How to Make Revisions to a Separation Agreement
- 1). Check with the document preparation service if one was used to prepare the document. Let them know that revisions need to be made to your separation agreement. They should guide you through the process of adding, initialing, witnessing and notarizing the new document. They may require that you handle the revisions on your own as described in Step 3 below.
- 2). Contact your attorney's office, if you sought counsel to prepare the document, to let him or her know that revisions are necessary to the separation agreement. They will arrange to obtain the revisions to the various clause(s) from you, and then have the document initialed by you and your spouse, witnessed and finally notarized. Be sure that you obtain a copy of the finalized revisions for your records.
- 3). Type or legibly write each necessary revision on the agreement into the appropriate margin of the clause or statement if you prepared the document yourself. If your spouse prepared the document, contact him or her to arrange for revisions to be made. Ensure that adequate copies are made for your records during the revision process. You will need to provide a copy to the other party that has your initials on the changes.
- 4). Initial the revision and then send the document to the other party so that they may also initial the revision(s). In order for the revisions to be valid, they must be initialed by each party. Keep track of the date that you send the document to the other party for follow up as necessary.
- 5). Have the revised separation agreement witnessed and notarized as was done with the original. This is important because, if either spouse contests the revisions or any part of the separation, a judge will make the final call during or after a court hearing. Provide a copy of the notarized document to the other party for their records.
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