California is a community property state, which means that all property acquired during the marriage by a married person is presumably the property of both spouses. Exceptions to this rule are when property is purchased (during marriage) with the separate property of one spouse, property is inherited, or property is gifted to a spouse during marriage. After separation, property acquired by either spouse is separate property. The salary and earnings of either spouse belongs to both spouses (the community), even if the money is deposited into a separate bank account. Similarly, a business established by either spouse during marriage is community property. A home purchased during marriage is likely community property and relatively simple to divide. If a home is purchased by a spouse before marriage and mortgage payments are made (using community funds) during marriage, the analysis is more complicated.