Guides

What the courts actually charge, how long the process takes, and what the terms mean — written from the courts’ own published material and linked back to it.

A wall rack of printed information leaflets in a courthouse lobby, a hand taking one from a middle slot
Start here

Glossary of California family law and bankruptcy terms

Plain definitions of the terms that appear in California divorce and bankruptcy paperwork, with the statute or form each one comes from.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 7 min

Someone who is not a party handing a petition, summons and blank response across a doorway
Start hereFam. Code § 2339Fam. Code § 2104(f)

How a divorce works in California, start to finish

The whole process in order — petition, service, automatic restraining orders, financial disclosure, temporary orders, judgment — with the form numbers, the deadlines that are real, and where each step usually goes wrong.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 5 min

Schedule C open beside a list of property
Start here11 U.S.C. § 727

How Chapter 7 bankruptcy works in California, start to finish

The whole process in order — credit counseling, the petition and schedules, the automatic stay, the 341 meeting, exemptions, the debtor education course, discharge — with the fees, the deadlines and where cases actually fail.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 5 min

A court fee schedule with the first-paper and joint-petition lines marked, beside a fee-waiver request

What a divorce costs in California

Court filing fees for a California divorce are published: $435–$450 for a regular petition, $870 for a joint one. Everything else depends on how much has to be decided. What each part costs, and what a fee waiver covers.

Reviewed August 16, 2026

Two spouses checking names and signature lines on the same set of California joint-petition forms
SB 1427Fam. Code § 2331Fam. Code § 2342.5

California's joint divorce petition: when filing together actually helps

California spouses can start a divorce together, but the joint route has no temporary orders. How to compare it with the regular petition before filing.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 4 min

A caregiver's authorization affidavit open on a kitchen table beside a handwritten note
AB 495Fam. Code § 6550

California's 2026 family preparedness forms: what AB 495 really changed

California updated the caregiver affidavit and guardianship rules in 2026. Build a usable child-care plan without giving away more authority than needed.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 6 min

A person reading printed statements at a kitchen table beside a window
CCP § 704.730

California's 2026 homestead exemption: calculate the equity at issue

California's 2026 homestead exemption runs from $370,650 to $741,300. See how the county median, liens, sale costs, and Chapter 7 rules fit together.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 5 min

Hearing minutes, an order after hearing, and a five-year timeline laid out by date
Fam. Code § 3044SB 899

California custody after domestic violence: how section 3044 changes the hearing

California Family Code section 3044 changes who must prove what after a domestic-violence finding. The five-year rule, required findings, and 2026 changes.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 5 min

A person completing form FW-001 at a kitchen table beside current income records
Form FW-001Fam. Code § 2030

How to start a California divorce when you cannot afford the filing fee

California fee waivers can remove eligible court costs, while court self-help, limited-scope representation, and need-based fee orders address different gaps.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 5 min

A person comparing an AI-generated chronology with dated messages and a blank California court form
Cal. Rules of Court 10.430CCP § 128.7

ChatGPT and your California divorce: useful drafting, real legal consequences

A general-purpose AI chatbot can organize divorce material, but it cannot verify legal judgment. Learn how privilege, discovery, and filing rules apply.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 5 min

A qualification letter, a signed domestic relations order and a delivery receipt
QDROFam. Code § 2610

Gray divorce in California: what happens to pensions and retirement

A divorce judgment may divide retirement without making the plan pay. How QDROs, IRAs, public pensions, survivor benefits, and Social Security differ.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 6 min

A spouse comparing an FL-142 asset entry with a bank statement and a transaction export at a dining table
Fam. Code § 1101Fam. Code § 2552

Cryptocurrency in a California divorce: finding, tracing, and valuing the wallet

A California divorce disclosure needs more than a crypto balance. Learn how wallet records, tracing, valuation terms, and transfer records affect division.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 7 min

A printed guideline result beside a worksheet that labels HN, H percent, TN and K separately
Fam. Code § 4055SB 343

How California calculates child support: the formula and its inputs

California uses CS = K[HN - (H%)(TN)]. See how current law treats net income, parenting time, multiple children, add-ons, and calculator results.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 7 min

A court-stamped petition and a proof of service beside a paper calendar marked filing, service and judgment
Fam. Code § 2339Fam. Code § 70

California's six-month divorce wait starts with service, not filing

Learn which event starts California's six-month divorce period, why the date of separation is a different date doing a different job, and how bifurcation works when other issues remain open.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 5 min

A displaced homeowner sorting an insurance declarations page, coverage letters and receipts at a temporary kitchen table
SB 495Fam. Code § 2552

Divorce after a California wildfire, when the house is gone

A wildfire claim can become several restricted payments. How California spouses can trace insurance proceeds, mortgage limits, deadlines, and custody changes.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 6 min

Six months of pay records laid out beside Official Form 122A-1 and a two-month calendar
11 U.S.C. § 707(b)Form 122A-2

California's Chapter 7 means test after a job loss

A filing-date guide to California median income, the six-month income window, Form 122A-2 deductions, and what a presumption of abuse means.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 5 min

Four worksheets laid across a table, a hand resting on the exemption sheet at the end of the row
CCP § 703.140(b)CCP § 704.730

California bankruptcy exemptions: how the 703 and 704 systems differ

Compare California's 703 wildcard and 704 homestead systems, including tax refunds, vehicle equity, joint cases, and amended Schedule C filings.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 5 min

A bankruptcy schedule, a federal loan summary, and a servicer transition notice spread across a kitchen table
11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(8)OBBBA

Student loans and bankruptcy after SAVE: which payment belongs in the file

SAVE ended in March 2026, and RAP is now available. See how current repayment records, the DOJ attestation, and the bankruptcy means test fit together.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 8 min

Two rows of open case folders and forms on a table, with one loose schedule raised between them
11 U.S.C. § 362(b)(2)11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(15)

Bankruptcy and divorce in California: what drives the filing order

See how the automatic stay, joint debt, community property, support, and Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 rules shape the bankruptcy-and-divorce sequence.

Reviewed August 16, 2026 · 7 min

Looking for a courthouse, a self-help desk, or how a 341 meeting is held? Court information by county. Holding a form number? Court forms, one page each.

These pages explain how the system works. They are informational only, they are not advice about your situation, and reading them does not create a relationship with any attorney.