THE LATEST VERSION is 6.6 Download now
Registered users: the latest download will install over an earlier version without disturbing your data, but back up data first just to be safe. The new version will be registered if you are registered now.
Unregistered: the new installation will work as a demo until you register.
To register DealMaker, start the program and under the Help menu, select Register DealMaker, then follow the instructions to register online, or by phone, mail or fax.
Check for updates. DealMaker has an Update Checker under the Help menu that can be used manually or set to check automatically. Either way, we expect updates now and then, so check regularly to make sure you always have the latest version and look here to see what has changed whenever you get updated.
UPDATE NOTES
CHANGES in version 6.6— February 17, 2023
Screen VI Spousal Support, “Payment” Line – Layout is now adjusted to accommodate differing lengths of the party names.
Screen VI Spousal Support, “Optional: Support terms cannot be changed” line – When the “termination date and amount” option is selected: changed “is/are” to “are” on the screen, and changed “is” to “are” in the generated agreement text.
Capitalized “Spousal support”, “Partner support” or “Alimony” in the next sentence in the agreement.
CHANGES in version 6.5— December 15, 2022
Fixed typo to add a period at the end of “There are no minor children.”
CHANGES in version 6.4— September 28, 2022
Added the ability to specify same-sex marriages. Modified the user interface and agreement to specify “he” or “she” where known, rather than the generic “he/she”.
Added the option to specify that a second wife is pregnant.
CHANGES in version 6.3— May 25, 2022
Added a paragraph to the Child Support section of an agreement to show financial responsibilities (per Family Code
CHANGES in version 6.2— April 21, 2022
Improved the tips text for Screen 1a Lines B1 & B2
CHANGES in version 6.1— April 18, 2022
Split the first screen into Parties Information and Case Information. Expanded the Case Information to capture more details about any legal filings.
Added generic filing language to the Agreement for states other than California.
Added a clause for uncontested cases.
Added a clause for irreconcilable differences.
Added optional sentences about the status of Forms FL-130 and FL-130A. (only applicable to California cases)
Under BASIC CHILD SUPPORT, the Reserved clause was changed by inserting, ” The parties agree that the needs of the minor children are being adequately met at this time.” Also inserted “to be” in “No support to be ordered now,…” (the next sentence).
Under BASIC CHILD SUPPORT, added “Pursuant to Family Code, Section 4065: The parties are fully informed of their rights under California’s “Statewide Uniform Guideline” and are fully informed of their rights concerning child support.” (only applicable to California cases)
Fixed the problem that caused curly brackets ( “{” or “}” ) in the user’s text entries to create errors in the RTF output.
Added “PETITIONER” and “RESPONDENT” next to the parties’ signature lines on the signatures page.
CHANGE in version 6.0— October 26, 2020
Version 6.0 changed the address for Nolo Press Occidental from our old Santa Cruz, CA address to our new one in Carlsbad, CA.
FIX in version 5.9— September 17, 2019
When adding more than one Separate Real Property (Screen III -> Edit List -> Real Estate button), the popup repeated the address of the first property added. This was only a display issue on the popup; the display was correct if the popup was dismissed and reactivated, and the agreement text was always correct. DealMaker 5.9 corrects this problem.
CHANGE in version 5.8— January 21, 2019
DealMaker 5.8 fixes a glitch so than now there will be no reference to children in the agreement if there are no children eligible for support in the divorce
CHANGE in version 5.7— June 21, 2018
DealMaker 5.7 adds a clause in section VI. Spousal/Partner Support where both parties acknowledge and waive all rights to spousal support per Family Code § 4320 et seq.
FIXES in version 5.6— March 16, 2018
Users who tried to register after February 28, 2018 using the online registration option were not able to complete their registration. This has been fixed, and the online registration system is working correctly now.
FIXES in version 5.5— January 7, 2015
Version Shuffle. Due to changes in a Microsoft tool, DealMaker version 5.4 had a bug that hangs when accessing popups on Screens III and IV. We found and fixed the bug within a few hours, but if you are one of the few that has version 5.4, you should immediately update to 5.5. To be certain which version you have installed, look to the left of the File menu in the menu bar.
Version 5.4 and 5.5 contain a typo fix and new language for California cases on the notary signature page that is required by law.
CHANGES in version 5.4— January 6, 2015
Version 5.4 adds required language to the notary signature page for agreements that will be filed in the State of California.
FIXES in version 5.3— June 17, 2013
Division of CP Real Estate that is held until sold. Payment of overhead pending sale — item 5 on Screen IV > item 5 on the Division of Real Property popup. Corrected an error in the language for reimbursing a party who has had to make payments of overhead for which the other party was responsible.
Section XII, Waiver of Advice of Counsel. Some users objected to the language that asserted, “I have access to sufficient funds to retain an attorney for this purpose if I want one,” as they did not, in fact, have sufficient funds. As it is not essential to the waiver, this language has been removed.
FIXES in version 5.2— January 3, 2013
A new Read Me dialog pops up when the program starts. It provides important advice to consumers based on feedback from users and from professionals who help users. The Read Me dialog can be printed and is always available under the Help menu.
Desktop icon. On installation, if you deselected the option to install an icon on the desktop, it would be installed there anyway. This has been fixed.
FIXES in version 5.1— November 6, 2012
Arbitration option. Screen X. Removed the option to require arbitration. Feedback indicated that arbitration is not suitable in a variety of situations and that it would be better to leave it to parties to decide at the time a problem arises whether or not to arbitrate. The Mediation/Arbitration Help file was modified accordingly.
Pension funds dialog bug. On Screen IV, items 1 and 3, when you fill out the Pension Fund dialog and check a box to indicate who is to get the fund, DealMaker would always award the fund to the employee, not necessarily to the person selected in the dialog. This has been fixed.
Pension Fund Help File. Improved. Cautions about potential problems if a pension fund is not transferred very carefully, including exactly as required by IRS rules.
FIXES in version 5.0— September 12, 2011
Custody. For California cases, a clause desired by some clerks was added at the end of Section VII (Custody).
Registration. Minor revision to registration process. Minor bug fix.
FIXES in version 4.9— September 12, 2011
Registration. The registration process has been revised and made smoother. Minor bug fixes.
Minor bug fixes. Small tweaks and improvements.
FIXES in version 4.8— June 17, 2011
Screen IV. Community Property, item 5 popup. Corrected language used in the agreement when title to community real property is to be held as-is without change.
Screen 7.5, Other Holidays. In the previous version, the field for entering begin and end times for each holiday would only be available if “Odd Years” was checked. This has been fixed.
Miscellaneous fixes. A few minor and typographical fixes were made.
FIXES in version 4.7— January 6, 2011
Notary Page. Notarization language was updated and improved.
Typographical fixes. Some typographical changes were made for better clarity and consistency.
FIXES in version 4.6
Version 4.6 was not released.
FIXES in version 4.5— June 15, 2010
Unable to enter data. Unable to enter data if a state other than California was selected. This has been fixed.
FIXES in version 4.4— June 2, 2010
Left column navigation. If a Simple Parenting Plan was selected on Screen 7.2, clicking on Options in the left column would produce an error message instead of going to the requested screen. This was been fixed in version 4.3. Versions 4.3 was not released, as version 4.4 came quickly thereafter.
Inability to view or print agreement. If “Travel with a child” was selected on Screen 7.6, but you did not specify which parent’s permission was needed, you would not be able to view, print or save the agreement. This has been fixed.
FIXES in version 4.2— January 29, 2010
Bug, File > Save As. In version 4.1, (released for only part of one day), if you used Save As, DealMaker would give it an incorrect file extension. This has been fixed and files are now correctly saved.
FIXES in version 4.1— January 28, 2010
Saved files. Due to Windows 7, DealMaker now stores saved files in a different location than before. You can see where they are stored in File > Preferences, if you like, you can choose another location. You’ll need to move previously saved data files from the old location (C:\Program Files\DealMaker) to the new location.
Note: If you open a file from the old location, it will be saved back there unless you use Save As to put it in the new location.
Save agreement as RTF. If you attempted to insert your own custom parenting plan into the body of the agreement, the RTF output would be incomplete. This has been fixed. The View and PDF modes were not affected.
Screen 8.2, item C1, Health Insurance. The screen and the related part of the agreement have been updated and reworked for greater clarity.
WHAT’S NEW in version 4.0— January 5, 2010
Fewer Exhibits. Following better practice, all property lists are now inserted into the body of the agreement. This is the way many judges prefer it. Parenting plans can be optionally inserted or attached as an Exhibit. Child support calculations (if any) continue to be attached as an Exhibit.
Minor tweaks. Numerous minor adjustments to make things look better and work more smoothly.
LAST YEAR’S NEWS
FIXES in version 3.2— August 14, 2009
Property lists, Screen IV, items 1 and 3. If a pension or real estate item had been entered in a property list at items 1 or 3, some items could not later be deleted from that list. Affected items would disappear from the visible list but remain in the document and appear the next time the popup was called or the agreement printed. This has been fixed.
FIXES in version 3.1— April 7, 2009
Program fails to stay registered. For some registered users, after closing the program DealMaker would return to unregistered status. This has been fixed.
Screen IV, item 6, popup item 4. Dividing Community Interest in Retirement Fund—at item 4 on the detail popup, you can enter the percentage each party will pay for document preparation, but DealMaker was not entering this information into the agreement. This has been fixed.
Screen VII, Other Holidays. Parenting plan, item 7—Special Days: If this was once checked and later unchecked, DealMaker would still print Special Days in the agreement and show it as an Exhibit. This has been fixed.
FIXES in version 3.0— March 3, 2009
Screens VI and VIII. Fixed payment fields so they update immediately after entry of monthly total amount.
Screens VI and VIII. Reworded language for various payment periods to make them grammatically correct.
Waiver of spousal support. Improved agreement language to make it clear as to exactly who is waiving the right to spousal support.