What financial documents do you need for a Nebraska divorce?

If you’re getting divorced in Nebraska, your financial paperwork is not busywork, it’s the foundation of the entire case. Property division, child support, and alimony all depend on accurate financial disclosures. In most cases involving children, the court expects a Financial Affidavit for Child Support (DC 6:5.2) and supporting documents that verify income, expenses, assets, and debts.

The practical reality is that divorce moves faster and settles cleaner when both sides can see the same financial picture. When documents are missing or numbers are guessed, cases tend to drift into discovery fights, continuances, and credibility problems. Nebraska’s civil discovery rules also create real deadlines and real consequences if a party refuses to cooperate.

This post gives you a Nebraska-specific checklist of what to gather, why it matters, and how to organize it so your attorney can actually use it. If you want to improve your outcome and reduce the stress, start here: collect the right documents early, keep them updated, and assume the court will expect proof for anything you claim in your affidavit.

Why financial preparation matters in a Nebraska divorce

Judges cannot divide property or set support based on vibes or rough estimates. Nebraska law authorizes courts to make decisions about property division and alimony based on each party’s financial situation, and it contemplates sworn financial statements showing income, assets, debts, and expenses.

Nebraska is an equitable distribution state, meaning the goal is “fair and reasonable under the circumstances,” not automatically 50/50. That only works when the court has reliable information about what exists, what it’s worth, and what each party actually earns and spends.

The core Nebraska divorce financial documents to gather

You can think of this in four buckets: income, assets, debts, and monthly expenses. Your financial affidavit (especially DC 6:5.2 in cases involving children) is the framework, and the documents are the proof.

Income documents (DC 6:5.2 requirements)

Start with pay documentation and taxes. In most cases, you should gather recent pay stubs showing year-to-date totals, W-2s and 1099s for the last two years, and federal and state tax returns for the last 2–3 years.

If income varies due to overtime, bonuses, commissions, or seasonal work, the “story” of your income matters, and that story comes from records. If you are self-employed, the picture usually requires more than tax returns. Profit-and-loss statements, business bank statements, and records of owner draws often become central because child support and alimony decisions depend on credible income figures.

Bank, investment, and retirement records

Retirement is frequently one of the largest marital assets, and valuation usually starts with clean account statements. Gather checking and savings statements (joint and separate) for the last 3–12 months, brokerage account statements showing current holdings, and retirement plan statements (401(k), IRA, pension) showing vested balances.

Tip: If you have app-based accounts, online-only banks, or any crypto activity, treat those like any other asset. Document it, pull statements or screenshots that show balances and transfers, and disclose it. Discovery tends to find what people assume is “invisible,” and it is rarely worth the risk to play games with this category.

Real estate and property records

For real estate, you typically want deeds, mortgage statements, home equity lines, and property tax statements. If a buyout is on the table, refinancing feasibility often becomes a negotiation issue, and documentation matters.

For vehicles and other significant property, gather loan statements and any valuation sources you’re using (for example, a current payoff letter plus a Kelley Blue Book valuation). This keeps the discussion anchored to evidence instead of arguments.

Debts (the “marital estate” calculation)

Pull current statements for credit cards, student loans, car loans, and personal loans. Also gather documentation for any business debts that might be personally guaranteed. Debt allocation is part of the “marital estate” conversation, so clean statements help prevent surprises.

Monthly expenses (budgeting for support)

Expenses matter most in cases involving temporary support, child support, and alimony. The court is more likely to trust a budget supported by records (mortgage or rent, childcare, insurance premiums, medical costs, and recurring bills) than a budget built from memory.

If you want a practical list to start with, grab: last 3 months of pay stubs, last 3 years of tax returns, last 6 months of account statements (bank, retirement, credit cards), current loan and mortgage statements, and proof of childcare and health insurance costs.

How discovery works in Nebraska divorce cases

Even if you hope for an amicable divorce, you should understand discovery because it shapes timelines. Nebraska’s discovery rules require timely responses to tools like interrogatories and document requests, with the default response period generally being 30 days.

If someone refuses to provide documents, the rules also authorize courts to impose sanctions for discovery failures. Practically, that can mean orders compelling disclosure, attorney fee awards, and other remedies depending on the situation.

What this means for you is simple: if your documents are organized early, your attorney can respond faster, negotiate from strength, and use formal discovery strategically if the other side is hiding the ball.

What happens if a spouse lies, hides assets, or “forgets” accounts?

Nebraska courts have tools to address dishonesty in litigation, and discovery sanctions are part of that framework. Beyond sanctions, Nebraska law also provides mechanisms for vacating or modifying judgments in appropriate circumstances, which is one reason post-decree fights can happen when fraud is uncovered later.

This is not hypothetical. Nebraska appellate cases have dealt with allegations of concealed assets and fraudulent conduct tied to divorce outcomes, which is exactly why transparency and documentation matter from day one.

If you suspect hidden assets, the most productive move is usually not a dramatic confrontation. It is a calm, evidence-driven plan: trace transfers, identify missing statements, and use proper discovery (and subpoenas when appropriate) so the facts can be proven.

A simple system to organize your documents

Most people don’t lose cases because they lack documents. They lose leverage because the documents are scattered and outdated. A workable system is boring on purpose: create folders by category (income, taxes, bank, retirement, real estate, debts, expenses) and then subfolders by year or month.

File naming matters more than people expect. “Statement.pdf” is expensive because it forces your attorney to guess. “Chase_Checking_2025-11.pdf” is useful because your attorney can use it immediately.

Also, assume your numbers will change during the case. Income changes, accounts get refinanced, balances fluctuate. Updating your documents as you go is part of staying credible, especially when you’re asking the court for temporary orders or support.

How a Nebraska divorce attorney uses your documents

A good divorce attorney is not just plugging numbers into forms. Your documents help your lawyer assess risk, negotiate efficiently, and (when needed) prove what’s missing.

Assess risk: They help your lawyer give you a realistic assessment of property division and support exposure under Nebraska law.

Negotiate: They let your lawyer negotiate efficiently because proposals grounded in documents are harder to dismiss.

Investigate: If the other side is not transparent, your documents become the baseline that guides discovery requests and helps identify what’s missing. That’s how you move from suspicion to proof.

FAQ: Nebraska divorce financial documents

Do both spouses have to provide financial disclosures in a Nebraska divorce?

In most cases, yes. If child support is involved, Nebraska’s self-help resources specifically require a Financial Affidavit for Child Support and related information. Contested cases commonly involve broader sworn financial disclosures and supporting documents.

What financial affidavit form is used for child support in Nebraska?

The statewide form is DC 6:5.2 (Financial Affidavit for Child Support). Nebraska also publishes instructions (DC 6:5.2a) that show how to complete it properly.

How far back should I pull statements and tax returns?

A common starting point is 2–3 years of tax returns and several months of statements for active accounts, adjusted based on case complexity (variable income, business ownership, disputed assets). The key is being able to prove trends, not just today’s balance.

What if I don’t have access to my spouse’s financial records?

That is exactly what discovery is for. Nebraska’s rules provide formal tools for document requests and enforceable deadlines, and courts can impose sanctions when a party fails to cooperate.

Can I leave out an asset if I believe it is “separate property”?

You generally should not self-edit disclosures. Even if you believe something is separate (premarital or inherited), it is usually better practice to disclose it and let the legal classification be addressed with evidence and argument, rather than risking credibility problems later.