Marital Agreements

Texas law requires that division of property must be equitable under the circumstances.  There are many factors the court considers in determining what is “equitable,” including fault in the breakup of the marriage, the difference in earning potential between the spouses, which spouse has custody of the children, and more.  An equitable split does not mean that the division of property will be 50/50, and a court is never allowed to award one spouse’s separate property to the other spouse.

A couple can name specific property as “community” or “separate” themselves in two ways.  First, before marrying, they can execute a prenuptial agreement, or “prenup.” If already married, the couple can execute a postnuptial agreement. In either case, there is no formula that must be followed in dividing or characterizing the property.  An engaged couple can designate everything that each acquires during the marriage as his or her separate property so that no community property is created.  They could choose to state that, in the case of a divorce, each party receives 50% of the community property, since Texas law does not provide for a specific division.  A married couple may choose to divide their community property into two separate estates.  Again, there is no formula for a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement.  The options and possibilities are as endless as the two parties’ wishes and desires. What is required is that the agreement is voluntary, generally fair, and that each party: