How to approach a Form 13 or Form 13.1 financial statement: which form applies, what documents prove each figure, and the mistakes that cause the most delay.
⚖️ This is general information, not legal advice. It can't account for your specific situation. Use it to get oriented, then confirm the details with a licensed Ontario lawyer.
A financial statement is the document a family court case is built on. Once your case involves support, property or exclusive possession of the matrimonial home, the Family Law Rules require you to swear one — Form 13 for support-only claims, Form 13.1 where property or the home is also claimed — and serve it on the other side. It is easy to underestimate: the form looks like paperwork, but a wrong or careless figure on it can shape how a judge or a mediator sees your credibility for the rest of the case. This worksheet walks through the form section by section, with the documents that back up each part, so the numbers you swear to are ones you can actually stand behind.
Confirm which form you need
Form 13 is used where the case is about support only — no claim to property or to exclusive possession of the matrimonial home. Form 13.1 is used whenever property or the home is claimed, whether or not support is also in issue. Filing the wrong one is a common early mistake and usually means redoing the work, so confirm this with your lawyer before you start filling anything in.
Both forms are sworn — signed in front of a lawyer, commissioner or notary who confirms you understand you are swearing to its truth. Treat that seriously. A financial statement that turns out to be wrong, even through carelessness rather than dishonesty, is remembered by the other side and by the court.
Income
- Three years of income tax returns and Notices of Assessment — the starting point for both child and spousal support calculations
- Your three most recent pay stubs, or a year-to-date letter from your employer, for the current year's picture a tax return cannot yet show
- If self-employed or incorporated, three years of business or corporate financial statements, the share register, and a note of any personal expenses paid through the business
- Statements for any other income: rental, investment, pension, disability, employment insurance or social assistance
- Anything showing your income has recently changed or is about to — a layoff notice, a new contract, a retirement date
Expenses
The form asks for a realistic monthly budget, not an estimate pulled together the night before it is due. Go through several months of actual bank and credit card statements rather than guessing, and separate expenses that are truly ongoing from one-time costs that happened to fall in that period.
Where the expenses seem unusually low or high compared to your income, expect it to be questioned — either by the other side or by a judge — so be ready to explain anything that looks out of the ordinary.
Property and debts, if Form 13.1 applies
- A full list and current value of everything you own and everything you owe, as of the date you separated
- For married spouses, the same information as close as possible to your wedding date, since what you brought into the marriage is generally deducted when calculating net family property
- Proof of any inheritance or gift received during the marriage, and where it is now, since it is excluded from net family property only if it can be traced
- Mortgage statement, a current appraisal or property tax assessment, and the deed for every property
- Most recent pension statement, and for a defined-benefit plan, the Family Law Value from the plan administrator
- Bank, investment and line of credit statements for every account, both current and as close as possible to the two dates that matter
Getting it sworn and served
Once the figures are complete, review the whole form once more before swearing it — small arithmetic errors are common and are easy to fix now, harder to explain later. Your lawyer will arrange for it to be sworn and then serve it on the other side within the timelines set by the Family Law Rules.
Expect to update it. If your income, a debt, or an asset changes materially while the case is ongoing, the Divorce Act's duty to provide complete, accurate and up-to-date information means the statement should be updated, not left to go stale until the next conference.
How Treadstone Law can help
A complete, accurate financial statement is the single most useful thing you can bring to a lawyer, a mediator or a court. It does not decide your case by itself, but almost everything else — support, equalization, an interim order — is built on the numbers it contains.
Treadstone Law handles family matters on a transparent flat fee, with online intake and a real lawyer on your file, across Ontario.
- Start your file online at treadstonelaw.ca/start-file
- See flat-fee pricing at treadstonelaw.ca/pricing
- Learn more about our family services at treadstonelaw.ca/family
- Or call us: 1-844-900-1070
This is not legal advice
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Reading it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Ontario laws and government programs change, and how the law applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, speak with a licensed Ontario lawyer. Treadstone Law is licensed by the Law Society of Ontario — reach us at 1-844-900-1070 or start a file online.