What Financial Documents Do You Need for a South Dakota Divorce?
What Financial Documents Do You Need for a South Dakota Divorce?
Every South Dakota divorce requires both parties to complete Form UJS-023 — the mandatory Financial Statement. This form demands exhaustive, granular disclosure of your income, expenses, assets, and debts. Court clerks are legally barred from helping you fill it out, so you need to arrive with everything organized.
Here's exactly what to gather, organized by UJS-023 category.
Income Verification
The Financial Statement requires detailed monthly income from all sources — not just your paycheck.
Documents to gather:
- Last 3 years of federal tax returns (Form 1040 with all schedules)
- Last 3 months of pay stubs
- W-2 forms for the past 2-3 years
- 1099 forms (freelance, rental, investment income)
- Social Security benefit statements
- Pension or retirement income statements
- Alimony received from a prior marriage (if applicable)
- Business profit/loss statements (if self-employed)
- Rental income documentation
Why 3 years: Courts look at income trends, not just current month. A spouse who conveniently had a "bad year" right before filing needs historical context. Judges also average income for self-employed parties who have variable earnings.
Monthly Expenses
The UJS-023 breaks expenses into granular categories. You'll need documentation proving your actual spending — not estimates.
Documents to gather:
- 12 months of bank statements (checking and savings)
- 12 months of credit card statements
- Mortgage or rent payment records
- Property tax bills
- Homeowners/renters insurance premiums
- Utility bills (electric, gas, water, internet, phone)
- Auto loan statements
- Auto insurance declarations page
- Health insurance premium statements
- Medical/dental receipts and copay records
- Childcare invoices or receipts
- School tuition documentation
- Grocery and household spending (estimated from bank/credit records)
Asset Documentation
Everything you own — individually or jointly — goes on the form.
Real estate:
- Property deeds showing ownership and title type (joint tenants, tenants in common)
- Most recent mortgage statement showing principal balance
- Property tax assessment or recent appraisal
- Home equity line of credit statements
- Rental property leases and income records
Financial accounts:
- Bank statements for all checking, savings, and money market accounts (both individual and joint)
- Brokerage account statements
- Certificate of deposit records
- HSA/FSA account balances
Retirement accounts:
- 401(k)/403(b) most recent statements
- IRA account statements (Traditional and Roth)
- SDRS annual benefit statement
- Pension plan benefit projections
- Military service records (for USFSPA calculation, if applicable)
Vehicles and personal property:
- Vehicle titles and registration
- Kelly Blue Book or dealer quotes for current value
- Recreational vehicle titles (boats, ATVs, snowmobiles)
- High-value personal property appraisals (jewelry, art, firearms, collections)
Business interests:
- Business tax returns (past 3 years)
- Profit/loss statements
- Balance sheets
- Operating agreements or partnership agreements
- Business valuation (if available)
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Liability Documentation
Every debt must be disclosed — not just what you're paying on.
Documents to gather:
- Mortgage statements (all properties)
- Auto loan statements
- Credit card statements (individual and joint)
- Student loan balances
- Personal loan documentation
- Medical debt statements
- Tax liens or unpaid tax balances (request IRS transcript)
- Court judgments or collections
- Co-signed loans
For each debt: creditor name, account number, whether individual or joint, current balance, monthly minimum payment, and original borrower.
How to Organize for UJS-023
The form has specific sections. Map your documents to these categories:
| UJS-023 Section | What It Covers | Key Documents |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly income (7 categories) | Wages, self-employment, investment, benefits | Pay stubs, 1099s, benefit letters |
| Employment | Current employer, position, tenure | Recent pay stubs, offer letters |
| Monthly expenses | Housing, utilities, food, transport, medical, childcare | Bank/credit statements, bills |
| Annual tax income | Prior year tax-based income | Tax returns, W-2s |
| Expected future assets | Pending inheritance, settlements, bonuses | Documentation if applicable |
| Assets | All property owned | Statements, titles, appraisals |
| Liabilities | All debts owed | Loan statements, credit reports |
How Far Back to Go
- Tax returns: 3 years minimum (courts may request up to 5 for complex cases)
- Bank statements: 12 months minimum; 24 months if separation was gradual
- Retirement accounts: Most recent statement plus statements from date of marriage (to calculate marital portion)
- Credit card statements: 12 months (to establish spending patterns and identify post-separation charges)
- Pay stubs: 3 months of current stubs
The Discovery Shortcut: Pull Your Credit Report
Before requesting individual statements from dozens of creditors, pull your credit report from all three bureaus (free at annualcreditreport.com). This reveals:
- Every account in your name (individual and joint)
- Current balances and payment status
- Accounts you may have forgotten about
- Accounts opened by your spouse using your information
What Happens If You Miss Something
Incomplete disclosure undermines your credibility and can backfire:
- The judge may draw negative inferences (assuming hidden assets are worth more than you'd claim)
- Your spouse's attorney can use discovery to force production — adding legal fees
- A decree based on incomplete information can be reopened later if fraud is discovered
- Courts take non-disclosure seriously in an all-property state where everything is divisible
Making It Manageable
The volume of documents is overwhelming when you're also dealing with the emotional weight of divorce. The South Dakota Financial Split Guide includes pre-formatted worksheets that map directly to UJS-023 sections — you fill in values as you gather documents, and by the time you're done, the Financial Statement practically writes itself.
Get Your Free South Dakota — Marital Asset & Debt Inventory Checklist
Download the South Dakota — Marital Asset & Debt Inventory Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.