To fill out Form FL-180 in California, enter the court and case information at the top, check the box for your judgment type and the issues your case resolves, fill in the dates of marriage, separation, and status termination, and attach a separate order form for each issue you checked. The signed FL-180 is the judgment that ends your marriage or domestic partnership and makes the related orders enforceable, so every entry has to match your petition, your agreement or the judge’s ruling, and the attached orders exactly.
Start With the Caption and Case Number
At the top of the form, enter the name of your county’s Superior Court, the case number from your petition, and the names of both parties spelled exactly as they appear on the original petition and summons. Small variations in spelling are a routine reason clerks reject filings. The case number belongs in the upper right so the clerk can match your judgment to the existing file.
Use the current version of the form from the California Courts website. FL-180 was last revised July 1, 2012, and that remains the mandatory version.1California Courts. FL-180 Judgment (Family Law) Check that the revision date printed at the bottom of your copy matches; outdated versions can be rejected.
Check the Right Judgment Type
In the “Appearance” section, one box identifies how your case reached judgment. Pick the wrong one and the packet is invalid.
- Default: the respondent was served and never filed a response within 30 days, so the court proceeds on the petitioner’s requests alone.2California Courts Self Help Guide. Default in a Divorce or Legal Separation
- Default with a written agreement: the respondent did not file a formal response but signed a stipulation that goes in with the judgment. No response filing fee applies in this scenario.2California Courts Self Help Guide. Default in a Divorce or Legal Separation
- Uncontested with a response: the respondent filed a response and the parties reached agreement without trial.
- Contested: the respondent responded, the parties could not agree, and a judge decided the disputed issues.
Fill In the Marital Status Section Correctly
Item 4 asks you to check one box for dissolution, legal separation, or nullity. In a dissolution, the form recites that the parties are “restored to the status of single persons.” A nullity requires you to state the legal ground, such as fraud or bigamy.1California Courts. FL-180 Judgment (Family Law)
If either party wants a former name restored, check the box at item 4(f) and write out the full name. No separate court petition is needed to reclaim a prior name this way.1California Courts. FL-180 Judgment (Family Law)
The Date Your Status Ends
Item 4(a) asks for the date your marital status terminates. California law prevents a dissolution from becoming final until at least six months have passed from whichever came first: the date the respondent was served with the summons and petition, or the date the respondent first appeared in the case.3California Legislative Information. California Family Code 2339 The earliest possible termination date is six months and one day after that trigger. The court can extend the period for good cause but cannot shorten it.
If you submit the judgment after the six months have already run, the termination date is typically the date the judge signs. If you submit before the six months are up, the judge may sign early, but your status does not change until the waiting period ends. Getting this date wrong is one of the most common reasons judgment packets are returned.
The six-month rule applies only to dissolutions. It does not apply to legal separations or nullities.
Dates of Marriage and Separation
Enter the date of marriage (or registration of domestic partnership) and the date of separation. These two dates define the community property window and affect how long spousal support can last, so precision matters. Under California law, the court must divide community property equally unless both parties agree otherwise in writing.4California Legislative Information. California Family Code 2550
Issue Checkboxes
Check every issue your judgment resolves: child custody, visitation, child support, spousal or partner support, property division, attorney fees, and any other orders. Each checked box tells the judge to look for a corresponding attachment form. Check a box without attaching the form and the clerk will send the packet back.
If you want to end the marriage now but leave support or property for later, request a status-only judgment. It terminates your marital status while reserving the remaining issues for a future hearing. Reserve jurisdiction over any unresolved issue in writing; if you do not, you can lose the right to raise it later.
Attach the Right Order Forms
FL-180 is an umbrella. The actual terms of each order sit on a separate attachment stapled behind it.
Custody and Visitation: FL-341
FL-341 sets out legal and physical custody, the visitation schedule, holiday and vacation time, and any travel restrictions.5California Courts. FL-341 Child Custody and Visitation (Parenting Time) Order Attachment A revised version takes effect January 1, 2026, so confirm you are on the current form.
Child Support: FL-342 With FL-192
FL-342 states the monthly child support amount, who pays, and how it was calculated. Any judgment that includes child support must also include FL-192, a mandatory notice covering both parents’ rights and responsibilities on childcare, health insurance, and reimbursement.6California Courts. FL-192 Notice of Rights and Responsibilities Regarding Child Support Leaving FL-192 out is a common cause of rejection.
Spousal or Partner Support: FL-343
FL-343 sets the monthly support amount, the start date, and when payments end. By default, the obligation ends when either party dies or the recipient remarries or registers a new domestic partnership, unless the parties agree to different terms.7California Courts. FL-343 Spousal, Domestic Partner, or Family Support Order Attachment
Property and Debt: FL-345
FL-345 lists every asset and debt and identifies who takes each one.8California Courts Self Help Guide. Property Order Attachment to Judgment (FL-345) Write account numbers, property addresses, and vehicle identification numbers. Vague entries like “the house” or “the car” create enforcement problems later.
Every number and term on the attachments must match your written agreement or the court’s ruling. Small discrepancies get packets rejected.
File the Financial Disclosure Declaration
Before the judge signs any FL-180, both parties must have exchanged preliminary declarations of disclosure, and in most cases final declarations as well. This is the single most common reason judgment packets come back.
Each party serves the other with a Preliminary Declaration of Disclosure (FL-140), a current Income and Expense Declaration (FL-150), and a Schedule of Assets and Debts (FL-142). Those documents are served on the other party, not filed with the court. What you file is FL-141, a declaration under penalty of perjury confirming the exchange happened.9California Courts. FL-141 Declaration Regarding Service of Declaration of Disclosure
Final declarations work the same way, with another FL-141 confirming service. Both parties can waive the final disclosure requirement in writing, and the waiver is noted on FL-141 itself. In a default case where the respondent never appeared, the petitioner can waive the final disclosure without the respondent’s agreement.10California Legislative Information. California Family Code 2110 Either way, at least one completed FL-141 has to be on file or in the judgment packet, or the court will not process it.
Assemble and Submit the Packet
Stack the packet in this order: FL-180 on top, then the attachment forms you checked boxes for (FL-341, FL-342, FL-343, FL-345, and FL-192 as applicable), then the Notice of Entry of Judgment (FL-190), and finally the FL-141 if it is not already on file.11California Courts. FL-190 Notice of Entry of Judgment
Make three copies of the full packet. Bring the original and two copies to the clerk and keep one for yourself. Provide two stamped envelopes large enough to hold the whole set, one addressed to you and one to the other party. The clerk uses them to mail endorsed copies back after the judge signs.12California Courts Self Help Guide. Submit Judgment and Written Agreement to Finish Your Divorce
There is no separate filing fee for the judgment itself. A judicial officer reviews the packet to confirm the orders comply with California law. If everything checks out, the judge signs the original FL-180, the clerk files it, and the endorsed copies go out in your envelopes. The date stamped on the FL-190 is the official entry date of your judgment.
What the Signed Judgment Does Not Do on Its Own
A signed judgment awarding real estate does not transfer title by itself. The party receiving the property still needs to record a deed, usually an interspousal transfer deed or a quitclaim deed, with the county recorder where the property sits. Until that happens, public records still show the old ownership, which can block refinancing or sale.
Retirement accounts need a separate order called a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO). Federal law defines a QDRO as a court order recognizing an alternate payee’s right to receive a portion of a participant’s retirement plan benefits.13Legal Information Institute. 26 USC 414(p)(1) – Qualified Domestic Relations Order Without an approved QDRO, the plan administrator will not release funds to the non-employee spouse regardless of what your judgment says. The typical sequence is to draft the QDRO, get pre-approval from the plan, obtain the judge’s signature, and send the signed order back to the plan. Delays can cost benefits if the account holder changes jobs, retires, or dies before the transfer is complete.
Changing Orders After Judgment
The judgment is not permanent for every issue. Child custody, visitation, and support can be modified when circumstances change significantly, such as a parent relocating, a child’s needs changing, or a substantial income shift. You file a request showing a meaningful change since the original order and, for custody, that the change serves the child’s best interest.14Judicial Branch of California. Rule 5.570 – Request to Change Court Order
Spousal support can also be modified unless the judgment or the parties’ written agreement expressly makes it non-modifiable. Property division is generally final once the judgment is entered; courts will reopen it only in narrow situations such as fraud or a failure to disclose assets during the case.