California treats transfers between spouses differently from other transfers, and the interspousal transfer deed is built around that special treatment. It's used to move a property interest from one spouse to the other — or to change how the couple holds the property — cleanly and with two important tax advantages.
When couples use it
- Divorce or separation — one spouse transfers their interest in the home to the other as part of the settlement
- Adding a spouse to title — bringing a husband or wife onto a property owned before the marriage
- Changing the character of the property — for example, converting separate property to community property, or the reverse
California gives transfers between spouses two breaks at once: no transfer tax, and no reassessment.
Why the interspousal deed is worth using
Two exemptions make this deed attractive. First, transfers between spouses are exempt from documentary transfer tax under Revenue & Taxation Code §11927 — no transfer tax is owed. Second, an interspousal transfer is excluded from property-tax reassessment, so moving a home between spouses won't reset its assessed value or raise the property tax bill. Notably, California's Proposition 19 narrowed the parent-child and senior transfer rules, but it did not change the interspousal exclusion — transfers between spouses remain protected.
Requirements
The deed identifies both spouses, recites the interspousal relationship and the exemption being claimed, includes the legal description and vesting, and is signed before a notary. It's recorded with the county along with a PCOR. Because the transfer-tax exemption and the reassessment exclusion both depend on the right language being on the deed, getting the wording correct matters.
Interspousal deed vs. quitclaim in a divorce
In divorces, people sometimes use a quitclaim deed instead. Both can move the interest, but the interspousal transfer deed is specifically framed for the spousal relationship and the exemptions that go with it. Which one fits a given situation is a decision for the parties (and, where needed, their attorney) — we prepare the deed you direct and don't give legal advice.
How SimpleDeeds prepares your interspousal transfer deed
Give us the names and the property address. We research the legal description and vesting, prepare the interspousal transfer deed with the correct exemption language and county forms, and record it after notarization — flat $295.