Form FL-180 is the one-page judgment form that finalizes a California divorce, legal separation, or annulment, and a judge’s signature on it is what actually ends the marriage. To finalize an FL-180 judgment in California, you fill in the case information and the appropriate checkboxes, attach every supporting document the boxes reference, make sure both parties have exchanged preliminary declarations of disclosure, and submit the package to the superior court clerk. Even a perfect package cannot make the divorce final sooner than six months from the date the respondent was served or first appeared.1California Legislative Information. California Code Family Code 2339 – Termination of Marriage
What Form FL-180 Does
FL-180 is the Judicial Council form that captures every major decision in the case: property division, debt allocation, spousal support, child custody, child support. Until a judge signs it and the clerk enters it into the record, the case stays open and both spouses remain legally married, regardless of how long they have lived apart.2California Courts. Judgment (FL-180) Once entered, FL-180 becomes the enforceable court order that governs both parties going forward, and every attachment listed on it is incorporated by reference. The form says so explicitly: “Each attachment to this judgment is incorporated into this judgment, and the parties are ordered to comply with each attachment’s provisions.”3Judicial Council of California. FL-180 Judgment (Family Law)
Filling Out the Form
Download the current version from the California Courts website. The top of the form takes the case number and the full legal names of petitioner and respondent, exactly as they appear on the original petition. A single mismatched name is enough to send the whole package back.
You also enter the date the court acquired jurisdiction over the respondent, which is either the date they were served with the summons or the date of their first appearance, whichever came first.3Judicial Council of California. FL-180 Judgment (Family Law) The dates of marriage and separation go on the form too; those dates define the community property period.
A set of checkboxes near the top asks what kind of judgment this is: dissolution, legal separation, or nullity. Within dissolution, you choose a full judgment or a status-only judgment. A status-only judgment, also called bifurcation, restores both parties to single status while leaving property, support, and other issues for later.3Judicial Council of California. FL-180 Judgment (Family Law)
Another set of boxes asks how the case was resolved: by default when the respondent never appeared, by written agreement between the parties, or after a contested hearing.4Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 5.401 The rest of the form covers property, debts, spousal support, and child-related orders. Each box you check must line up with a supporting document in the package. Mismatched boxes and attachments are one of the most common reasons the clerk rejects a judgment outright.
Restoring a Former Name
If either party wants a birth name or prior legal name back, FL-180 is where to do it. Under California Family Code Section 2080, the court must grant the request in a dissolution or nullity case; it is not discretionary.5California Legislative Information. California Family Code 2080 The restored name is noted on the judgment and then serves as the legal basis for updating Social Security, DMV, and passport records. Skip this step and you will have to file a separate name-change petition later, at additional cost.
Documents That Must Travel With FL-180
FL-180 is really just the cover sheet of a larger judgment package. The attachments carry the detail behind the checkboxes.
- Form FL-190, Notice of Entry of Judgment. The clerk uses this to officially notify both parties that the case is closed, and it must be included in your submission.6Judicial Council of California. FL-190 Notice of Entry of Judgment
- Form FL-341, Child Custody and Visitation Order Attachment. Required when minor children are involved and custody or visitation terms need to be spelled out.
- Form FL-342, Child Support Information and Order Attachment. Required when the judgment includes child support orders.
- The settlement agreement or stipulation. If the parties resolved the case by written agreement, the agreement itself must be attached or incorporated by reference.
Make sure the case caption, including both names and the case number, is identical on every attachment and on the main form. Any discrepancy triggers rejection.
QDROs for Retirement Accounts
If the judgment divides a 401(k), pension, or other employer-sponsored retirement plan, you also need a Qualified Domestic Relations Order. A QDRO is a separate court order that tells the plan administrator how to split the account. Federal law under ERISA requires the order to include the names and addresses of both the plan participant and the alternate payee, the name of each retirement plan, the dollar amount or percentage being awarded, and the time period the order covers.7U.S. Department of Labor. QDROs The Division of Retirement Benefits Through Qualified Domestic Relations Orders A QDRO cannot require the plan to pay a benefit it does not already offer. Most people hire a specialist to draft one because small errors cause plan administrators to reject it, and if the participant retires or dies before the order is accepted the alternate payee can lose access to the funds.
Preliminary Disclosures Come First
Before the court will accept any judgment, both parties must have exchanged preliminary declarations of disclosure using Forms FL-140 and FL-150. Each spouse lays out income, expenses, assets, and debts. California treats this as non-negotiable. Parties with a written agreement can waive the final declaration of disclosure, but the preliminary disclosure cannot be skipped.
The consequences for ignoring this requirement are serious. Under Family Code Section 2107, a judgment entered without proper disclosures must be set aside, and the court can impose monetary sanctions, including attorney’s fees, on a party who refuses to comply.8California Legislative Information. California Code Family Code FAM 2107 This is where many self-represented cases stall. The judgment forms get prepared carefully, the disclosure requirement gets forgotten, and the whole package comes back.
Service and Filing Fees
The respondent must have been properly served with the summons and petition before you can submit a judgment. California gives you three years from the filing date to complete service, and you must file proof of service with the court within 60 days after the service deadline.9California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 583.210 If the proof of service is not in the court file, the judge will not sign the judgment.
California charges $435 to file the divorce petition and another $435 for the respondent’s response, with slightly higher amounts in Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Francisco counties.10Judicial Council of California. Statewide Civil Fee Schedule Effective January 1 2026 If paying is a hardship, Form FW-001 lets you ask for a fee waiver covering the filing fee, the response fee, and fees for related motions.11California Courts. Ask for a Fee Waiver
Submitting the Package to the Clerk
Submit the original judgment package plus two copies to the superior court clerk. Keep a third copy for yourself. Include two large stamped envelopes, one addressed to you and one to your spouse, so the clerk can mail back the endorsed copies after the judge signs.12California Courts. Submit Your Judgment and Written Agreement to Finish Your Divorce Many counties accept electronic filing, but not all do; check with your local court.
The clerk performs an initial check, then routes the package to a judge or family law commissioner. Turnaround varies by county, from a few weeks to several months. If the judge finds errors, the package comes back with a notice explaining what to fix. Once everything checks out, the judge signs and the clerk enters the judgment into the court record.
The Six-Month Waiting Period
No California dissolution becomes final until at least six months have passed from the date the respondent was served or first appeared in the case, whichever came first. Family Code Section 2339 is the source of that rule, and the court can extend the period for good cause but cannot shorten it.1California Legislative Information. California Code Family Code 2339 – Termination of Marriage
FL-180 has a field labeled “Date Marital or Domestic Partnership Status Ends.” That date reflects the six-month minimum. A judge might sign the judgment before that date arrives, but the parties remain legally married until the listed date actually passes. Until then, neither party can remarry. After it passes, both are restored to single status by operation of law.
If the Clerk Sends the Package Back
Most rejections come from a short list of fixable problems. Names or case numbers that do not match across every page. Checkboxes selected on FL-180 that have no corresponding attachment. A missing FL-190. Missing proof of service in the court file. No preliminary declarations of disclosure on record. Mismatched child support or custody attachments when the boxes on FL-180 say those orders exist. Fix the specific issue flagged in the notice, keep the rest of the package intact, and resubmit.
After the Judgment Is Entered
Mailing of FL-190 starts an appeal clock. Under California Rules of Court Rule 8.104, a party who wants to appeal must file a notice of appeal within 60 days of being served with the Notice of Entry of Judgment. If no notice is served, the outer deadline is 180 days from entry.13Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 8.104 – Time to Appeal
Separate from a direct appeal, Family Code Section 2122 lets a party ask the court to set aside all or part of the judgment on specific grounds, each with its own deadline:
- Fraud, where the other party hid information or prevented full participation. Within one year of discovering the fraud.
- Perjury in the declarations of disclosure or income and expense statements. Within one year of discovery.
- Duress or mental incapacity. Within two years of entry.
- Mistake, in stipulated or uncontested judgments. Within one year of entry.
- Failure to disclose, where the required disclosures were never properly exchanged. Within one year of discovering the failure.
These are tight deadlines with little flexibility, so anyone who suspects a problem should act quickly.14California Legislative Information. California Code Family Code FAM 2122
What Can Still Be Modified
Child custody and visitation orders can be modified whenever there is a significant change in circumstances. Child support can be adjusted up or down based on changes in either parent’s income. Spousal support can also be modified if your financial situation changes substantially, though the change only takes effect from the date you file the request, not retroactively.15California Courts. Ask to Change Your Long-Term Spousal Support Order
Property division is generally final once the judgment is entered. The main exception is assets or debts left out of the original judgment entirely. Under Family Code Section 2556, the court keeps jurisdiction to divide any community property that was not addressed, and the default rule is an equal split unless the court finds good cause otherwise.16California Legislative Information. California Code Family Code FAM 2556 Forgotten retirement accounts, unreported debts, and out-of-state real property all turn up this way more often than people expect.