How to Fill Out FL-180: Items, Attachments, and Filing

To fill out Form FL-180, California’s divorce judgment, copy the caption from your petition (FL-100) exactly, check the correct boxes in Items 1 through 3 to identify the type of judgment, how it was resolved, and the jurisdiction date, then use Item 4 to check off and attach the specific orders that apply to your case — custody, support, property, and any written settlement agreement. Package it with FL-170 if your case is default or uncontested, confirm both parties’ financial disclosures are on file, and submit it to the clerk once at least six months have passed from the date the respondent was served or first appeared.¹² A judge’s signature on the completed FL-180 terminates your marital status and restores both parties to single status.

What to Have In Front of You

Pull up your original petition (FL-100) before you open the FL-180. Every name on the judgment must match the petition exactly, down to middle names and suffixes. A mismatched caption is one of the fastest ways to get the package bounced or misfiled.

You also need the court-assigned case number, the date of your marriage or domestic partnership registration, and the date of separation. Those two dates define the community property period, so the assets and debts you divide in the attachments depend on them. If you and your spouse never reconciled a disputed separation date, resolve it before filing the judgment; a contested date on a default judgment will draw a flag.

Most California dissolutions cite irreconcilable differences as the grounds.³ Whatever grounds you listed on the petition should carry over to the judgment.

Download the current version of FL-180 from the California Courts website. The Judicial Council updates its forms periodically, and clerks reject outdated versions.

The Header and Caption

The top-left block on FL-180 is for the person or attorney filing it. If you’re representing yourself, put your full legal name, mailing address, and phone number there. If you have an attorney, their name and State Bar number go in that block instead.¹

Below that, enter the name and address of the specific superior court branch where your case has been heard — not just the county. Use the exact branch address from your earlier filings. In the caption, copy the petitioner’s and respondent’s names straight from the FL-100. Put your case number in the upper-right field.

Item 1: Type of Judgment

Item 1 asks what kind of judgment you’re asking the court to enter. The three options are dissolution, legal separation, or nullity. Most filers check dissolution.¹

Item 2: How the Case Was Resolved

Item 2 tells the judge which legal standard to apply when reviewing your paperwork. The form gives four options: default or uncontested, by declaration under Family Code Section 2336, contested, and agreement in court.¹

Check “default or uncontested” if your spouse never responded to the petition. If you and your spouse signed a marital settlement agreement but the respondent didn’t formally appear, most filers still check “default or uncontested.” If the agreement was placed on the record in open court, use “agreement in court.” The “contested” box is for cases where a judge decided the disputed issues at trial. Getting this wrong tells the judge to apply the wrong review standard.

Item 3: Jurisdiction Date and the Six-Month Rule

Item 3 asks for the date the court acquired jurisdiction over the respondent. That’s either the date they were served with the summons and petition, or the date they first appeared in the case, whichever came first.¹

This date matters because a California dissolution cannot become final until at least six full months have passed from that point.² Submit the judgment package before the six-month mark and the court will either hold it or send it back.

Item 4: Attaching Your Substantive Orders

Item 4 is the heart of the judgment. Each checkbox corresponds to a specific order the court will enforce after the divorce is final. Check a box without attaching the matching form, or attach a form without checking the box, and the package gets rejected.

If you have children, attach FL-341 for custody and visitation. It covers legal custody (decisions about health, education, and welfare), physical custody (where the children live), and detailed visitation schedules for weekdays, weekends, and holidays.⁴

Child support goes on FL-342, which uses California’s guideline formula based on each parent’s income and time with the children. Spousal support terms go on FL-343 — the monthly amount, who pays whom, and when the obligation ends. Once the judge signs the judgment, both become enforceable orders collectible through wage assignments.

Property division goes on FL-344 and debt division on FL-345. Every community asset and debt accumulated during the marriage belongs on those forms: real estate, vehicles, bank accounts, credit card balances, student loans taken on during the marriage. Anything you leave off is a loose end that can come back as a post-judgment motion.

If you and your spouse signed a comprehensive marital settlement agreement, physically attach it to the FL-180 and reference it in Item 4. The judge reviews the agreement to confirm it doesn’t violate California law before incorporating it into the final order.

The FL-170 for Default and Uncontested Cases

If your case is proceeding by default or is uncontested, the judgment package must include Form FL-170, the Declaration for Default or Uncontested Dissolution.⁵ Many self-represented filers don’t realize they need it until the clerk sends everything back.

The FL-170 is your testimony in writing. Because there’s no trial, the judge relies on it to confirm your marriage has broken down, that you meet California’s residency requirements, and that the orders you’re requesting are appropriate. You’ll indicate whether the case is default without agreement, default with agreement, or uncontested. The form also asks about the status of your disclosure obligations, child custody, support, attorney fees, and whether either party wants a former name restored. Signing it tells the court you won’t need to appear for a hearing and that the judge can decide on the paperwork alone. Any conflict between the FL-170 and the FL-180 will get the package rejected or trigger a hearing.

Disclosures That Must Already Be On File

Before the court will enter any divorce judgment in California, both parties must have exchanged a Preliminary Declaration of Disclosure (FL-140) and either a Final Declaration of Disclosure (FL-141) or a signed mutual waiver of the final disclosure (FL-144). If those disclosures are missing, the court is required to set aside the judgment.⁶

The preliminary disclosure includes a schedule of assets and debts plus an income and expense declaration. The final disclosure updates that information closer to judgment. Couples who agree on everything often waive the final disclosure with FL-144, which is allowed only if both parties have already exchanged the preliminary disclosure. Skip the disclosures entirely and the judge won’t sign; if a judgment slips through anyway, either party can later ask the court to undo it.

Retirement Accounts Need a Separate Order

If either spouse has a pension, 401(k), or other employer-sponsored retirement plan, dividing that account takes a separate court order called a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO). The FL-180 and its property attachment can state that a retirement account will be divided, but the plan administrator won’t split the funds without a QDRO that meets federal requirements.⁷

Draft the QDRO and submit it to the plan administrator for pre-approval before you file the judgment package. Every plan must have written procedures for reviewing QDROs, and the administrator will tell you whether the language is acceptable.⁷ Pre-approval avoids the cycle of filing a QDRO with the court, having the plan reject it, amending, and refiling. For California public employees, CalPERS runs its own review and commits to a 60-day turnaround on draft orders.⁸

When You’re Only Ending Marital Status

Some filers use FL-180 to end marital status while property, support, or custody stay open. California allows this through bifurcation, where the court grants an early judgment on status only and reserves jurisdiction over the rest.⁹ It’s common when one spouse wants to remarry quickly or property negotiations are dragging on.

Bifurcation has conditions. The requesting party must have already served a Preliminary Declaration of Disclosure, and the court can require the moving party to maintain health insurance for the other spouse, indemnify against tax consequences, and take other protective measures.⁹ On a bifurcated FL-180, make sure the form reflects that you’re terminating status only and reserving jurisdiction over remaining issues. Miss that reservation and unresolved issues would require a new case.

Assembling and Filing the Package

Once every form is completed, make three copies of the whole package. Give the court the original plus two copies and keep one copy for yourself.¹⁰ Include two self-addressed stamped envelopes, one for the petitioner and one for the respondent, so the clerk can mail back conformed copies once the judge signs. Use enough postage for the full packet.

Most courts also require FL-190, the Notice of Entry of Judgment, in the package. The clerk fills in the date and mails it to both parties, and that notice is what officially confirms the divorce is complete.¹¹ Submit the package at the clerk’s window or by mail to the family law division of the superior court where your case is pending. There’s no additional filing fee for the judgment package; the fee you paid at the petition stage covers it.¹²

The judgment isn’t effective until the judge signs it and the clerk stamps an entry date on the front page. That stamped date is when your marital status terminates, assuming at least six months have passed since service or first appearance. If the judge signs earlier, the termination date will be set to the earliest date allowed. Once you receive the filed FL-190, your divorce is complete.¹¹

Common Reasons Clerks Reject the Package

These are the errors that cause the most rejections:

Missing or incomplete disclosures — no proof of exchanged Preliminary Declarations of Disclosure (FL-140), and no Final Declaration of Disclosure (FL-141) or signed waiver (FL-144) on file. This alone accounts for a large share of rejected packages.⁶
Caption mismatches, where names on the FL-180 don’t match the FL-100 petition exactly.
Unchecked or unmatched boxes in Item 4: a checked box with no corresponding attachment, or an attachment with no matching check.
Missing FL-170 on a default or uncontested judgment.
Premature filing before six months have passed from service or first appearance.
Wrong or outdated Judicial Council forms.

When the clerk rejects a package, they typically send it back with a note explaining the deficiency. Fix the specific problem and resubmit. You don’t need to start over, but you do lose your place in the processing queue.

1
California Courts. FL-180 Judgment (Family Law)
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Judicial Branch of California. The Divorce Process
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California Legislative Information. California Family Code FAM 2310
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California Courts. FL-341 Child Custody and Visitation (Parenting Time) Order Attachment
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California Courts. FL-170 Declaration for Default or Uncontested Dissolution or Legal Separation
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California Legislative Information. California Family Code FAM 2107
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U.S. Department of Labor. QDROs – The Division of Retirement Benefits Through Qualified Domestic Relations Orders
8
CalPERS. Divorce and Your Pension
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California Legislative Information. California Family Code FAM 2337
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Judicial Branch of California. Submit Your Judgment and Written Agreement to Finish Your Divorce
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Judicial Branch of California. Finish Your Divorce After a Trial
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California Courts. Statewide Civil Fee Schedule