SIMPLIFYING YOUR DIVORCE

Which Arkansas Divorce Forms Will You Need?

Here's the honest truth about Arkansas: the state's Administrative Office of the Courts publishes only a handful of administrative and procedural forms. The core pleadings — like the Complaint for Divorce and the Final Decree — are not available as numbered statewide forms. They're drafted by the parties or their attorneys, or generated through a guided self-help tool. So the list below mixes official forms you can download with documents that are written, not pulled off a shelf. Below, we've grouped the most common Arkansas divorce papers by the stage of the process where they typically appear.

Starting the Case

These are the documents that open a divorce in the Circuit Court, Domestic Relations Division.

• Complaint for Divorce
  The document that initiates the divorce case. It states the grounds for divorce, the residency facts, and the relief the filing spouse is asking the court to consider. There is no numbered statewide version — it's drafted for each case.

• Domestic Relations Cover Sheet (Administrative Order No. 8)
  A required cover sheet that classifies the case type — for example, DV (divorce without support), DS (divorce with child or spousal support), CS (custody modification), or SP (support modification).

• Summons
  Issued by the court clerk and served on the other spouse along with the Complaint. It officially notifies them that a case has been started.

Responding to the Case

These forms are used by the spouse who receives the Complaint (the defendant).

• Answer
  The defendant spouse's written response to the Complaint for Divorce. It is filed within 30 days of being served.

• Entry of Appearance and Waiver of Service
  Used in uncontested cases when the defendant agrees to waive formal service of process — a common path when both spouses are on the same page.

Financial and Disclosure Forms

Arkansas requires both spouses to put their finances on the table.

• Affidavit of Financial Means
  A mandatory sworn financial disclosure required from both parties. It covers all income sources, assets, monthly expenses, and liabilities. It is exchanged at least 3 days before any financial hearing, and paystubs or tax returns are attached to it.

Forms for Divorces With Children

When minor children are involved, child support is calculated using these tools rather than a single numbered form.

• Worksheet - Child Support (required July 1, 2020)
  The calculation worksheet used to compute child support obligations under the Arkansas Child Support Guidelines (Administrative Order 10).

• Monthly Family Support Chart (required July 1, 2020)
  An income shares chart used together with the child support worksheet to determine support amounts. An online calculator is also available on the state courts site.

• Income Withholding for Support
  A wage withholding order that directs an employer to withhold child or spousal support from the paying spouse's wages.

Settlement or Separation Agreement

When spouses reach agreement on the terms of their divorce, that agreement is written into documents — not provided as a standardized statewide form.

• Property Settlement Agreement and Parenting Plan
  These spell out how property and debts are divided and, when children are involved, the custody and parenting arrangements. Arkansas does not publish numbered statewide versions of these; they are drafted by the parties or their attorneys, or generated through a guided self-help tool.

Finalizing Your Case

These documents bring the case to a close.

• Domestic Relations Disposition Sheet
  An administrative form that tracks how the case was resolved. It is filed at the close of the case.

• Decree of Divorce (Final Decree)
  The court's final judgment that dissolves the marriage, divides property, and establishes custody and support terms when applicable. Like the Complaint, it is drafted by the parties or their attorneys — there is no statewide standardized form.

Where to Get Arkansas Divorce Forms

Because Arkansas doesn't offer one complete packet, the forms come from a few different places. Here's where to look.

Official State Courts Site

The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts publishes the official administrative and procedural forms — the cover sheet, disposition sheet, child support worksheet and chart, and the financial affidavit. You can find these at the official court forms page: arcourts.gov/forms-and-publications/court-forms. Keep in mind this site does not offer the Complaint, Answer, settlement agreement, parenting plan, or final decree as numbered forms.

Circuit Court Clerk

Divorces are filed in the Circuit Court, Domestic Relations Division, in the appropriate county. The Circuit Clerk's office is where documents are filed and where the Summons is issued. Local clerks can also tell you about filing procedures and any local requirements, though they cannot give legal advice.

Legal Aid and Self-Help

Legal Aid of Arkansas offers an interactive, guided self-help divorce packet at arlawhelp.org. It's a helpful resource, but worth knowing its limits: the packet covers only simple, uncontested divorces without minor children and without significant property. Cases involving children or substantial assets fall outside its scope.

Online Divorce Services

If your divorce is uncontested and you'd rather not assemble everything piece by piece, an online service can prepare your documents based on your answers. Divorce.com walks you through a simple questionnaire and generates the paperwork for your situation — including cases the free legal-aid packet doesn't cover. It's a middle path between full DIY and hiring a lawyer.

Hire an Attorney

For contested divorces, complex property, or covenant marriages, working with an attorney is often the most practical route. An attorney drafts the pleadings, agreements, and decree, and advises you on the choices specific to your case.

The Arkansas Divorce Process

Every case has its own twists, but most Arkansas divorces move through these general stages.

1. Meet the Residency Requirements

Arkansas has a two-stage residency rule. Either spouse must have lived in Arkansas for 60 days immediately before filing, and there must be 3 months of actual residence before the final decree can be entered.

2. File the Complaint

The case begins when the Complaint for Divorce, the Domestic Relations Cover Sheet (Administrative Order No. 8), and related documents are filed with the Circuit Clerk, and the Summons is issued.

3. Serve the Other Spouse

The Complaint and Summons are served on the other spouse. In uncontested cases, the defendant may instead sign an Entry of Appearance and Waiver of Service. A served spouse generally has 30 days to file an Answer.

4. Exchange Financial Disclosures

Both spouses complete the Affidavit of Financial Means and exchange it, attaching paystubs or tax returns. This happens at least 3 days before any financial hearing. When children are involved, the child support Worksheet and Monthly Family Support Chart come into play here too.

5. Observe the Waiting Period

Arkansas requires a minimum of 30 days from the date the Complaint is filed before a decree can be entered. Some uncontested cases may be finalized without an in-person hearing through sworn affidavits or depositions — but only if the assigned judge permits it, so parties confirm this with the trial court administrator first.

6. Decree and Certified Copies

Once the terms are settled and the waiting period is met, the court enters the Decree of Divorce. The Domestic Relations Disposition Sheet is filed at the close of the case. It's common to request certified copies of the decree for changing names, updating records, and similar follow-ups.

Arkansas-Specific Requirements You Should Know

A few things set Arkansas apart from other states.

Residency. Arkansas uses two distinct thresholds — 60 days of residence before filing and 3 months of actual residence before the final decree is entered. Either spouse can satisfy the requirement.

Property division. Arkansas is an equitable distribution state, not a community property state. Marital property is divided one-half to each party by default under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-12-315, but courts may deviate based on equitable factors.

Grounds. The true no-fault ground is living separate and apart for 18 continuous months without cohabitation. Fault grounds (which must have occurred within 5 years of filing) include general indignities, adultery, cruel and barbarous treatment, felony conviction, habitual drunkenness for one year, impotence, willful failure to support, and incurable insanity. Because the no-fault ground requires an 18-month separation, general indignities — ongoing contempt or mistreatment that makes the marriage intolerable — is the most commonly used ground and does not require that separation period.

Waiting period. A 30-day minimum applies from the date the Complaint is filed before a decree can be entered.

Covenant marriage. Arkansas recognizes covenant marriage under the Covenant Marriage Act of 2001. Divorcing a covenant marriage involves pre-filing mandatory marital counseling and more limited grounds. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-11-808, those grounds include adultery; a felony or serious crime; physical or sexual abuse of a spouse or child; or living separate and apart for two continuous years. Alternatively, spouses who have first obtained a judicial separation may divorce after two years of separation from that judgment (or two years and six months if minor children are involved). Because covenant marriage divorces involve additional requirements and timelines, consulting an attorney is particularly advisable.

Mandatory parenting class. When minor children are involved, both parents complete a mandatory parent education program (roughly $30–60 per parent).

For how any of these rules apply to your situation, consult an attorney.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Assuming there's a one-size-fits-all form packet

Arkansas doesn't publish a complete statewide divorce kit. Expecting to download everything from a single page is the most common source of frustration. The official site has only administrative forms; the pleadings are drafted.

Outgrowing the free legal-aid packet

The arlawhelp.org packet is excellent for simple cases, but it doesn't cover divorces with minor children or significant property. Using it for a case it wasn't built for leads to gaps.

Overlooking the two-stage residency rule

The 60-day filing requirement and the 3-month requirement before the decree are separate. Confusing the two can throw off your timeline.

Picking the wrong ground

Filing under the no-fault separation ground without realizing it requires 18 continuous months of separation can stall a case. Many filers use general indignities instead, which doesn't require that wait.

Mishandling sensitive information

Sensitive data like Social Security numbers goes on a separate Confidential Information Sheet, filed apart from the main case file per court rules — not in the public pleadings.

Skipping the parenting class

When children are involved, both parents complete the mandatory parent education program. Forgetting it can delay finalizing the case.

How Divorce.com Can Help

Assembling Arkansas divorce papers from scratch is a lot — especially when the state hands you only part of the puzzle. Divorce.com takes the guesswork out by guiding you through a plain-language questionnaire and preparing the documents that fit your situation, including cases the free self-help packet doesn't cover. Here's what that looks like in practice.

• A simple step-by-step questionnaire — no legal jargon to decode on your own.

• Documents prepared based on your answers, so you're not piecing pleadings together from blank pages.

• Support for uncontested cases that fall outside the free legal-aid packet, including those with children or property.

• A clear, less stressful path than full DIY — at a fraction of the cost of a traditional attorney.

• Filing instructions so you know what goes where once your papers are ready.