Are you supposed to annotate each item on bank statements when exchanging Form E in court proceedings?

Some items are obvious like cash from ATM etc. but where cheques are written out, how do you know who they were made payable to?

My partner's stbx's solicitor, in an informal 'questionnaire' (it was a voluntary exchange of form Es), asked him to list who the payees were on cheques for more than £500. Luckily he fills in his cheque stubs, so was able to do this!

I think it is a good idea ,save any come back and time.Then you can expect same from the other side.
good luck

Please dont annotate bank statements - judges hate it and it makes them hard to read. If you want to avoid the inevitable question of an explanation of all transactions over £500, do a spreadsheet and put it with the Form E. As it is an affidavit you are en­title­d to annex anything to it.

Amanda

thanks for this advice Amanda,
I have been doing both ,as ours is a business and the entries ar well over the top.But will stop this practice now

Thanks to all 3 of you for answering.

So you only have to explain cheques for over £500 then and only if asked?

What if say, my stbx writes out a chq a week for £100. He could be squirreling it away but I'm not allowed to ask or if I do, he's not obliged to tell me?

Hi there

It all depends - if there is a pattern to any transactions questions will be asked about it, but one has to sensible as to the questions asked. It also depends on the level of funds we are talking about here. If you ask a low earner where £100 went they are likely to remember, if you ask a high earner where £500 they are unlikely to remember and unless there is some form of pattern to it, it is irrelevant anyway largely.

It is all about horses for courses, and to be honest, I would wait until you get his Form E before worrying about what might be on it - hypotheticals just serve to cause you worry and stress. Focus on making your form as clear as possible and all involved will appriciate it.

Amanda