Wisconsin Divorce Document Checklist

A Wisconsin divorce requires somewhere between 8 and 15 separate documents, depending on whether you have minor children, whether you're filing jointly or alone, and whether disputes push you into additional motions. Missing even one form can stall your hearing date by weeks.

This checklist covers every document in filing order, so you can track what's been submitted and what's still outstanding.

Phase 1: Initial Filing

These forms launch the case. All are submitted to the Clerk of Circuit Court in your county.

Solo filing (one spouse files):

• Summons — FA-4104V (with minor children) or FA-4105V (without)
• Petition — FA-4108V (with minor children) or FA-4109V (without)

Joint filing (both spouses file together):

• Joint Petition — FA-4110V (with minor children) or FA-4111V (without)

Required for every filing:

• Confidential Petition Addendum — GF-179 (secures social security numbers outside the public record)
• Filing fee payment — $184.50 (without support/maintenance) or $194.50 (with support/maintenance), plus $35 per party for eFiling

If you can't afford the fees:

• Petition for Waiver of Fees and Costs — CV-410A
• The court issues an Order (CV-410B) granting or denying the waiver

Phase 2: Service of Process (Solo Filings Only)

These documents prove your spouse was properly notified. Joint filers skip this phase entirely.

Option A — Voluntary acceptance:

• Admission of Service — FA-4119V (signed by your spouse)

Option B — Sheriff or process server:

• Declaration of Service — FA-4120V (completed by the server)

Option C — Service by publication (last resort):

• Publication Summons — FA-4122V
• Publication Affidavit of Mailing — FA-4123V
• Affidavit of Due Diligence/Not Found (from the process server, confirming failed personal service attempts)

Deadline: All service must be completed within 90 calendar days of filing.

Phase 3: Response (Solo Filings Only)

If you're the respondent, this is your filing:

• Response and Counterclaim — FA-4113V

Deadline: 20 calendar days from date of service.

Phase 4: Mandatory Disclosures and Parenting Requirements

Both parties must file:

• Financial Disclosure Statement — FA-4139V (with attached pay stubs and recent tax returns)

Deadline: Within 90 days of filing or service.

If minor children are involved:

• Proposed Parenting Plan — FA-4147V (required if parents disagree on custody/placement; each parent files their own)
• Parenting education certificate — if your county requires one, from your county's approved program
• Child support calculation worksheet — based on placement percentages and income

Phase 5: Final Hearing Packet

These documents must be prepared before scheduling the final hearing. In an ordinary case, the 120-day waiting period must have expired before the final hearing can occur.

If you agree on everything (stipulated/uncontested):

• Marital Settlement Agreement — FA-4150V (with children) or FA-4151V (without)

If you disagree on any terms:

• Each party's proposed agreement

Required for every final hearing:

• Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Judgment of Divorce — FA-4160VA (with children) or FA-4161VA (without). This must be pre-filled by you — the court does not prepare it.
• Divorce/Annulment Worksheet — F-05080. This vital records form must be completed in black ink and submitted to the clerk.
• Photo ID

Phase 6: Post-Judgment Execution

After the court signs the judgment, you may still need:

• Quitclaim deed — for transferring real estate to one spouse
• Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) — for dividing pensions, 401(k)s, or other retirement accounts without tax penalties
• Updated beneficiary designation forms — for life insurance, retirement accounts, and bank accounts

Tracking It All

The biggest risk for self-represented filers isn't the complexity of any single form — it's losing track of which forms have been filed, which deadlines have passed, and which documents the clerk still expects.

The Wisconsin Divorce Filing Process Guide includes a printable document tracker that maps every form to its deadline and filing phase, so nothing falls through the cracks between your initial petition and the final hearing.

See more Wisconsin guides →