30+ Sample Divorce Questionnaire Templates

What Is a Divorce Questionnaire?

When spouses decide to process a divorce settlement, there is a thorough procedure to be followed. One example involves the divorce questionnaire form. This form is the official document that contains legal questions for both parties who are currently married to answer. It is designed not just to discover why couples are separated but also to gather more information about the relationship, marriage problems, and so forth. Answers gathered from the questionnaire could even make the split run smoothly or perhaps, save the marriage.

Based on a survey, America’s divorce rate in 2018 was 2.9 in every 1,000 of the population.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also reported that there had been around 2,132,853 marriages in the US.

Meanwhile, the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) said that most of the factors that contribute to divorce are lack of commitment, infidelity, and argument or conflict.

Why Is a Divorce Questionnaire Important?

Yes, divorce is known to close the association of marriage. But it is not just a simple procedure because there are legal aspects involved too. So, the husband and the wife must follow the requirements to settle the divorce for good. And a divorce questionnaire is part of the important tools to push through the separation. More so, random questions are not just asked in the form since the questionnaire is tailored to gather important information. And sensible questions lead to grabbing significant answers that will create a clearer and more accurate picture of the overall situation; thus, heading to the best conclusion for each party.

Furthermore, divorce questionnaires are not difficult to make and process. Bear in mind that you could be in an emotional mess while divorcing, and thinking straight could be a challenge. Hence, allow the questionnaire to guide every spouse in finalizing tough decisions properly. Stress will even be lessened when you use a divorce questionnaire template because everything is preformatted, and couples only need to fill in what’s asked. And with over 2,132,853 marriages in America, what matters most is that appropriate decisions were made between spouses whether they stay married or not.

What Are the Parts of a Divorce Questionnaire?

Divorce questionnaires run through a series of questions. Some parts tackle basic information, psychology, legal terms, and even payments. But what exactly are the elements found in such questionnaires? Without further ado, the different parts of a divorce questionnaire consist of the following:

Personal Information: Spouses answer in separate documents. And to begin filling out the divorce questionnaire, the spouse should provide his or her personal details first. Information related to the complete legal name, birth date, birthplace, address, and contact number will be required. This part may also inquire about the date of when the form was filled out, employment information, driver’s license, social security number, etc.Spouse Information: A spouse should also include writing the details about his or her partner. And it will be similar to writing personal information, except the details are about the other spouse. So, the spouse’s legal name, social security number, driver’s license, birth date, and the like are expected.Child Information: If the spouses have a child, the child information section is part of the key factors to note down. This part is only relevant for children between the two spouses, not from other people a spouse might have gotten the children from. This segment generally asks about the child’s name, sex, birth date, and address. But it can also be detailed by asking about who the child lives with, current residence, health insurance coverage, or if there is a custody dispute. And there will be a subsection of ‘Other Children’ if the spouse has a child from other relationships, which must be specified.Marital Information: Encourage spouses to review their marriage papers because precise answers should be written under marital information. This part inquires about the date of marriage, place of marriage, religious preference, and the like. And after this segment will be a subsection detailing the divorce information, one of the important parts to answer in the divorce questionnaire. The separation date and grounds for divorce are expected to answer.Additional Information: There might be extra items to respond to the divorce questionnaire. Examples include any family violence or mental health issue. Or perhaps, what are your goals for a relationship or family? The same goes for concerns about how often a spouse has interacted with the other spouse, visitation, and financial concerns. If the children are still minors, then expect to be asked about child care agreement from child custody, visitation, and support.Alleged Information: Honesty is vital in the alleged information segment. And such answers will be discussed with the spouse’s attorney, especially for confidential matters. For example, has anyone alleged you for committing a crime, being arrested, or abusing drugs and alcohol? Be honest. Spouses may indicate key witnesses to the alleged statements because they play a great role in court sessions if the process leads there.Alimony Information: If there is any alimony information, skipping this section is discouraged. State the amounts to be paid in good detail. And with each amount, specify what they are for. The same goes for the payment schedule down from the beginning until the last day. Set a clear picture about the alimony details until financial data shall be recorded accurately.Marital Asset and Debt Information: What were the assets involved in the marriage? List everything that may be about a house, car, retirement fund, savings, or debt. Assets and liabilities are even crucial in legal aspects to know how such factors must be settled. Also, indicate if some assets were acquired before marriage, by inheritance, or by a gift for clarification.Certification: Lastly, the questionnaire should end with a certification. This section marks the closing statement of the whole document where the spouse who answered the questionnaire shall input his or her name, signature, and date of completing it. And placing your signature means you certified that everything written above is correct or precise to your knowledge.

How to Create a Divorce Questionnaire

A divorce questionnaire is self-explanatory, where it contains questions about marriage and divorce that spouses will answer. But how do you exactly make the questionnaire? Now that you know about a divorce questionnaire’s definition, importance, and parts, you are now ready to create the questionnaire itself. And you can do so by following these simple steps:

Step 1: Find a Template to Customize

Have you explored the various sample divorce questionnaire templates above already? Those are your options until you can find the best template to use afterward. Once you are done choosing, don’t forget to tweak the template down from its content, design, style, etc. You can personalize the template according to your specifications. But to make the questionnaire’s document look more professional or legitimate, don’t overdo the customization.

Step 2: Follow the Parts of a Questionnaire Pattern

You already know your questionnaire’s anatomy, as discussed in the parts of a divorce questionnaire earlier. It is expected that you put a title and introductory statement in the questionnaire to introduce what the whole document is about. And the rest would involve the personal information down to the certification section. Once you insert all those elements, your questionnaire’s sequence is good to go.

Step 3: Insert Instructions and Clarifications

Indeed, placing the questionnaire’s important questions is standard as it is part of the questionnaire’s anatomy. But what if clients don’t know how to answer or where to write their answers in the form? Incorporate clear instructions in the document too. You can specify the instructions where answers shall be written and what will be allowed or prohibited to do while completing the questionnaire. Also, mark some clarifications like mentioning which parts are strictly confidential and which questions are optional.

Step 4: Finalize the Questionnaire’s Format

A questionnaire-type document is clear, but what about the other aspects not yet finalized in your questionnaire’s format? For example, how many blanks are available for the clients to answer, and are the blanks’ spaces spacious enough for answers? Don’t forget to clarify if the questionnaire should be in PDF or MS Word. Another concern is if you need to add more details like a survey, table, or chart. Other standard concerns are the font size, font style, margins, etc. Be sure you have decided what to do with those before printing the questionnaires.

Step 5: Make It Easy

Don’t give spouses a difficult and stressful experience with a hard-to-follow divorce questionnaire. Divorcing can be draining emotionally, financially, and physically. At least easy-to-use questionnaires give spouses a break in processing divorce. A tip is to be in the shoes of whoever answers the questionnaire and conduct an evaluation if you think completing that document is giving you a hassle-free experience or not. Come up with the necessary changes for any error or anything that needs improvement in the questionnaire to make the final version the best one.

FAQs

What are other names of a divorce questionnaire?

A divorce questionnaire can be referred to as a divorce quiz, divorce survey questionnaire, divorce client questionnaire, or simply a divorce form. Nonetheless, they can all function the same way that spouses must answer to process the divorce.

What are the main issues in divorce?

Generally, there are four major issues in divorce. They involve property division, parental responsibilities, child support, and spousal maintenance. Divorce agreements aim to ensure that such issues will be settled rightfully. Thus, it won’t be difficult for the spouses.

What is the number one cause of divorce?

According to NCBI, most of the factors that contribute to divorce are lack of commitment, infidelity, and conflict or argument. And the examples considered as the final straw are infidelity, domestic violence, and substance abuse. However, the majority have blamed their partners for the divorce instead of blaming themselves.

It is no surprise that when spouses decide to divorce, they should be prepared for the processes that follow. Most especially, the step that requires them to answer questions from a divorce questionnaire. But, chances are things end in a mess if the questionnaire itself is the problem all along. Don’t worry—we got you covered with sample divorce questionnaires that consist of relevant questions, are easy to customize, and ready to download or print anytime. Download now!