Metro East Divorce Preparation Checklist

Preparing for divorce in Belleville, Maryville, or Edwardsville starts with getting a clearer picture of your household, finances, and priorities. Use this checklist to organize records, identify immediate concerns, and prepare questions about housing, parenting, and the next steps. You can check items as you go or print a copy to complete offline. You do not need to finish every item before speaking with an attorney.

Print a clean copy with your current checkmarks. Selections are not saved when you refresh or leave this page.

1. Write Down the Situation You Need Help With

Start with a short overview so your first conversation can focus on priorities rather than reconstructing basic details.

Record the marriage date, current addresses, and any recent changes in living arrangements.
List any pending court cases and locate existing divorce, parenting, support, or protection orders.
Note whether either spouse lives outside Illinois or whether the children have recently lived in another state.
Identify your three most pressing concerns, such as access to money, housing stability, or a temporary parenting schedule.

2. Identify Needs That Cannot Wait

Some household issues need attention before long-term settlement discussions can be productive.

List essential payments coming due soon, including housing, utilities, insurance, childcare, and medications.
Determine how you can lawfully access funds for ordinary expenses and keep a record of necessary spending.
Identify any interruption in transportation, childcare, health coverage, or access to necessary personal belongings.
Tell your attorney promptly about threats, abuse, financial control, or concerns that someone may take or conceal a child.

3. Collect Records That Explain Income

Gather enough information to distinguish dependable income from payments that vary throughout the year.

Collect recent pay statements and available tax returns with their supporting income documents.
Identify overtime, bonuses, commissions, self-employment income, benefits, and other sources of money.
Note payroll deductions for insurance, retirement contributions, union dues, or other recurring items.
If employment involves both Illinois and Missouri, gather related tax and payroll records and flag questions for an appropriate professional.

4. Map Accounts, Property, and Debts

Create an inventory before deciding what you hope to keep or how obligations should be divided.

List bank accounts, investments, retirement plans, pensions, business interests, vehicles, and real estate.
Record mortgages, credit cards, vehicle loans, personal loans, tax balances, and other debts.
For each item, note the name on the account or title, approximate value or balance, statement date, and location of supporting records.
Flag property owned before marriage, gifts, inheritances, and transfers between accounts for legal review rather than assuming how they will be classified.

5. Test Your Housing Options Against Real Costs

Compare the full expense of each option, including the effect on transportation and daily responsibilities.

Gather the mortgage statement or lease, property tax information, insurance costs, and recent utility bills.
Estimate maintenance, repairs, deposits, moving costs, and other expenses that may be missing from a basic monthly budget.
Compare possible housing locations with school routes, childcare, employment, and exchanges between households.
Prepare questions about affordability, financing, ownership transfers, or sale arrangements before making a commitment involving the home.

6. Document the Children’s Ordinary Week

If you have children, describe how care currently works before proposing a new schedule.

Write down school hours, childcare arrangements, activities, regular appointments, and each parent’s caregiving responsibilities.
Collect school calendars and identify early dismissals, breaks, and days when additional care will be needed.
Estimate realistic travel times between proposed homes, school, and work, including any cross-river commute.
List medical, educational, developmental, or accessibility needs that a parenting arrangement must accommodate.

7. Separate Monthly Expenses From Occasional Costs

A useful budget includes expenses that occur annually or unpredictably, not just bills paid every month.

Record recurring costs for food, transportation, insurance, communications, childcare, and healthcare.
Identify annual or seasonal expenses such as registrations, school supplies, activity fees, and insurance renewals.
Separate current household spending from your estimate of what a separate household would cost.
Mark uncertain figures and identify which estimates need a statement, quote, or professional review.

8. Preserve Information and Review Personal Security

Keep useful records organized while respecting account access rules and any existing court orders.

Store copies of records you are legally entitled to access in a secure location you can reliably reach.
Preserve relevant messages, financial records, and documents without editing or deleting potential evidence.
Review recovery contacts and security settings on your personal accounts, considering safety concerns before making changes.
Ask your attorney how to obtain missing information lawfully rather than guessing passwords or accessing someone else’s private accounts.

9. Prepare for the Correct Local Process

Belleville is in St. Clair County. Maryville and Edwardsville are in Madison County. Confirm where your case belongs and which procedures apply.

Ask which county is the proper venue and whether any existing case affects where new requests should be made.
Keep copies of filed documents, notices, and orders together, with deadlines entered on a calendar.
Confirm current filing instructions, service requirements, and any court appearance arrangements that apply to your case.
Plan for time away from work, transportation, and childcare when a consultation or court appearance requires it.

10. Turn Your Information Into Consultation Questions

Bring the records you have and a clear list of what remains unresolved. Missing documents should not prevent you from asking for help.

Prepare questions about temporary arrangements, property and debt classification, support, and parenting responsibilities.
Identify decisions that need advice before action, including moving a child, transferring money, selling property, or changing coverage.
Ask which additional records, valuations, or tax and financial advice would be useful before considering a settlement.
Write down the next steps after your consultation, who will handle each task, and any applicable deadlines.

Use This as an Organizer, Not a Filing Requirement

This checklist is a preparation tool, not a list of documents every person must file. Your circumstances may call for different records or more immediate action.

Gathering information does not authorize you to move assets, change parenting arrangements, cancel insurance, or disregard an existing order. Discuss significant changes with your attorney.

If there is an immediate emergency, call 911.

This resource provides general educational information and is not legal advice. Using it does not create an attorney-client relationship.

This blog is owned by Stange Law Firm, PC.

Divorce Preparation Checklist for Belleville, Maryville & Edwardsville

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