What is the first thing to do after being served?

Find and calendar the response deadline printed on your papers, and note any restraining orders already in force. Everything else is sequenced after that.

Should I move out if she tells me to leave?

Not on a verbal demand. Leaving changes the status quo the court will later be asked to keep. Get advice on your facts first — and if safety is involved, safety comes before any of this.

Can I move money to protect it?

No. Moving, concealing, or re-titling assets ahead of disclosure is the fact pattern courts punish. Document; do not move.

Guide

First 30 Days After Being Served With Divorce Papers

Hours 0–48

Read the papers for two things first: the response deadline printed on them, and any restraining orders already in force. Calendar the deadline the day you are served — in California the verified response deadline is 30 days from service; elsewhere, the deadline printed on your own papers controls, and this site prints no other state's number because none was verified. Missing the deadline risks a default: custody, support, and property decided without your input.

Do not sign, do not move, do not empty

Do not sign a 'temporary' agreement casually — temporary arrangements harden. Do not move out on a verbal demand; what your living arrangement is quietly becoming is evidence. Do not move, hide, or spend down money: dissipation after filing is a factor courts weigh, and in Florida it can be answered with an unequal distribution (Fla. Stat. §61.075). Preserve everything — statements, messages, pay records.

Days 3–30

Build the disclosure picture (you will have to list everything), pull your credit reports, start the dated documentation log, and take the temporary-orders decision deliberately — home, schedule, and bills get set there for the months ahead. The Door 4 checker generates your posture track and exposure map.

The safety exception

If there is violence, threats, or a protective order in either direction, none of the status-quo guidance on this page applies. Safety and legal aid come first — the checker routes that answer to safety resources only, with no other content.

Questions

What is the first thing to do after being served?: Find and calendar the response deadline printed on your papers, and note any restraining orders already in force. Everything else is sequenced after that.
Should I move out if she tells me to leave?: Not on a verbal demand. Leaving changes the status quo the court will later be asked to keep. Get advice on your facts first — and if safety is involved, safety comes before any of this.
Can I move money to protect it?: No. Moving, concealing, or re-titling assets ahead of disclosure is the fact pattern courts punish. Document; do not move.

Rules checked October 2026. General information, not legal advice.