Property settlement checklist (Australia)

What’s inside the 8-page PDF

1. Asset pool worksheet. Every asset category Australian property settlement covers — real estate, super, savings, vehicles, investments, business interests, debts — with space to fill in your numbers.
2. Contributions timeline. Financial and non-financial contributions before, during and after the relationship. The categories courts actually care about.
3. Future-needs factors. The Section 75(2) factors that adjust the percentage — income, primary care, age, health, earning capacity — in plain English.
4. Documents checklist. Bank statements, super statements, mortgage statements, tax returns, payslips. What you need, where to find it, and what your lawyer will ask for.
5. Questions to ask a lawyer at your first meeting. The 12 questions that turn a $500 first hour into productive strategy time instead of fact-gathering.
6. The asset categories most people forget. Old super funds, jointly-held inheritances, defined-benefit schemes, deferred remuneration, financial resources outside the pool.
7. Red flags. When this checklist isn’t enough — family violence, hidden assets, complex businesses, defined-benefit super, trust structures.
8. Next steps. Calculator link, lawyer questions, and what to do if you’re close to a time limit.

Who it’s for

You, if you’re separating in Australia and you want to walk into your first lawyer meeting with the asset side already organised. Married or de facto. Any state. Whether you’ve been separated for a week or eighteen months.

Not for you if your situation involves family violence, hidden assets, complex business structures, or proceedings already filed. Those situations need legal advice now, not a checklist.

Why it’s free

Most Australian property settlement content online is published by family law firms trying to win you as a client. Their content is good but the agenda is clear. This checklist exists because there’s a gap: practical, structured help before the lawyer meeting that doesn’t have a sales angle.

The site is funded by an optional paid PDF report inside the calculator. The checklist is free because the value isn’t in gating it — it’s in being the thing people actually use.

What it isn’t

• Not legal advice. It’s a checklist.
• Not a substitute for a lawyer or financial disclosure.
• Not state-specific in legal detail (the framework is federal under the Family Law Act, except for de facto matters in WA — see the de facto guide).
• Not focused on the actual numerical modelling — that’s what the calculator does.