--- title: "How Assets and Debts Divide in a Ca Divorce law" description: "While you work through your property to divide, remember to also work through your debts. Debts are assigned in the same way as property. If incurred during marriage, the debt is a community obligation, unless it was incurred in a frivolous or fraudulent manner. If the debt is a community, you are each responsible for one-half." url: https://thecompletedivorce.com/dividing-debts-in-a-california-divorce/ date: 2023-03-15 modified: 2026-06-04 author: "Dina Haddad" image: https://thecompletedivorce.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Dividing-Debts-in-a-California-Divorce.jpg categories: ["Assets"] type: post lang: en --- # How Assets and Debts Divide in a Ca Divorce law Contents - [ Community Property & Debt ](#Community%20Property%20Debt) - [ Seperate Property & Debt ](#Seperate%20Property%20Debt) - [ The Outstanding Debts ](#The%20Outstanding%20Debts) - [ Are You Named on the Debt? ](#Are%20You%20Named%20on%20the%20Debt) - [ Asset Division & Reaching an Agreement ](#Asset%20Division%20Reaching%20an%20Agreement) - [ Take Control of Your Divorce ](#Take%20Control%20of%20Your%20Divorce) Online Divorce Divorce smartly without a lawyer. Save yourself $10,000+. [ Start My Divorce ](https://buy.stripe.com/bJe8wO4Inbryg8y2Ar3ZK01) - 100% Legit Divorce Program # How Assets and Debts Divide in a Ca Divorce Law Dina Haddad Founder & Attorney Mediator [ Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thecompletedivorce/) [ Linkedin ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinahaddad/) [ X-twitter ](https://twitter.com/MediatorDina) [ Youtube ](https://www.youtube.com/@divorcewithdina) [ Tiktok ](https://www.tiktok.com/@divorcewithdina) I’m Dina Haddad, a family law attorney-mediator in California. I’m so tired of couples not having a process that’s easy to complete their divorce. They are getting lost, wasting time and money, and beyond frustrated with their results.That’s why I created [The Complete Divorce](https://thecompletedivorce.com/). I took my successful mediation practice and condensed it into an affordable and winning program. ![](https://thecompletedivorce.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Dina-Haddad-1.webp) [ View Profile ](https://thecompletedivorce.com/about-us/) ## Community Property & Debt While you work through your property to divide, remember to also work through your debts. Debts are assigned in the same way as property. If incurred during marriage, the debt is a community obligation, unless it was incurred in a frivolous or fraudulent manner. If the debt is a community, you are each responsible for one-half. ## Seperate Property & Debt If you incurred a debt prior to marriage or after the date of separation, this is your separate responsibility. School loans are the exception. Even if you incurred school loans during marriage, the loans are your separate responsibility. Modernizing California Divorce Complete your divorce without a lawyer. Move forward with peace of mind and avoid court rejections through our fully-assisted DIY divorce program. This program is founded and led by California divorce expert, Dina. - Court-approved forms - Divorce Portal - Expert Webinars - 24/7/365 Support - The MSA - Parenting Plan $49.99/mo No hidden fee. Cancel anytime. [ Start Divorce ](https://buy.stripe.com/bJe8wO4Inbryg8y2Ar3ZK01) ![](https://thecompletedivorce.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/google-icon.png)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 2000+ California couples divorced. ## The Outstanding Debts Make sure you are aware of all outstanding debts. This includes credit cards, car loans, and money you borrowed from a family member. Run a credit report to get a comprehensive list of debts. You are entitled to one free credit report a year and your credit score is not negatively impacted when you look up your own credit. ## Are You Named on the Debt? It is especially important to know whether you are both named on the debt. At the end of your divorce, you do not want to be named on any debts with your spouse. If you are both in debt, the creditor can come after either of you, even if your agreement says your spouse is responsible. If you have joint credit cards, agree to close those cards. If you are an authorized user, you do not need to close the card. The owner just needs to remove you as a user, and then the owner’s spouse can continue using the card. ## Asset Division & Reaching an Agreement The most important part of the asset and debt division is to reach an agreement that is fair and makes sense for you and your family. Identifying your separate property may be very important to you. If so, take time to pull records, like bank statements, receipts, or deeds, to prove your separate property. Even if you don’t have the best records, you can negotiate an amount with your spouse that you believe is fair. ![Dividing Debts in a California](https://thecompletedivorce.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Dividing-Debts-in-a-California-Divorce.jpg) ## Take Control of Your Divorce At [TheCompleteDivorce](https://thecompletedivorce.com/), we provide you what you need to successfully do your California divorce on your own. We provide all the required family law court forms in our automated forms program, all the video tutorials, and an automated customizable Marital Settlement Agreement (Divorce Agreement). If you need more help, you can get our package that includes time with a divorce mediator. Before you go, consider if we can help you. We have helped thousands of couples in California. Our guided DIY divorce is successful and cheap! Our services are all 5-star! California premier divorce program. Making California divorce simple and lawyer-free. - Filing & Review Support - 1-on-1 Divorce Meeting - Child support calculations - MSA Filing Support ![](https://thecompletedivorce.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/google-icon.png)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 2000+ divorced without a lawyer.  [ Start Divorce ](https://buy.stripe.com/bJe8wO4Inbryg8y2Ar3ZK01) You may also be interested in [![Divorce mediation in California](https://thecompletedivorce.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/What-is-Divorce-Mediation.jpg)](https://thecompletedivorce.com/divorce-mediation-in-a-california/) [ What is Divorce Mediation in a California? ](https://thecompletedivorce.com/divorce-mediation-in-a-california/) In mediation, you and your spouse work with a mediator [ Read more » ](https://thecompletedivorce.com/divorce-mediation-in-a-california/) Dina Haddad March 16, 2023 [![Amicable Divorce guide 2026](https://thecompletedivorce.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Amicable-Divorce.webp)](https://thecompletedivorce.com/amicable-divorce-california/) [ What Is an Amicable Divorce in California? 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