Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.914, Certificate of Service (11/15), is the form on which you certify that you gave the other party, or his or her attorney, a copy of a document you filed with the clerk. Both parties use it after a petition or supplemental petition has been properly served, unless the document being filed already carries its own certificate. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the form and its instructions come from the Florida Courts.
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What is 12.914?
Form 12.914, Certificate of Service, is the Florida Supreme Court approved family law form on which a party certifies, in a family case, that a copy of each document filed with the clerk was given to the other party or that party's attorney.
Once a petition or supplemental petition has been properly served, through personal service or constructive service, both parties must serve copies of every additional document or paper they file with the clerk on the other side. Each time you file, you must certify that you provided that copy. The form lists the name of each document filed, how the copy was delivered (mailed, faxed and mailed, e-mailed or hand-delivered), the date, and the name and contact details of the other party or his or her attorney.
Many Florida Family Law Forms already print a certificate of this kind above the signature line. The instructions say that when a form has that certificate you do not need a separate Form 12.914; when a document has no such certificate, you file Form 12.914 and serve a copy of the document on the other party.
The form is issued by the Florida Supreme Court as part of its approved family law forms. The instructions point to rule 1.080, Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, and rule 12.080, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, for more information. This is the general certificate of service for family law filings, not a certificate for serving the initial petition.
Who needs to file 12.914?
Both parties in a Florida family law case use Form 12.914 once the petition or supplemental petition has been properly served, through personal service or constructive service. From then on, each party must serve the other party, or his or her attorney if he or she has one, with copies of all additional documents or papers filed with the clerk, and must certify that service.
- Use it each time you file a document that does not have a certificate of service built into it.
- Do not use it for a form that already has the printed certificate above its signature line; the instructions say a separate Form 12.914 is not needed then.
- Self-represented litigants may serve documents by e-mail but are not required to. If you choose e-service, you must follow the procedures consistently once you have made the election.
- If a nonlawyer helps you fill out the form, that person must give you Disclosure from Nonlawyer, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.900(a), before helping, and must complete the helper block at the bottom of the form.
When to file 12.914
File Form 12.914 each time you file a document with the clerk that has no certificate of service of its own, after the petition or supplemental petition has been properly served. Many Florida Family Law Forms include the certificate, in which case no separate form is needed.
The copy you give the other party must be mailed, e-mailed or hand-delivered on the same day shown on the certificate. If it is mailed, it must be postmarked on that date. The instructions set no other deadline for this form.
Documents you need
- A copy of each document you are filing, to serve on the other party or his or her attorney; the certificate names every document it covers.
- Designation of Current Mailing and E-mail Address, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.915, only if you elect to serve and receive documents by e-mail.
- Disclosure from Nonlawyer, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.900(a), only if a nonlawyer helps you fill out the form; the helper must give it to you before helping.
How to fill out 12.914
Enter the court and case details
At the top, fill in the judicial circuit, the county, the Case No. and the Division, exactly as they appear on your other court papers.
Name the Petitioner and Respondent
Enter the full name of the Petitioner on the first blank and of the Respondent on the second.
List each document you filed
In the {name of document(s)} lines, write the name of every form, document or paper this certificate covers.
Mark how the copy was delivered
Check one option: mailed, faxed and mailed, e-mailed, or hand-delivered. Then enter the {date} on which it was delivered, which must be the same day shown on the certificate.
Enter the other party's information
Under Other party or his/her attorney, enter the Name, Address, City, State, Zip, Fax Number and Designated E-mail Address(es) of the person who received the copy.
Add your signature block
Sign above Signature of Party, then enter your Printed Name, Address, City, State, Zip, Fax Number and Designated E-mail Address(es). The instructions say to sign before a notary public or deputy clerk.
Complete the nonlawyer helper section
Only if a nonlawyer helped you, choose Petitioner or Respondent and fill in the helper's name, business, address, city, state, zip code and telephone number. Otherwise leave this block blank.
Review, sign and download the PDF
Check that the document names, date and addresses are correct. Download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF, sign it as the instructions direct, and then follow the service and filing channels described under How to submit.
How to submit 12.914
You serve a copy of the document on the other party and file the original certificate with the clerk.
- Serve the other party. Mail, e-mail or hand-deliver the copy to the other party or his or her attorney on the date written on the certificate. Mailed copies must be postmarked that day.
- File with the clerk. Sign the form before a notary public or deputy clerk, file the original with the clerk of the circuit court in the county where your case was filed, and keep a copy for your records.
- E-filing. The Florida Rules of Judicial Administration require documents to be filed electronically except in certain circumstances. Self-represented litigants may e-file but are not required to; if you do, follow Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.525 and the procedures of your judicial circuit.
- E-service. Documents served after the initial service of process must generally be served by e-mail, except in certain circumstances. Self-represented litigants may choose to do so. To use e-mail service, designate your e-mail addresses on Form 12.915 and read Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.516.
The form gives no mailing address, because the clerk is the one for your county. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Filing a separate Form 12.914 for a document that already has a certificate above its signature line, when the instructions say none is needed.
- Failing to name each form, document or paper filed in the {name of document(s)} lines, so the certificate does not identify what was served.
- Writing a date on the certificate that differs from the day the copy is mailed, e-mailed or hand-delivered; a mailed copy must be postmarked on the certificate date.
- Not signing the form before a notary public or deputy clerk, as the instructions direct.
- Leaving the other party's name, address or designated e-mail blank, so the certificate does not show where the copy went.
- Electing e-mail service and then not following the e-service procedures, or not putting your e-mail address on each form on which your signature appears.
- Skipping the nonlawyer block when someone who is not an attorney helped complete the form.
- Filing the original with a court other than the clerk of the circuit court in the county where your case was filed.
Frequently asked questions
What is a certificate of service in Florida family law?
It is a statement, on Form 12.914, that you gave the other party or his or her attorney a copy of a document you filed with the clerk. After a petition has been properly served, you must certify this each time you file a document.
Do I need Form 12.914 if my form already has a certificate?
No. The instructions say that if a form you are filing has the printed certificate above the signature line, you do not need a separate Form 12.914. You file it only for documents that have no such certificate.
When must the copy be sent to the other party?
On the same day shown on the certificate of service. The copy must be mailed, e-mailed or hand-delivered that day, and a mailed copy must be postmarked on the date written on the certificate.
Where do I file the completed certificate of service?
File the original with the clerk of the circuit court in the county where your case was filed, and keep a copy. The Florida rules require e-filing in most cases, but self-represented litigants may e-file without being required to.
Do I have to serve documents by e-mail?
Not if you are self-represented. You may choose e-mail service but are not required to. If you elect it, designate your e-mail addresses on Form 12.915, review Rule of Judicial Administration 2.516, and follow the procedures consistently.
Does the certificate of service have to be signed before a notary?
The instructions say to sign the form before a notary public or deputy clerk after completing it. Type or print it in black ink, giving the name of each document filed.
Can someone who is not a lawyer help me fill it out?
Yes, but the helper must first give you Form 12.900(a), Disclosure from Nonlawyer, and must put his or her name, address and telephone number on the bottom of the last page of each form helped with.
Can I fill out the certificate of service online on FillingPDF?
Yes. You can fill out Form 12.914 online on FillingPDF and download or print the PDF. FillingPDF is an independent service and does not serve, file or deliver anything; you use the channels the Florida Courts set.
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