Quick answer: Connecticut is an equitable distribution state, not a community property state. At the time of the decree, the Superior Court may assign to either spouse all or any part of the estate of the other spouse. The statute does not separate “marital” from “separate” property or set a percentage: the court fixes the nature and value of the property to be assigned after considering the length of the marriage, the causes for the dissolution, each party’s age, health, station, occupation, income, vocational skills, employability, estate, liabilities and needs, the opportunity for future acquisition of capital assets and income, and each party’s contribution to the acquisition, preservation or appreciation in value of their respective estates.
What the Connecticut statute says
- Reach. The court may assign to either spouse all or any part of the estate of the other spouse (Conn. Gen. Stat. 46b-81(a)).
- Factors. Length of the marriage; causes of the dissolution; age, health, station, occupation, amount and sources of income, vocational skills, employability, estate, liabilities and needs; opportunity for future acquisition of capital assets and income; and contributions to the acquisition, preservation or appreciation of the respective estates (46b-81(c)).
- Title. A conveyance under the decree vests title in the purchaser, and a decree recorded on the land records transfers title to real property as if it were a deed (46b-81(b)).
- Alimony. The property award can be in addition to or in lieu of alimony, and it is one of the alimony factors (46b-82(a)).
How the calculator works
You enter everything each spouse holds and each spouse’s liabilities. The calculator adds up the combined estate, applies the share you choose and shows the equalizing payment. Because the statute sets no percentage and reaches the estate of either spouse, nothing here predicts what the court will order. The reasoning is in how Connecticut divides property, what is in the estate and title transfers and the home.
Property and alimony
The court decides property and alimony together. See the Connecticut alimony calculator.
Property division across Connecticut
The statute applies in the Connecticut Superior Court, from Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, Bridgeport, Waterbury or Norwalk. The IRS lists nine community property states, and Connecticut is not among them.
Frequently asked questions
Is Connecticut a community property state?
No. Connecticut is an equitable distribution state: the court may assign to either spouse all or any part of the estate of the other. The IRS lists nine community property states, and Connecticut is not among them.
Does Connecticut split property 50/50 in a divorce?
Not by rule. The statute sets no percentage and the court weighs the factors in Conn. Gen. Stat. 46b-81(c).
Does Connecticut divide property I owned before the marriage?
The statute lets the court assign all or any part of the estate of either spouse and does not exclude property acquired before the marriage, though the court weighs each party's contributions to their respective estates.
Does fault matter for Connecticut property division?
The causes for the dissolution of the marriage are one of the factors the court considers.
How is title to a house transferred in a Connecticut divorce?
A conveyance under the decree vests title in the purchaser, and when the decree is recorded on the land records it transfers title to the real property as if it were a deed.