Ontario family court forms · 2026
Form 8 — the general family court application, explained for men.
Form 8 is how you start a family case when something is actually in dispute. It is where you tell the court, up front, every claim you are asking it to decide. Here is what belongs in it and where men go wrong.
For contested issues
Form 8 starts a case when parenting, support, or property is in dispute — or a divorce comes with any of those claims.
Claim what you want decided
The court decides the claims you actually make. What you leave out of the application is not on the table.
It travels with attachments
A financial statement (Form 13 or 13.1) and a parenting affidavit (Form 35.1) attach to the claims you raise.
Form 8 is the Application (General). You file it to start a family court case whenever an issue is unresolved and contested — a parenting arrangement, child or spousal support, dividing property, or a divorce bundled with any of those claims. It is the front door to the family court process for almost everything that is not a bare, agreed-upon divorce.
The application is where you set out your claims. Whatever you do not ask for, the court is not being asked to decide, so the claims section carries real weight. You attach the financial statement and parenting affidavit that go with the claims you are making, and you serve the whole package on the other party, who then gets a chance to answer.
This is a map of what the form does, not legal advice about your case. Starting a contested case has real consequences for timing, cost, and strategy, and the order in which you raise claims can matter, so treat this as orientation before you fill anything in.
What belongs in the claims section
The heart of Form 8 is the list of claims. You check off and describe what you are asking the court to order — decision-making responsibility and parenting time, child support, spousal support, equalization of property, exclusive possession of the home, and a divorce if you are married. Being specific and complete here matters because the case is framed by what you ask for.
Each type of claim pulls in its own supporting document. If you claim support, you attach a Financial Statement — Form 13 for support only, Form 13.1 if property is also in play. If you make a parenting claim, you attach the parenting affidavit, Form 35.1. Missing attachments are a common reason an application is not accepted or is delayed.
The parts of Form 8 that trip men up
The application is the place to state your full position — claims left out are harder to add later, and the court only decides what it is asked to decide.
The other frequent error is treating the facts section as a place to vent. The application asks for the important facts that support your claims, stated plainly. Courts work from clear, factual accounts. A long, angry narrative buries the facts a judge needs.
Finally, the form must be served correctly and served on time, and you have to prove it with an Affidavit of Service (Form 6B). Service rules are specific about who can serve what and how, and getting them wrong can stall the whole case.
After you file: service, the answer, and first steps
Once the court issues the application, it has to be served on the other party, who then has a set time to file an Answer (Form 10) setting out their side and any claims of their own. If they do not answer in time, you may be able to move ahead without their participation.
Most contested cases then move into case conferences and, where needed, motions before any final hearing. The application you filed sets the boundaries of that whole process, which is why it is worth getting the claims right at the start rather than trying to add them later.
Before you file Form 8
- A clear list of every claim you want the court to decide
- A completed Financial Statement (Form 13 or Form 13.1) if you claim support or property
- A completed parenting affidavit (Form 35.1) if you make a parenting claim
- A factual, plain-language account of the facts supporting your claims
- The court fee, or a completed fee-waiver request
Answer a few questions and see which forms your situation needs.
- Whether your case is a Form 8 or a Form 8A
- Which financial statement applies — Form 13 or Form 13.1
- Whether you need the parenting affidavit, Form 35.1
- The service form that proves you served the other party
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Reviewed July 1, 2026 · Plain-language information for Ontario, not legal advice · Official Form 8 (PDF)
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