What is the FL-100 form?

FL-100 is the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. It's the first form filed to start a divorce and includes basic information about you, your spouse, and what you're requesting from the court.

What is the FL-150 form?

FL-150 is the Income and Expense Declaration. It details your income, expenses, assets, and debts. Both spouses must complete this form for financial disclosures.

How many forms do I need for California divorce?

A typical California divorce requires 8-15 forms depending on your situation. Uncontested divorces with no children need fewer forms than contested cases with custody disputes.

What Forms Do You Need for California Divorce?

Navigating California divorce forms doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's exactly which forms you need and what each one does.

The three forms everyone starts with

Every California divorce begins with three core forms. The Petition, known as FL-100, officially starts your case. The Summons, or FL-110, notifies your spouse. And the Income and Expense Declaration, FL-150, shows your financial picture. These three are required no matter your situation.

The Petition: Starting your case

The Petition is where you tell the court you want to end your marriage. It asks for basic information like names, addresses, when you got married, and when you separated. California doesn't require blame, so "irreconcilable differences" is all you need. This form also asks whether you have kids and whether there's property to divide.

The Summons: Letting your spouse know

The Summons officially notifies your spouse that the divorce process has started. It also puts automatic restrictions in place. Neither of you can hide assets, cancel insurance, or take kids out of state while the divorce is pending. These protections kick in as soon as the papers are served.

The Income and Expense Declaration: Your financial snapshot

This is the big one. The FL-150 asks for everything. Your income, monthly expenses, assets, debts. Courts use this to figure out support and divide property fairly. Both spouses fill this out. It's detailed, but if you have your tax returns and pay stubs handy, most of it is just copying numbers over.

Other forms depending on your situation

If you have kids, there are custody forms. If you have property or debts to divide, there are forms for that too. A typical divorce involves 8 to 15 forms total. The number depends on your specific situation: kids, property, and support requests.

Why this takes so long (and how Paxora helps)

The frustrating part? The same information appears on multiple forms. Your name, address, and income. Entered over and over. Paxora pulls this data from your documents once and fills it in everywhere it needs to go. Instead of hours of typing, you spend 30 minutes reviewing.