Rule 5:5-9.Procedures Concerning the Entry of Certain Final Judgments of Divorce, Dissolutions...

Last amended September 1, 2025 · Current through September 1, 2026 · Last verified September 8, 2026

In one sentenceRule 5:5-9 requires a written final judgment to be entered at the same time as an oral one when a settlement is placed on the record, and gives the parties ten days to propose an amended form setting out the settlement terms.

Full Text of Rule 5:5-9

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When a settlement is placed on the record and a judgment is entered orally, a contemporaneous written final judgment shall be entered. The parties within ten days of such entry may submit to the court a proposed amended form of final judgment setting forth the terms of the settlement or specifically incorporating the parties' written property settlement agreement. The court in its discretion may relax the ten-day limit.

End

Amendment History

New Jersey publishes each rule’s amendment record in a “Note” beneath the rule. It is reproduced verbatim below; a “Source” line names the former rule the current one grew out of, and “R. (1969)” citations refer to the earlier numbering it replaced.

Note: Adopted July 27, 2006 to be effective September 1, 2006; caption and text amended July 21, 2011 to be effective September 1, 2011; amended July 31, 2025 to be effective September 1, 2025.

Plain-English Summary

Settlements announced on the record used to risk living only in a transcript. This rule closes that gap: when a settlement is placed on the record and judgment is entered orally, a contemporaneous written final judgment must be entered too.

The parties then have ten days to submit a proposed amended form of judgment that sets out the settlement terms or specifically incorporates their written property settlement agreement. The court may relax the ten-day limit in its discretion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we get a written judgment if we settle on the record?

Yes. When a settlement is placed on the record and a judgment entered orally, a contemporaneous written final judgment must be entered.

How long do we have to submit an amended form of judgment?

Ten days from entry, though the court may relax that limit in its discretion.

Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the official New Jersey Rules of Court, Part V (N.J. Ct. R. 5:5-9). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified September 8, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: final judgment of divorcesettlement on the recordproperty settlement agreementamended judgment