Divorce Readiness Checklist

Shows how prepared you are, practically and legally, to start or respond to a divorce, and what to sort out first.

Private. Your employer never sees your answers. This is general legal information, not legal advice. Deciding about divorce is hard, and this is not about pushing you either way. It simply shows what you already have in place and what may still need attention.

Private: your answers stay on this device and are not saved. You can stop at any time.

I feel safe at home with my spouse or partner.
I know what kind of marriage I have (civil, customary, religious, or more than one).
I know my marital property system (in community of property, or out of community with or without accrual), or I have a copy of my antenuptial contract.
I have copies of my marriage certificate, ID and my children's birth certificates.
I have a list of what we own and owe together (house, car, pensions, loans, accounts).
I know roughly what my spouse earns and what pension or retirement funds we each have.
I have thought about where the children would live and how they would keep contact with both parents.
I have a budget for how I would live on my own income (and any maintenance).
I have somewhere to live, or a plan for where I would live.
We can talk to each other enough to try mediation or agree on some things.
I have at least one person I trust for emotional support through this.
I know where I would get legal advice (Legal Aid SA, a law clinic, a mediator or a family attorney).