---
title: "Can I Protect My Business in a Divorce in Quebec? ✦ Goldwater Droit"
canonical_url: "https://goldwaterdroit.com/en/faqs/can-i-protect-my-business-in-a-divorce-quebec"
last_updated: "2026-09-15T21:21:25.990Z"
locale: en
meta:
  description: "In Quebec, a pre-marriage business is generally private property under art. 450 C.c.Q., but value built during the marriage can be shared. Get early advice."
  "og:description": "In Quebec, a pre-marriage business is generally private property under art. 450 C.c.Q., but value built during the marriage can be shared. Get early advice."
  "og:title": "Can I Protect My Business in a Divorce in Quebec?"
---

# Can I protect my business in a divorce in Quebec?

Whether a business is protected depends on how it is held and funded. Under the partnership of acquests, a company you owned before the marriage is generally your private property under article 450 of the Civil Code of Québec, but value built up during the union—and income drawn from the business—can be characterized as acquests and shared. Property held through a company can also be relevant to the family patrimony where the family used it, such as a residence owned by a corporation the spouse controls. Because valuation, corporate structure, and the source of funds all matter, businesses in a divorce require early legal and accounting advice rather than assumptions, and transfers made to defeat sharing can be unwound through unequal partition or a compensatory payment.

Civil Code of Québec, art. 450 (private property) Civil Code of Québec, arts. 448–460 (acquests; value built during the union)