checklist
Planning Ahead Checklist
A step-by-step planning guide focused on items, documents, money, and digital preparation.
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PLANNING
Planning Ahead Checklist
How to Use This Checklist
This checklist outlines practical items some people choose to prepare in advance in case they need to leave quickly or make sudden changes. You can use all of it or only the parts that fit your situation.
This information is general and does not replace legal, financial, or security advice. For additional tools and connections to professional services, some people also review resources listed at DV.Support.
1. Key Documents to Gather or Copy
Options for documents to gather, photocopy, or photograph:
- Personal identification:
- Driver’s license or state ID
- Passport (for you and children)
- Birth certificates
- Social Security cards or national ID numbers
- Immigration documents (visas, residency cards, work permits)
- Relationship and household documents:
- Marriage certificate or domestic partnership records
- Divorce, custody, or parenting orders
- Protective or restraining orders
- Lease, rental agreement, mortgage documents
- Utility bills showing your name and address
- Financial documents:
- Bank statements and account numbers
- Credit card and loan information
- Pay stubs or employment contracts
- Tax returns or tax ID numbers
- Insurance policies (health, auto, home, life)
- Health and school records:
- Medical cards and insurance cards
- Medication lists and prescription details
- Vaccination records
- School records, report cards, IEPs, and contact information
- Other items:
- Keys (home, car, work, mailbox, storage)
- Car title and registration
- Important contact list (names, numbers, addresses)
- Copies of safety plans, codes, or passwords you may forget under stress
Document Planning Options
- Decide which originals you can safely keep with you and which you only want as copies.
- Store copies in more than one place (for example, a trusted person, a folder at work, or a safe storage location).
- Consider taking clear photos of documents and storing them in a secure, backed-up location.
2. Money and Financial Planning
Money planning can be gradual. Even small steps can matter over time.
Information to Understand and Record
- List of all bank accounts (joint and separate) with:
- Bank names
- Account types (checking, savings)
- Last four digits or full account numbers (if safe)
- Online login details (if you choose to store them)
- List of:
- Credit cards (joint and individual)
- Loans (car, personal, student, payday)
- Bills (utilities, phone, internet, insurance, subscriptions)
- Income details:
- Employer information
- Pay schedule and method (direct deposit, check, cash)
- Any benefits received (government assistance, child benefit, disability, pension)
Building Access to Your Own Money
- Consider opening a bank account in your own name, at a branch or bank your partner does not use, if this is safe and legal where you live.
- Choose mailing and email contact details for the new account that are not monitored by anyone else.
- Explore options for:
- Prepaid cards
- Cash kept in a safe place
- Trusted person holding small amounts for you
- Plan how you might slowly set aside:
- Small amounts of cash from shopping trips or change
- Occasional transfers to a separate account (if safe)
- Refunds, bonuses, or one-time payments
Reducing Financial Traces (If Needed)
- Review which accounts send alerts or statements by text, email, or mail.
- Consider paperless statements to an email your partner cannot access.
- Review banks’ options for additional security, such as:
- Two-factor authentication
- Separate mailing addresses
- Changing PINs without updating shared contact details
3. Devices and Digital Access
Planning around phones, computers, and other devices can help protect privacy and access to information.
Devices to Review
- Smartphone(s)
- Tablets and laptops
- Shared home computers
- Wearables (smartwatches, fitness trackers)
- Smart home devices (cameras, doorbells, speakers, trackers)
- Vehicle apps (location, remote access)
Accounts and Access to List
- Email accounts (personal, work, shared)
- Cloud storage (photos, documents, backups)
- Banking and financial apps
- Messaging apps and social media
- Location-sharing and family-tracking apps
- Online accounts for kids’ schools, health portals, and activities
Device and Account Planning Options
- Decide if you want a separate device your partner does not know about, such as:
- A basic prepaid phone paid with cash
- A low-cost device kept outside the home
- Check where your accounts are logged in and consider:
- Signing out of devices you cannot physically secure
- Turning off automatic logins on shared devices
- Review location-sharing:
- Maps apps
- “Find my device” services
- Family or safety tracking apps
- Make a private record of all important logins and PINs if you may need them under stress.
- Consider separate email and phone number for:
- Banking and financial alerts
- Job applications
- Legal, medical, or support services
4. Kids’ Essentials
Some caregivers prepare a basic kit for children so they can leave quickly while still having important items.
Important Items for Each Child
- Identification and records:
- Birth certificate copy
- Passport copy
- Health insurance card copy
- Vaccination card or summary
- List of medications, allergies, and health conditions
- Contact information for doctors, therapists, and schools
- Everyday essentials:
- Basic set of clothes (including underwear and socks)
- Season-appropriate outerwear (jacket, hat, gloves)
- Small toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, hair ties)
- Diapers, wipes, formula, or specific feeding items if needed
- School and activity items:
- School ID and bus pass (if used)
- Homework essentials (notebook, pens, charger for school device)
- Activity cards or passes (library, transit, clubs)
- Comfort and connection:
- One small comfort item (toy, blanket, photo)
- List of safe adults and their phone numbers
- Agreed code word or phrase for “we need to leave” or “call for help,” if appropriate and safe
Planning Around School and Care
- Know school and childcare:
- Addresses and phone numbers
- Start and end times
- Pick-up rules and authorized adults list
- Keep copies or photos of:
- Any custody orders
- Any restrictions on who can pick up children
- Think through:
- Who can safely pick up children in an emergency
- How you would inform the school or childcare if plans must change suddenly
5. Safe Storage Options
Deciding where to store documents, money, and devices can help keep your planning private and accessible when needed.
People Who Might Safely Hold Items
- Trusted friend
- Family member
- Neighbor
- Coworker or supervisor
- Support worker, advocate, or case manager (where appropriate)
- Consider asking them to store:
- Copies of important documents
- Spare keys
- Backup phone or prepaid SIM card
- Small amount of cash or a prepaid card
- Agree on:
- How they will store items (sealed envelope, lockbox, safe)
- When and how you can access them
- How they should respond if anyone else asks about your items
Physical Storage Locations
- Workplace:
- Locked desk drawer
- Personal locker
- Secure HR or manager file (if appropriate)
- Community locations:
- Lockbox or safe deposit box (if you can safely pay for and access it)
- Secure storage at a community organization, where available
- Within the home (only if reasonably safe):
- Hidden envelope in less obvious locations (for example, labeled with something ordinary)
- Inside items unlikely to be searched (for example, old files, boxes of out-of-season clothing)
Digital Storage Options
- Cloud storage:
- Secure folder tied to an email account your partner does not access
- Scans or photos of documents in a password-protected folder
- External storage:
- USB drive or external hard drive kept outside the home
- Encrypted storage devices, if you are comfortable using them
- Security practices:
- Use strong, unique passwords for storage accounts
- Avoid naming folders in ways that reveal their purpose
- Turn off automatic syncing to shared or monitored devices
6. Quick-Grab Essentials List
Some people find it helpful to keep a short list of items to grab if they have only a few minutes.
- Phone and charger
- Wallet (ID, bank card, some cash)
- Keys (home, car, work, storage)
- Medications for you and children
- Essential documents or folder with copies
- Basic clothes and toiletries
- Kids’ key items (medications, comfort item, school essentials)
- Backup device or prepaid phone, if you have one
You can print this list or keep it digitally, adjust it to your situation, and review it periodically to keep it up to date.