💔 Wegweiser Separation & Divorce

15 topic pages on separation and divorce in Germany – for those affected and for everyone who advises them. Each page first explains the topic briefly and clearly – and below that in detail, with deadlines, legal bases and figures.

How this page works. At the top you can search all topics by keyword. Each topic page begins with the section In brief in plain language. Below that you will find the most important deadlines, typical mistakes and a collapsible specialist section, "In depth", for advisory work with legal bases and figures.

As of September 2026. Where a statement could not be verified beyond doubt from official sources (e.g. individual figures or practice values, or a reform that has not yet come into force), this is expressly noted on the relevant page instead of being guessed – see also Sources and methodology. The information does not replace legal advice.

Frequently searched

📅 Year of separation: requirements and exceptions ⚖️ Divorce petition and course of proceedings 💶 Divorce costs and legal aid for proceedings (Verfahrenskostenhilfe) 🏦 Pension rights equalisation (Versorgungsausgleich) 👶 Child maintenance and the Düsseldorf Table 👨‍👩‍👧 Custody and contact rights after separation 🔄 Shared residence model (Wechselmodell): legal basics 📞 Advice, mediation and family advice centres

All topic areas

🧭Overview and basicsWhat separation and divorce mean legally.1 topic 📅Separation: the phase beforeYear of separation, home and household goods during the separation period.3 topics ⚖️Divorce proceedingsProcedure, costs and legal aid for proceedings, consensual or contested.3 topics 💰Assets and retirement provisionPension rights equalisation and equalisation of accrued gains.2 topics 🧾MaintenanceSeparation maintenance, post-divorce maintenance and child maintenance.2 topics 👨‍👩‍👧Children after separationCustody, contact rights and shared residence model.2 topics 🧮Taxes and adviceTax consequences, mediation and contact points.2 topics

🧭 Overview and basics

What separation and divorce mean legally.

🧭Overview: separation and divorce in GermanySeparation and divorce are two legally distinct steps with their own deadlines and consequences. This page explains what happens when.

📅 Separation: the phase before

Year of separation, home and household goods during the separation period.

📅Year of separation: requirements and exceptionsLiving separately for one year is the standard requirement for divorce – with a narrow exception for cases of unreasonable hardship. 🏠Separation within the shared homeYou can legally live separately even without moving out – if the shared household visibly ends. What this requires and how to prove it later. 🔑Marital home and household goods on separationWho may stay in the home, who owns what? Different rules apply for the separation period and for the time after the divorce.

⚖️ Divorce proceedings

Procedure, costs and legal aid for proceedings, consensual or contested.

⚖️Divorce petition and course of proceedingsHow divorce proceedings work, who has to file the petition and what is decided together in the joint proceedings. 💶Divorce costs and legal aid for proceedings (Verfahrenskostenhilfe)Court and lawyer costs depend on the value of the proceedings. Anyone who cannot afford them can apply for legal aid for proceedings (Verfahrenskostenhilfe). 🤝Consensual vs. contested divorceIf you agree on the most important consequences, the divorce is usually faster and cheaper. What makes the difference.

💰 Assets and retirement provision

Pension rights equalisation and equalisation of accrued gains.

🏦Pension rights equalisation (Versorgungsausgleich)On divorce, pension entitlements acquired during the marriage are in principle split equally – automatically, except in short marriages. 💰Equalisation of accrued gains (Zugewinnausgleich)Without a marriage contract, spouses live under the statutory matrimonial property regime: on divorce, the increase in assets generated during the marriage is equalised equally.

🧾 Maintenance

Separation maintenance, post-divorce maintenance and child maintenance.

🧾Separation maintenance and post-divorce maintenanceDuring separation a more generous maintenance claim applies than after the divorce – afterwards, in principle everyone must provide for themselves again. 👶Child maintenance and the Düsseldorf TableParents owe maintenance to their minor child regardless of their own means. The Düsseldorf Table (Düsseldorfer Tabelle) is the calculation aid used nationwide.

👨‍👩‍👧 Children after separation

Custody, contact rights and shared residence model.

👨‍👩‍👧Custody and contact rights after separationJoint parental custody usually continues after separation and divorce. What changes is how it is exercised in everyday life – and the other parent's contact rights. 🔄Shared residence model (Wechselmodell): legal basicsIn the shared residence model, both parents care for the child in roughly equal shares. There is no express statutory provision yet – but there is settled case law.

🧮 Taxes and advice

Tax consequences, mediation and contact points.

🧮Tax consequences of separation and divorceIn the year of separation you can usually still be assessed jointly. After that, tax classes change – and maintenance payments may be tax-deductible. 📞Advice, mediation and family advice centresYou do not have to cope with separation and divorce alone. Advice centres, mediation and the Jugendamt offer support free of charge or at low cost.

For reference

📕Keyword indexAll terms from A to Z, with links to the matching topic pages. 📜Sources and methodWhere the information comes from and what is expressly uncertain. 🏠Other target groupsTo the overview of all Wegweiser portals.

A question about your situation that this page does not answer? Write to us or use the contact form – we will tell you which office is responsible and what to bring. Free of charge, without individual legal advice.