California family-law form guide
One form. Different jobs. Different completion rules.
FL‑160 can be served with a disclosure packet, support a Petition or Response, or become part of a default or judgment filing. The context controls which columns and attachments belong.
Short answer: FL‑160 is California’s multipurpose Property Declaration. It lists assets and debts and can also state a proposed division or confirmation. It may be served with FL‑140 instead of FL‑142, attached to a Petition or Response, or filed in identified default or judgment contexts. The reason for using it determines which columns must be completed.
California Courts identifies the current FL‑160 as effective July 1, 2016. Page 4 contains separate instructions for disclosure, Petition or Response attachments, and default or judgment filings.
Open the official FL‑160 page ↗What is FL‑160 used for?
The official instructions call FL‑160 a multipurpose form. It can:
- be served with FL‑140 to satisfy the property-and-debt portion of a disclosure instead of FL‑142;
- be attached to a Petition or Response to identify property and debt positions; and
- be required by a court as an attachment to FL‑165 Request to Enter Default or FL‑180 Judgment.
Those are different case events. A saved FL‑160 does not reveal which one occurred. Check the surrounding packet, filing record and service evidence.
Why might there be two FL‑160 forms?
Page 1 has separate choices for a Community and Quasi-Community Property Declaration and a Separate Property Declaration. The current instructions say not to combine them. If both kinds need to be presented, they belong on separate FL‑160 forms.
Lists community property and property owned outside California that the form describes as quasi-community property.
Lists assets and debts the party asks to have identified or confirmed as separate.
Checking either box records the party’s position. It does not itself establish the legal character of an item.
What do the columns mean?
Identify the asset or debt and when it was acquired or incurred.
Assets use gross fair market value and the debt attached to the item; debts use total owing.
For assets, the form calculates this as gross value minus the amount owed: C minus D.
Shows what the party proposes should be awarded or confirmed to each side.
A proposed division is a requested outcome, not an agreement or court order. Keep any later stipulation, judgment or signed property order as a separate source.
Which columns are required for each use?
This matrix restates page 4 of the current form. A court order or local process can affect the actual packet, so verify the case-specific requirements before filing or service.
What belongs with FL‑160 when it is used for disclosure?
When FL‑160 is served with FL‑140, the current form calls for supporting copies for the applicable categories. These include deeds and lender statements; vehicle titles; current bank, investment, retirement and insurance records; business K‑1 and Schedule C records; support-arrearage orders and statements; and current debt statements.
- Complete the disclosure columns.Pages 1–2 use A through E; page 3 uses A through C.
- Connect each figure to the record behind it.Use the current form’s instructions for each attachment category.
- Serve the disclosure packet.Record exactly which form and source attachments were delivered.
- Keep the listed financial records out of the court filing.Page 4 expressly says not to file those financial documents.
- Track FL‑141 separately.The later court filing reports disclosure service; it is not the underlying packet.
Separate the form’s job from its filename.
Inventory the disclosure packet, supporting sources, service record and any court-filed use without uploading financial documents.
Should you use FL‑142 or FL‑160 for disclosure?
Lists community and separate items together, has no proposed-division columns and expressly says it should not be filed.
Understand FL‑142 →Separates community and separate declarations, includes proposed division and can serve additional filing purposes.
Official form ↗California Courts permits either one with FL‑140. The form should match the actual purpose and remain complete for that use.
Which FL‑160 statuses should stay separate?
The intended use and required columns still need confirmation.
This does not prove service or filing.
Identify the exact form type, attachments, method and date.
This belongs only to a filing use and does not prove the requested division was ordered.
What does FL‑160 not prove?
- It does not independently establish community, quasi-community or separate-property character.
- It does not independently verify acquisition dates, values, balances, or supporting records.
- Its proposed division is not an agreement, judgment or signed court order.
- A signature does not prove which packet the form joined, whether it was served or whether it was filed.
- A file-stamped copy does not prove the disclosure attachments were complete or properly exchanged.
- It does not prove that every asset or debt was disclosed.
Official sources
- California Courts: FL‑160 form page
- Judicial Council of California: Current FL‑160 PDF and instructions
- California Courts: FL‑161 continuation page
- California Courts: Gather and share financial information
- California Courts: File proof you shared financial information
- California Courts: Free court-based self-help
This page translates the current official form and instructions into plain language. It provides legal information, not legal advice or a decision about property character, value, division, filing or service. Use the current form, local requirements and orders in the actual case. Read CourtAhead’s editorial and source standards.