Answer a few questions about where your case stands to see the deadlines California law actually sets, and general planning ranges for the rest. Free, no signup required. This is a planning estimate, not a court schedule; courts vary.
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Since you agree on everything, you and your spouse may be able to file a Joint Petition together (Form FL-700) instead of one spouse filing and serving the other. A Joint Petition is deemed served on both spouses at filing, so the 6 month waiting period below would start at your filing date instead of a later service date. See how to file a joint divorce petition (FL-700).
File the Petition
Not yet filed
Filing the Petition (Form FL-100), or a Joint Petition (FL-700) if you and your spouse agree on everything, opens the case. There is no waiting period to file; the clock described below starts later, at service.
Serve the other party
Happens after filing
Service must be completed by someone other than you, using an accepted method (personal service, substituted service, or mail with a signed Notice and Acknowledgment of Receipt). Our service of process deadline calculator works out the response deadline for each method.
Response deadline (30 days)
TBD, 30 days after service
Once served, the respondent generally has 30 calendar days to file a Response (Form FL-120). Code of Civil Procedure section 412.20.
Earliest the marriage can legally end
TBD, 6 months and 1 day after service (or the respondent's appearance, if earlier)
California Family Code section 2339 requires 6 months to pass from the date of service, or the respondent's appearance, whichever happens first, before any judgment of dissolution can end the marriage. No court can waive this. (A Joint Petition under Form FL-700 is deemed served on both spouses at filing, so for that path the 6 months runs from the filing date instead.) A court can extend the 6 months for good cause, though that is uncommon.
Estimated case finalized
Estimate only, not a computed date
If your judgment paperwork (a marital settlement agreement or default judgment package) is ready and filed before the 6 month mark, many uncontested cases finalize at or within a couple of months of that floor date. Court processing backlogs vary a lot by county.
Related tools and guides
Figuring out an exact response deadline for a specific service method? Use our service of process deadline calculator. Not sure which forms you need yet? Try the forms wizard. Working through an uncontested case step by step? See the uncontested divorce checklist.
This estimator is for planning only and is not legal advice or a court schedule. It computes the response deadline (Code of Civil Procedure section 412.20) and the 6 month waiting period (Family Code section 2339) from the dates you enter; everything past those two fixed points depends on your specific case, court, and county, and is shown as a general range, not a promise. Deadlines that fall on a weekend or court holiday generally roll to the next court day under Code of Civil Procedure section 12a. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed California family law attorney. Virdix is a document preparation service, not a law firm.
A California divorce has exactly two dates set by statute: the respondent's 30 day window to file a Response after being served (Code of Civil Procedure section 412.20), and the mandatory 6 month waiting period before a judgment can end the marriage (Family Code section 2339). The 6 month period runs from the date of service, or the respondent's appearance, whichever happens first, and no court can shorten it. It can be extended for good cause, though that is uncommon.
Everything else, how long it actually takes to finish the case, is not set by law. It depends on how quickly both spouses complete financial disclosures, whether the case is agreed or contested, how backlogged the local court is, and, for contested cases, how much needs to be resolved through negotiation, mediation, or trial. Treat the 6 month date as a floor, the earliest possible finish line, not a typical one.
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Start my filing free6 months and 1 day after the respondent is served with the Petition, or after the respondent's appearance if that happens first, whichever is earlier. This is a mandatory statewide minimum under Family Code section 2339, and no court can shorten it. Meeting that floor also requires your judgment paperwork to be complete and ready to submit by then; the 6 month period is a legal minimum, not a typical timeline.
For a standard case, it starts on the date the respondent is served with the Petition and Summons, or the date the respondent appears in the case, whichever happens first. For a Joint Petition under Form FL-700, both spouses file together and the petition is deemed served on both of them immediately, so the 6 months runs from the filing date instead.
If the 30 day response window under Code of Civil Procedure section 412.20 passes with no Response on file, the petitioner may be able to ask the court to enter the respondent's default and proceed toward judgment without the respondent's participation. The 6 month waiting period still applies either way. See our guide on what happens if you don't respond to divorce papers.
A court can extend it for good cause under Family Code section 2339(b), though this is uncommon. No court can shorten it below 6 months and 1 day from service or appearance; that floor applies to every case regardless of how quickly both spouses agree.
Only the 6 month waiting period is set by statute; everything after it (how long it takes to finish paperwork, resolve remaining disagreements, or get a court date) depends on your county's court calendar, how complete your filings are, and whether anything is contested. This tool computes the dates that are actually fixed by law and gives general planning ranges, not guarantees, for the rest.
No. It applies published statutory rules to the dates you enter for general planning purposes. It is not legal advice and does not review the specific facts of your case. Virdix is a document preparation service, not a law firm; for advice about your situation, consult a licensed California family law attorney.