Rule 1920.76.Form of Divorce Decree.

Adopted January 28, 1983 · Last amended February 21, 2023 · Last verified June 30, 2026

In one sentenceRule 1920.76 supplies the standard form of the decree in divorce.

Full Text of Rule 1920.76

Text size

A decree in divorce shall be substantially in the following form: (Caption) DECREE AND NOW, , 20 , it is ordered and decreed that , plaintiff, and , defendant, are divorced from the bonds of matrimony. The parties shall reaffirm or change the beneficiary status on any life insurance policies, annuity contracts, pensions, profit sharing plans, or other contractual arrangements providing for payment to a spouse if it is the intention of one of the parties to keep or change the other party as a beneficiary. Failure to do so may result in revocation of the beneficiary designation pursuant to 20 Pa.C.S. § 6111.2 (Effect of Divorce or Pending Divorce on Designation of Beneficiaries). The court retains jurisdiction of any claims raised by the parties to this action for which a final order has not yet been entered. Any existing spousal support order shall hereafter be deemed an order for alimony pendente lite if any economic claims remain pending. BY THE COURT:

End

Plain-English Summary

The divorce decree is the order that ends the marriage, and this rule prints its form. The standard decree records that the parties are divorced and addresses the related matters the court has decided, giving every divorce a consistent, recognizable final order.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a divorce decree look like?

It follows the standard form provided by Rule 1920.76, recording that the parties are divorced.

Official Note

Comment. Act 106 of 2022 amended 23 Pa.C.S. § 3323(b.1) to require the additional statement and warning to the form decree. The court may add any other provisions which it deems necessary.

Amendment History

The provisions of this Rule 1920.76 adopted January 28, 1983, effective July 1, 1983, 13 Pa.B. 677; amended November 7, 1988, effective January 1, 1989, 18 Pa.B. 5324; amended December 2, 1994, effective March 1, 1995, 24 Pa.B. 6263; amended February 21, 2023, effective May 2, 2023, 53 Pa.B. 1161. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (407163) to (407164).

Source & verification. Rule text, the Official Note, and the amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Pennsylvania Code, Title 231, the official compilation of rules adopted by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Last verified June 30, 2026. · Official text

Also known as: divorce decree formform of divorce decreefinal divorce order