Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's divorce is messy and VERY complicated ... TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... because the estranged couple has no prenup, everything they acquired over their roughly 2-year marriage is community property, which means the assets acquired during the marriage are divided equally. But, that's not as easy as it sounds ... not by a long shot.

One of the biggest assets in play is Ben's hugely successful production company, Artists Equity (AE), in which he's partnered with his best bud, Matt Damon. As a result, Damon could get dragged into the ugly divorce, since he's a major stakeholder in the company.

The company was formed in November, 2022 ... 4 months after B&J tied the knot. So, it would seem Ben's stake in the company is community property.

Simply put ... J Lo would be financially entitled to a share of the profits generated by AE's recent and upcoming hit movies, including "Air," "Unstoppable," "The Instigators," "Small Things Like These" and "The Accountant 2."

For her part, J Lo has been involved in a number of her own major projects, such as "Atlas," "This Is Me... Now," "The Mother," "Shotgun Wedding" and "Marry Me." Like J Lo, Ben would have a financial interest in those films and her other projects.

The two own their house in Bev Hills, which is currently up for sale. We're told they have a $20 million mortgage on the property, and so far no one's jumping to buy it.

TMZ broke the story, J Lo filed for divorce from Ben last week, and the pair have been trying to hash out a settlement for months.

Our sources say those talks are ongoing, and they have become increasingly acrimonious -- so much so that, at times, they were not even speaking to one another.

Side note ... this is J Lo's fourth marriage and Ben's second -- they both have children with previous spouses, but none together.