BC Form 4 Financial Statement for Child or Spousal Support
When it is required, how to prepare disclosure, and where to get the official BC Provincial Court PDF.
Form 4 is a sworn financial statement commonly required for spousal support and for child support when income information must be disclosed. You do not necessarily complete all six parts; use the parts that match your claim and the form instructions.
Free help filling this form
The BC government's free Family Law Act Online Forms Assistant asks questions and uses your answers to prepare relevant Provincial Court family documents. A Basic BCeID account is required. The form finder can also help you identify the appropriate guide before you begin.
The government assistant is a separate service. Our page does not create or submit court papers.
When is Form 4 required?
Spousal support: a Form 4 financial statement is generally required under Rule 25. Child support: Form 4 is required when the relevant child-support guidelines require income information; it is not automatically required for every child-support claim. When you reply to an original Form 3 asking for child support or spousal support, Rule 28(2)(b) requires Form 4 with your Form 6 reply, even if you agree. Replies to a changed application follow separate rules under Rule 190.
Form 4 is financial disclosure, not the application for a support order. Check the specific requirements in the official form and current BC Provincial Court Family Rules.
Form 4 deadline when replying to support papers
For an original Form 3 application about child or spousal support, Rule 28(2)–(4) generally requires the responding party to file a Form 6 reply and Form 4 within 30 days after being served. Early resolution registries have additional requirements to complete before a reply is filed. An application to change an existing order follows separate procedures; do not assume this deadline applies.
Which financial statement form do you need?
This page is for BC Provincial Court family cases. In a BC Supreme Court family case, check Form F8 (Financial Statement) instead. In BC Small Claims Court, Form 4 means a certificate of service, not financial disclosure. Always match the form to the court on your papers.
The six parts, explained
- Part 1 — Income: disclose employment, self-employment and other relevant income. Match the documents required by the form, including tax returns, notices of assessment and current income evidence.
- Part 2 — Expenses and debts: include the relevant monthly household costs, balances and payment obligations.
- Part 3 — Assets: identify the assets and estimated values requested by the form, not just salary or bank accounts.
- Part 4 — Special or extraordinary expenses: explain eligible child-related expenses such as childcare or qualifying educational/medical expenses, with receipts.
- Part 5 — Other household income: complete if it applies to your circumstances, including a household standard-of-living issue.
- Part 6 — Undue hardship: use only where an undue-hardship claim or response is actually made, with supporting information.
Prepare your documents
- Recent income tax returns, notices of assessment/reassessment and records supporting current earnings.
- Proof of support-related expenses, debts and claimed exceptional costs.
- For variable income or self-employment, documents that reconcile the stated amount to actual business records.
- Make sure numbers are labelled by period and are gross or net exactly as the form specifies.
Signing and filing
The official Form 4 tells you not to sign until you are with a commissioner for taking affidavits. Rule 172 permits certain signed but unsworn documents to be filed only where swearing beforehand is not practicable, and the person must remain available to swear or affirm later if required. Do not assume that exception is the normal filing method.
Worked example
A parent earns $62,000 in employment income and received $4,000 in relevant additional income. Their Form 4 should identify and document each relevant income source rather than reporting only their monthly take-home pay. A child-support request may also need the related parenting-time and expense facts in Form 3.
Example: gather income figures before filling the form
Fictional example: a parent has $60,000 in regular gross annual wages and received a separate $4,000 gross bonus. They collect recent pay statements, tax returns, notices of assessment and records explaining the bonus before completing the financial-statement questions that apply. They do not enter take-home pay as though it were gross income or omit an irregular payment simply because it is not on every paycheque.
The example shows how to organize documents; it does not decide the legal annual income used for support. The court may require additional records or a different treatment of income. Check the current Form 4 instructions and Rule 25 for your particular request.
Common mistake
Completing every section blindly, signing the affidavit prematurely, or submitting income figures without the official supporting tax and pay documents.
Free printable Section 7 expense tracker
Record receipts, reimbursements and payments before entering annual totals. This worksheet does not decide legal eligibility.
Open printable tracker and CSV ↗What the main parts of Form 4 are asking
Form 4 has several financial sections; some apply only to particular claims. Use its printed instructions and supporting-document checklist.
Income and proof
Identify the income sources the form asks about, the relevant tax period, and supporting tax and current-income records. Check whether each figure should be annual, monthly, gross or net.
Expenses, debts and assets
List the categories requested by the relevant parts of the form. Avoid mixing monthly payments with outstanding balances or treating an asset's full value as monthly income.
Special expenses and other household income
Complete these parts only where the form calls for them. Keep receipts, insurance reimbursements and the basis for an amount separate; a receipt alone does not establish that an expense legally qualifies.
Undue hardship and signing
Use the undue-hardship section only if that issue is actually raised. Check required attachments and do not swear or sign the affidavit prematurely; follow the official commissioning instructions.