> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.rytz.com.au/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Setting up your case file
> The Master Case File (MCF) is the central record everything else on RYTZ reads from. This page walks through every field with what it's used for downstream — and which to spend the extra minute on.
import { Card, CardGroup } from '@mintlify/components'
The **Master Case File (MCF)** is the central record for your matter on RYTZ. Every other tool on the platform reads from it — your name on the parenting plan, your s60CC briefing, your Settlement Planner's contributions assessment, the AI assistant's "what do I know about this user" context.
Time well spent here multiplies the value of every minute spent everywhere else.
## How the intake works
When you sign in for the first time, the platform offers two intake paths:
18 questions, \~10 minutes. Captures the data the platform's downstream tools actually need. **Always pick this one if you can spare the 10 minutes.**
3 questions, \~30 seconds. Gets you into the platform fast. Designed for people who want to look around before committing to the full setup.
You can switch from Quick Start to the full Tailored intake at any time via **Settings → Case Details**. Nothing is lost.
## What gets captured (and why)
### Identity
| Field | Why it matters |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Your full name** | Drives the title page on every export, the personalisation in clause text ("the User" → "Sarah"), and identifies you in any AI chat or briefing. |
| **Other party's full name** | Same — appears on the title page, in clause text, on signature lines. |
| **Your role in the matter** | Initiator / responder. Doesn't affect outcomes; just helps the platform frame summaries and chat answers from your perspective. |
### Children
| Field | Why it matters |
| ------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Children's first names** | Personalises the parenting plan ("Lucy and Tom" not "the children"). |
| **Children's ages** (or DOBs once captured) | Drives age-anchored review windows in the parenting plan (e.g. "anticipated 12th birthday on 1 January 2032"), the s60CC capacity assessment, and several settlement-planner adjustments. |
| **Children's relationships to each parent** | Biological / step / adopted. The court framework treats these slightly differently in some settings. |
### Relationship timeline
| Field | Why it matters |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Date of separation** | Anchors the limitation periods — s44(3) of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) gives 12 months from divorce for a property settlement application; s44(5) gives two years from separation for de facto matters. |
| **Relationship start year** | Used in the Settlement Planner's contributions assessment — the longer the relationship, the more the contributions argument shifts toward equality (Mallet line of authority). |
### Family violence + safety
| Field | Why it matters |
| -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Family-violence disclosed** | Unlocks the family-violence safety overlay clause in the parenting plan. Affects the s60CC best-interests analysis (under the post-6-May-2024 framework, the safety of the child and each person who has care of the child is the first of six considerations the court must weigh — s60CC(2)(a)). Tells the AI assistant to treat the matter with appropriate care. |
| **Intervention order in force** | If yes, the parenting plan's safety overlay cross-references the FVO directly. |
| **Child-protection involvement** | If a state child-protection authority is involved, the platform surfaces additional warnings and recommends specialist legal advice. |
### ATSI status
| Field | Why it matters |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Children's ATSI status** | Unlocks the ATSI Cultural Connection clause in the parenting plan and engages s60CC(3) cultural-connection considerations. |
### Jurisdiction
| Field | Why it matters |
| ---------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **State / territory of residence** | Drives the auto-rendered routine in the parenting plan calendar (state-specific public holidays), the Settlement Planner's stamp-duty calculations on property transfers, and any state-specific procedural notes in the Case Roadmap. |
### Property + assets (Tailored only)
| Field | Why it matters |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Approximate asset pool size** | Helps the AI briefing scale its analysis — a $200k pool gets different treatment from a $5M one. |
| **Has real property** | Toggles the real-property contributions section in the Settlement Planner. |
| **Has business assets** | Toggles the business-valuation section + recommends specialist input. |
| **Has superannuation** | Toggles the super-splitting workflow. |
## Filing-ready details
Some MCF fields are needed for the parenting plan to reach the **Filing-ready** tier on the Plan Readiness Ribbon. These are captured directly inside the Parenting Planner via the **Filing details** modal — you don't need to set them up at intake.
They include:
* Postal addresses for both parties (used on the title page + as service addresses)
* Children's full dates of birth (filing-ready documents identify each child by name + DOB, not just age)
* Date of separation (also captured here if not at intake)
* Existing court orders cross-reference
* Witness names + qualifications
See [Plan Readiness](/parenting-planner/plan-readiness) for the full picture.
## Updating your case file later
Anything in the MCF can be updated at any time:
* **Settings → Case Details** for the broad intake fields
* **Parties to this plan** card on the parenting planner for names + children
* **Filing details** modal on the parenting planner for filing-ready fields
Updates flow through to every downstream tool — re-run the AI briefing after a major change and you'll see the new analysis.
## Privacy + who sees this
Your Master Case File is private to you. RLS policies on the database mean even RYTZ engineers can't see your specific data without your explicit consent. The AI assistant uses your MCF only to answer your own questions, in your own session.
We never sell user data, never share with third parties, and never train models on your specific case content. See [Privacy and data](/account/privacy-and-data) for the detail.
## Next
Now that your case file is set up, this is the deepest tool on the platform.
A quick orientation to the legislation that frames everything.