be identified.)
4. Is any insurance policy number visible? (Should be fully redacted.)
5. Is any vehicle plate number or military-status information visible? (It should be fully redacted.)
6. Did you flatten your PDF after placing digital redaction marks?

If you catch these before submission, you avoid the rejection cycle that can add several weeks of delay.

Our New Jersey Divorce Filing Process Guide includes a redaction checklist you can work through document by document before filing.

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