New York’s January 2026 Statement of Net Worth revision changed how spouses verify the form, not its significance. It now uses affirmation language under CPLR 2106 and remains a required financial disclosure in divorce. Its accuracy can affect early support requests, settlement discussions, and property issues.
For spouses with substantial assets, the form is more than a worksheet of account balances. It creates an early financial record that helps frame equitable distribution, identify potential separate property, and reveal where a business, property holding, investment compensation, or debt requires further analysis. In our work, we use that record to address marital assets and claimed non-marital assets from the outset.
What the January 1, 2026 Revision Changed
The current statewide Statement of Net Worth form is marked UCS Rev. 1/1/26. This update is distinct from the earlier form revision dated December 1, 2025. Following the 2025 amendments to CPLR 2106, the January revision replaced prior notary-signing provisions with affirmation language. The change concerns how the signer confirms the information, not what must be disclosed.
The form remains required under Domestic Relations Law Section 236(B)(4) and New York’s Uniform Rules for Matrimonial Actions, 22 NYCRR 202.16. A complete submission covers income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and certain asset transfers. Since an affirmation is made under penalty of perjury, each figure and representation requires careful attention.
Why Substantial Estates Require Supporting Records
A substantial marital estate usually requires records that explain each reported value, not simply a number entered on a form.
In a high-asset divorce, the following categories often warrant closer review:
- Business Interests: A closely held company, professional practice, partnership interest, or ownership stake often requires governing documents, tax returns, financial statements, and a business valuation.
- Investment Compensation: Stock options, restricted equity, deferred bonuses, and other compensation have vesting conditions, tax consequences, and values that aren’t always apparent from a pay stub.
- Bank and Retirement Accounts: Statements and transaction histories help document balances, contributions, withdrawals, and ownership over time.
- Real Estate and Debt: Deeds, mortgage statements, appraisals, home-equity borrowing records, and documentation of improvements help establish value and ownership history.
The form also requires disclosure of assets transferred during the shorter of the preceding three years or the length of the marriage. That question should prompt a review of major gifts, transfers to trusts or businesses, and changes in title. Reporting a transfer doesn’t decide whether it was proper or how it should be treated, but omitting it creates a problem that is harder to address later.
Disclosure Doesn’t Decide Marital or Separate Property
Listing an asset doesn’t determine whether it will be divided. New York follows equitable distribution, which divides marital property fairly rather than automatically awarding equal shares.
Property acquired during the marriage is generally presumed to be marital property, regardless of whose name appears on the title or account.
Separate property generally includes:
- Property owned before the marriage
- Qualifying gifts and inheritances
- Personal-injury compensation
- Property identified as separate in a written agreement
Classification remains separate from disclosure. Both sides need a complete financial picture before evaluating a marital or separate property claim.
Tracing follows an asset’s ownership and funding over time. It becomes important when inherited funds entered a joint account, a premarital business grew during the marriage, or marital funds paid debt on separately owned property. Account statements, tax filings, closing records, and documents showing contributions and appreciation can be as important as the asset’s current value.
Deadlines, Updates & Temporary Support Requests
Disclosure begins early and continues as the case changes. Under 22 NYCRR 202.16, both parties must exchange their statements no later than 10 days before the preliminary conference, an early court conference used to organize the divorce and its discovery.
Outside that schedule, a written demand generally requires a response within 20 days. A supplemental statement is required when material information in a previously exchanged and filed version changes. Updated statements are also required unless the court excuses them.
Events that can materially change the reported finances include:
- A business sale
- An annual bonus or stock-vesting event
- A new loan
- Substantial investment activity
- A significant change in income
Keeping a working file of current statements and transaction records makes it easier to update the disclosure without reconstructing months of activity under deadline pressure.
The Consequences of Incomplete or Unsupported Information
This sworn submission is a procedural requirement with real consequences. A court has authority to preclude evidence or deny a motion when a party fails to serve or file a proper statement on time. A motion for temporary maintenance, child support, or counsel fees won’t be heard without the official form in the moving papers.
The other side’s response also matters. For a motion, the court can treat financial facts in the moving party’s statement as admitted when the opposing party doesn’t controvert them in a sworn response. Unsupported estimates, omitted accounts, and stale income figures can therefore limit a party’s options at an important stage of the case.
Incomplete records also delay practical decisions. Before spouses evaluate a proposed property division, support arrangement, or settlement structure, they need reliable information about assets, obligations, liquidity, and the evidence supporting each claimed value. When financial activity or business value is disputed, forensic accounting and valuation analysis can clarify the record.
How We Organize High-Asset Financial Records
We organize financial records early and update them as the divorce develops. This gives us a foundation for evaluating the equitable distribution of inheritances, other assets, and debts, identifying non-marital property, and addressing spousal or child support issues.
We assess the available records, contested issues, and necessary level of analysis to determine whether informed negotiation, collaborative divorce, mediation, or litigation is appropriate. We also determine when outside valuation analysis is warranted. Dennis R. Vetrano, Jr., Esq., has more than 27 years of experience in New York divorce, litigated and collaborative family law, and mediation.
Careful preparation provides a reliable basis for informed decisions as the case moves forward. For guidance on high-asset divorce, property division, or required disclosures, contact The Law Office of Dennis R. Vetrano, Jr., LLC at (845) 605-4330.