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Rule 43 Budget
Excel Template
Work out the monthly budget behind a Rule 43 application for interim maintenance pending divorce: your needs, the children's needs, and a suggested claim. Live formulas do the maths.
Free · No sign-up to download · Excel, Google Sheets & LibreOffice
Household
Enter adults and children. The portions method (adult = 2, child = 1) sets how shared costs are split.
Monthly budget
47 common expenses in 10 groups, plus space for your own. Mark each Shared, Self or Children and your share and the children's share are calculated.
Claim summary
Add both incomes. Get the children's maintenance by income share, your own shortfall, and a total interim claim.
Getting the budget right in a Rule 43 application
Rule 43 applications move fast and are decided mainly on paper: the court reads your sworn statement and your spouse's reply, and makes an interim order. That makes the budget the heart of the application. Inflated or unsupported figures damage your credibility, and missing costs are money you will not get back until the divorce is finalised.
- Split shared costs fairly. Rent, electricity and groceries benefit everyone in the house. The portions method gives a defensible split instead of a guess.
- Back every line with proof. Three months of bank statements, school fee statements, medical aid schedules and invoices. Use the Notes column to record where each figure comes from.
- Show both incomes. The children's needs are shared by income, so the court needs both sides of the picture. Full financial disclosure is expected of both spouses.
- Ask for a contribution to costs if your spouse controls the money and you cannot fund the litigation on an equal footing.
Read the full guide to Rule 43 applications, and see how contributions towards legal costs work. If you also claim for yourself, the spousal maintenance calculator gives a quick needs-and-means estimate.
Rather not fill in a spreadsheet line by line?
Upload your bank statements and MMaintenance finds and categorises the recurring expenses, applies the portions method, and generates a Rule 43 affidavit draft with your figures filled in.
Start freeThis template and page are general information, not legal advice. Rule 43 applications are High Court proceedings with division-specific practice directives; consult an attorney about your matter.
FAQs
Rule 43 budget FAQs
Rule 43 of the Uniform Rules of Court lets a spouse ask the High Court for interim relief while a divorce is pending: maintenance for themselves and the children, a contribution towards legal costs, and interim care of and contact with the children. In the regional court, the equivalent is Rule 58 of the Magistrates' Courts Rules.
Every monthly household expense, divided between what you need for yourself and what the children need, plus both spouses' incomes. Shared costs such as rent, groceries and electricity are commonly apportioned by counting each adult as two portions and each child as one. The budget should be supported by proof such as bank statements, invoices and school fee statements.
No. It is a calculation worksheet to prepare your figures. A Rule 43 application is brought on a sworn statement, and some High Court divisions require their own financial disclosure form. Use the template to work out your numbers, then transfer them into the documents your attorney or the court requires.
The template shares the children's needs between the spouses in proportion to their incomes, then treats your own monthly needs that your income cannot cover as your shortfall. Courts also weigh reasonableness, the standard of living during the marriage and the other spouse's ability to pay, so the result is a starting point, not a prediction.
Yes. It is a standard .xlsx workbook with live formulas and drop-downs, and opens in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc and Apple Numbers.