Property & Debt Division
Dividing what a couple owns and owes is one of the hardest parts of a split. Understand the difference between marital and separate property, how community-property and equitable-distribution states divide assets and debts, and how homes, retirement accounts, and businesses are handled — rules that vary significantly by state.
All Property & Debt Division guides
- Who Gets the House in a Divorce?
Who gets the house in a divorce depends on your state, whose name is on the title, marital vs. separate property, and the kids. Here is how courts decide.
- How Does a Judge Decide Who Gets the House in a Divorce?
How courts decide who keeps the house in divorce: marital vs. separate property, the equitable factors judges weigh, and your real options.
- How Is Property Divided in a Divorce? Your Rights Explained
How property is divided in a divorce depends on your state: community property (50/50) or equitable distribution (fair, not equal). Your rights, explained.
- How to Find Hidden Crypto Assets (Coinbase) in a Divorce
Suspect your spouse is hiding Bitcoin on Coinbase? How to unhide assets in the app, spot concealment, and use legal discovery to trace crypto in divorce.
- Is My Spouse Entitled to My Pension in a Divorce?
Yes, the part of your pension earned during marriage is usually divisible in divorce, but rarely an automatic 50/50. How it works and how to protect it.
- How to Keep Your Pension in a Divorce
Worried about losing your pension in a divorce? Learn how marital shares, buyouts, offsets, and QDROs work, and the practical steps to protect it.
- Can a Spouse Sell Marital Property Before a Divorce Is Final?
Worried your spouse is selling assets before divorce? Learn about dissipation, asset restraining orders, and the urgent steps to protect marital property.
- How to Find Hidden Assets in a Divorce
A practical guide to finding a spouse's hidden assets in divorce: red flags, the discovery tools that compel disclosure, and when to hire a forensic accountant.
- What Counts as Marital Property vs. Separate Property?
Marital vs. separate property explained: what's divisible in divorce, how commingling and tracing work, and how courts actually split it.
- Is My Spouse Entitled to My Pension After I Die? Survivor Benefits Explained
Will your spouse get your pension when you die? How survivor annuities, beneficiary rules, QDROs and waivers decide it - and what to check now.
- How Is Property Divided in a No-Fault Divorce?
In a no-fault divorce, property is split under your state's law—not by who's to blame. Learn community property vs. equitable distribution and what counts.
- Is My Spouse Entitled to My 401(k) in a Divorce?
Often yes for the part earned during marriage, but rarely an automatic 50/50. How 401(k) division, QDROs, and state law actually work.
- Is VA Disability Considered Marital Property in a Divorce?
No. VA disability pay is not marital property and can't be divided in divorce. But it can still count as income for child support and alimony. Here's how.
- How Does Dividing a House Work in a Divorce? Buyout, Sale, or Refinance
How a house is divided in divorce: figure out the equity, then choose a buyout, a sale, or co-owning. Plus how to get your name off the mortgage.
- Community Property vs. Equitable Distribution: What's the Difference?
How divorce courts split property: community property (mostly 50/50) vs. equitable distribution (fair, not always equal). Plain-English guide.
- Who Gets the House If It's Only in One Spouse's Name?
Whose name is on the deed rarely decides who keeps the house in divorce. Learn how marital vs. separate property, commingling, and buyouts really work.
- How Is Personal Property Divided in a Divorce?
Personal property in a divorce (furniture, cars, jewelry, pets) is sorted into marital vs. separate, valued at resale price, then split by state law.