Before you can file Form FL-800 to start a summary dissolution, California requires you to read and understand a specific booklet first: Form FL-810, Summary Dissolution Information. It is not something you fill out or file with the court, but it is the document that explains whether you actually qualify for this shortcut, what you give up by using it, and what happens if you change your mind.
Key Takeaway: FL-810 is a Judicial Council information booklet, not a filed form. It explains the eligibility rules, the property and debt limits, and the steps for summary dissolution. Both spouses or domestic partners must sign a statement on Form FL-800 confirming they have read and understood FL-810 before their case can proceed.
Form FL-810 is a booklet titled "Summary Dissolution Information," published by the Judicial Council of California under Family Code sections 2400 through 2406. It runs about 20 pages and is available in English and Spanish from any county Superior Court clerk's office, or directly from the California Courts website.
The booklet exists to make sure both people understand exactly what they are agreeing to before they use the summary dissolution shortcut. It covers who can use the procedure, what steps you have to take to start and finish the case, when it would help to see a lawyer, and what risks you take by using this procedure instead of the regular dissolution process.
Summary dissolution trades procedural simplicity for finality. There is no court hearing, and once your case is final, you generally cannot ask for a new trial or appeal the outcome the way you could in a regular dissolution. Because that tradeoff is significant, California requires both people to confirm, in writing and under penalty of perjury, that they read and understood FL-810 before they can use Form FL-800.
If you are still confirming eligibility or want the step-by-step walkthrough of the joint petition itself, see our guide on Form FL-800: California Summary Dissolution Guide. This article focuses specifically on what the FL-810 booklet contains and why it matters. If you and your spouse or domestic partner agree on everything but do not meet the summary dissolution eligibility rules described below, the joint petition process under Form FL-700 may still offer a faster, cooperative path than the traditional regular dissolution.
<h2 id="key-terms">Key Terms: Community Property, Separate Property, and Community Obligations</h2>FL-810 opens by defining three terms that determine whether you qualify for summary dissolution and how your property gets divided.
Community Property
Community property is everything you and your spouse or domestic partner own together. In most cases that includes money either of you earned while living together as spouses or domestic partners, and anything either of you bought with that money, regardless of whose name is on it.
Separate Property
Separate property is everything you each own separately from each other. That generally includes anything either of you owned before marriage or registration, anything either of you earned or received after separation, and anything either of you received as a gift or inheritance at any time.
Community Obligations
Community obligations are the debts you owe together, generally meaning any debt either of you took on while living together as spouses or domestic partners, even if only one name is on the account.
Figuring out your exact separation date matters here. It is the dividing line the booklet uses to sort what counts as community property versus separate property, and what counts as a community obligation versus a debt that belongs to only one of you.
FL-810 lays out a checklist of statements that must all be true at the time you file FL-800. If even one is not true, summary dissolution is not available to you. The statements cover, among other things:
- Both of you have read and understand the FL-810 booklet
- You were married or registered as domestic partners five years or less, measured from the date of marriage or registration to the date of separation
- No children were born to the two of you together before or during the marriage or domestic partnership, and you have no adopted children under 18
- Neither of you is pregnant
- Neither of you owns any part of any land or buildings
- Your community property, separate property, and community obligations fall within the statutory dollar limits described below
- At least one of you meets California's residency requirements for the county where you are filing
- You have prepared and signed a written property settlement agreement, or declared in the joint petition that you have no community assets or debts
- You both want to end the marriage or domestic partnership because of serious, permanent differences, and you both agree to use summary dissolution rather than the regular process
- You both understand there is a six month waiting period, that either of you can stop the case during that time, and that once your dissolution is final you generally give up the rights to a new trial or an appeal that a regular dissolution allows
This is a condensed summary. The full checklist in the booklet has 16 numbered statements, and every one of them has to be true for both of you at the same time.
Three of the eligibility statements involve specific dollar figures. As of the booklet's April 2025 revision, FL-810 lists these limits:
| Category | Limit | Cars Included? |
|---|---|---|
| Community property | Not worth more than $57,000 | No |
| Separate property (each spouse or partner) | Not worth more than $57,000 | No |
| Community obligations | $7,000 or less | No, car loans excluded |
Cars and car loans are excluded from all three totals, but you still have to decide who keeps each vehicle and who pays any remaining loan in your property settlement agreement.
These dollar thresholds are set by statute and are updated periodically. Do not rely on a number you saw somewhere else or remember from a prior year. Confirm the current figures in the official FL-810 booklet or with your county Superior Court self-help center before assuming you qualify.
FL-810 also includes sample worksheets for calculating the fair market value of your separate property, your community property, and your community obligations, along with a worked example using a fictional couple to show how the math is supposed to work.
<h2 id="what-you-give-up">What You Give Up With a Summary Dissolution</h2>FL-810 is direct about the tradeoff involved. With a regular dissolution, either spouse or domestic partner can ask for a court hearing or trial, and if either side is unhappy with the outcome, it is generally possible to ask for a new trial or appeal the decision to a higher court. With a summary dissolution, there is no trial or hearing, and you generally give up the right to a new trial or an appeal.
The booklet does note limited situations where a court may set aside a summary dissolution, but each one requires going back to court and generally requires the help of a lawyer:
- You were treated unfairly in the property settlement agreement, meaning what you agreed to give up turned out to be worth significantly more than you understood at the time
- You went through the process against your will, meaning your spouse or partner used threats or unfair pressure to get you to agree
- There were serious mistakes in the original agreement, such as forgotten property or a bank account that had far more or less money in it than the agreement stated
- Neither of you actually complied with the required financial disclosures described below
Even though summary dissolution skips a court hearing, California law still requires both people to fully share information about their property, debts, and income before signing the property settlement agreement. FL-810 says this generally means each spouse or domestic partner completes and exchanges:
- An Income and Expense Declaration, Form FL-150
- All tax returns filed in the last two years
- The property worksheets built into the FL-810 booklet, or alternatively Declaration of Disclosure Form FL-140 together with either Schedule of Assets and Debts Form FL-142 or Property Declaration Form FL-160
Each of you must also give the other a written statement describing any investment, business, or other income producing opportunity that came up between the date you married or registered and the date you separated.
Once that exchange is complete, you use the FL-810 worksheets or your own disclosure forms to prepare a written property settlement agreement dividing everything you own and owe. FL-810 includes a full sample agreement to show the level of detail expected, covering the division of community property, the division of community debts, and a mutual waiver of spousal or partner support. For the eligibility rules that determine whether you can use this process at all, see our Form FL-800 guide.
<h2 id="steps-and-revocation">The Filing Steps and How Revocation Works</h2>FL-810 walks through the process in numbered steps. In broad terms, after completing your disclosures and property settlement agreement, you fill out and sign Form FL-800, and you also fill out Form FL-825, Judgment of Dissolution and Notice of Entry of Judgment, at the same time. Both are filed together with the superior court clerk along with two self addressed, stamped envelopes and the filing fee, or a fee waiver request if you qualify. For help with the fee waiver process, see our Form FW-001 guide.
The court holds your case for the mandatory six month waiting period before your dissolution becomes effective. During that time, either of you can stop the process entirely by filing Form FL-830, Notice of Revocation of Petition for Summary Dissolution, with the clerk and mailing a copy to the other spouse or partner. Filing FL-830 cancels the entire property settlement agreement along with the dissolution. If you later change over to a regular dissolution within 90 days of revoking, you can generally apply the time you already waited toward the regular process's own waiting period.
Pro Tip: Keep a blank copy of FL-830 in a safe place once you receive it along with your other filed paperwork. You do not fill it out unless you actually want to stop the case, but having it on hand means you are not searching for the right form under time pressure if your plans change.
FL-810 recommends seeing a lawyer in several specific situations even though summary dissolution does not strictly require one:
- You are unsure about your exact separation date or how to value or divide your property
- You lived together before marriage or registration and may have additional rights connected to that period
- You are an undocumented person who became a lawful permanent resident based on your marriage to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. FL-810 carries a special warning that obtaining a dissolution within two years of your marriage may put your immigration status at risk, and recommends consulting a lawyer before filing
- Signing the statement on FL-800 confirming you read FL-810 without actually reading through the eligibility checklist carefully
- Assuming last year's dollar limits still apply instead of confirming the current figures before filing
- Filing FL-800 without completing the required disclosure exchange first, which can later give the other spouse or partner grounds to set the judgment aside
- Losing track of the blank Notice of Revocation, form FL-830, that you receive with your paperwork
- Not reading the special warning about immigration status if either spouse became a lawful permanent resident through the marriage
What is Form FL-810 used for?
Form FL-810, Summary Dissolution Information, is a booklet published by the Judicial Council of California that explains who can use the summary dissolution procedure, what steps are involved, and what risks come with choosing it over a regular dissolution. It is not a form you fill out and file with the court. It is required reading before you file Form FL-800, Joint Petition for Summary Dissolution.
Do I have to file FL-810 with the court?
No. FL-810 is an information booklet, not a filed document. What you do file is Form FL-800, and at the time you sign it, both spouses or domestic partners confirm under penalty of perjury that they have read and understood the FL-810 booklet. Keep your own copy of the booklet for reference during the six month waiting period.
What eligibility numbers does FL-810 list?
As of the booklet's April 2025 revision, community property cannot be worth more than $57,000, separate property for either spouse or partner cannot be worth more than $57,000, and community obligations other than car loans cannot total more than $7,000. Cars are excluded from these totals. These figures are set by statute and can change, so confirm the current amounts in the official FL-810 booklet or with your county Superior Court self-help center before relying on them.
What is the difference between FL-810 and FL-800?
FL-810 is the informational booklet that explains the summary dissolution process and eligibility rules. FL-800, Joint Petition for Summary Dissolution, is the actual court form both spouses or domestic partners sign and file to start the case. You read FL-810 first to determine whether you qualify, then complete and file FL-800 if you do.
What happens if I do not meet everything in the FL-810 checklist?
If even one statement in the eligibility checklist is not true for you, you cannot use the summary dissolution procedure and must use the regular dissolution process instead, starting with Form FL-100. Our guide on Form FL-800 covers the full eligibility test and what the regular process looks like as a fallback.
Can I stop a summary dissolution after I file?
Yes. Either spouse or domestic partner can stop the process any time during the six month waiting period by filing Form FL-830, Notice of Revocation of Petition for Summary Dissolution, with the superior court clerk and mailing a copy to the other party. Once the effective date on your Judgment of Dissolution has passed, FL-830 can no longer stop it.
How Virdix Helps With Summary Dissolution Paperwork
The FL-810 booklet asks you to work through eligibility rules, property worksheets, and disclosure requirements largely on your own. Virdix is built to make that process easier to follow:
- Guided eligibility check, plain language questions that walk through the FL-810 checklist before you commit to filing FL-800
- Property worksheet support, so your community and separate property calculations stay organized and consistent
- Disclosure tracking, so the required exchange of income, tax, and property information is not overlooked
- Fallback guidance, so you know what the regular dissolution process looks like if a requirement in FL-810 does not apply to you
We do not replace an attorney for complex or disputed situations, but for couples who clearly meet the requirements, Virdix helps make sure your summary dissolution paperwork is complete and consistent from the start. You can also browse our county-by-county divorce guides for local court details.
Start Your California Filing →
Last updated: July 2026. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Virdix is a document preparation service, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed California family law attorney.
Sources: Form FL-810, Summary Dissolution Information, California Courts Self-Help Center (selfhelp.courts.ca.gov), Judicial Council of California