Parenting Schedule Builder
Pick a custody schedule, see it laid out on a calendar, set the holiday rotation, and print a draft parenting plan you can bring to mediation, to your attorney, or to the other parent.
A drafting aid — not a court order, and not legal advice.Step 1 — Choose a schedule
Step 2 — Your schedule on a calendar
A four-week view of the pattern you selected. The regular schedule yields to holidays — those are set below.
Step 3 — Holidays
Holidays override the regular schedule. The default alternates most of them by year and fixes Mother’s Day and Father’s Day — adjust anything below.
| Holiday | Even years | Odd years |
|---|
Choosing a schedule that actually holds
The best parenting schedule is not the one that splits time most evenly. It is the one you will still be following in three years without a court date. That means it has to survive two commutes, two work schedules, a school calendar, and — most of all — whatever level of cooperation the two of you can realistically sustain on a bad week.
| Schedule | Split | Exchanges per 2 weeks | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every other weekend | 79 / 21 | 2 | Parents living far apart; one parent with rigid or unpredictable hours. Still the most common New York arrangement. |
| EOW + overnight | 71 / 29 | 4 | The usual step up from every-other-weekend when the other parent wants more but a 50/50 is impractical. |
| 2-2-3 | 50 / 50 | 6 | Younger children, who do poorly with long separations. Demands parents who live close and communicate well. |
| 5-2-2-5 | 50 / 50 | 4 | Most families wanting 50/50. Fixed weekdays make it far easier to run than 2-2-3. |
| 3-4-4-3 | 50 / 50 | 4 | A middle path — fewer handoffs than 2-2-3, shorter gaps than week-on/week-off. |
| Week on / week off | 50 / 50 | 2 | Teenagers, and low-conflict co-parents. A week is a very long time for a small child. |
50/50 time does not mean no child support
This belief costs New York parents more money than almost any other misunderstanding, and it is wrong. Even in a true equal-time arrangement, the Child Support Standards Act still applies. Following Bast v. Rossoff, 91 N.Y.2d 723 (1998), the court identifies the parent with the greater income as the non-custodial parent for support purposes and applies the CSSA percentages to them. Shared time can justify a deviation from the guideline figure — and courts do grant them — but it is not automatic, and it is not zero. If you are negotiating a 50/50 schedule on the assumption that support disappears, run the number first.
What courts look at — and what they do not
New York has no presumption in favor of either parent and no presumption in favor of joint custody. There is one standard: the best interests of the child. Judges weigh which parent has been the primary caretaker, each parent’s ability to provide a stable home, the willingness of each parent to foster a relationship with the other, the children’s wishes as they mature, any history of domestic violence, and the practical realities of work and distance. Notably absent from that list: which parent earns more, and which parent wants it more.
The factor parents most often underestimate is the willingness to support the other parent’s relationship with the children. Judges pay very close attention to it, and the parent who is visibly rigid about the schedule, who litigates every exchange, or who disparages the other parent frequently damages their own case while believing they are strengthening it.
Write down the things you think are obvious
The clauses that prevent the next three years of arguments are almost never about the schedule itself. They are the boring ones. Where do exchanges happen — a home, a school, a neutral parking lot? How much notice is required to change a weekend? What happens when a child is sick on a transition day? Who takes them to a doctor’s appointment that falls in the other parent’s time? How far in advance are vacations noticed, and how long can one last? Can either parent take the children out of state, or out of the country? Who holds the passports? What is the right of first refusal — if a parent needs child care for more than four hours, must they offer the time to the other parent first? What is the communication method, and how quickly must the other parent respond?
A parenting plan that says “holidays and vacations as the parties may agree” is not an agreement. It is a court date with a delay built in.
Related: Parenting time calculator · Child custody in New York · Child support calculator · Summer parenting time · Buffalo custody lawyer
Disclaimer: This builder produces a draft for discussion. It is not a court order, not a parenting plan in the form any New York court requires, and not legal advice, and using it does not create an attorney-client relationship. A schedule that works on paper can be wrong for a particular family, and matters of custody are decided by the best interests of the child — a standard no template can apply for you. Where domestic violence, substance abuse, or a safety concern is present, do not rely on a self-help tool: speak with an attorney, and if you are in immediate danger, call 911. Weinrieb Law — 5555 Main Street, Suite 5, Williamsville, NY 14221 · (716) 759-4529.
Frequently Asked Questions About New York Parenting Schedules
What is the most common custody schedule in New York?
Every other weekend remains the most common arrangement in New York — one parent has the children during the school week, and the other has alternating weekends, usually with a midweek dinner or overnight. It produces roughly an 80/20 split of overnights. It is not, however, the only option, and it is increasingly not the default: 2-2-3, 5-2-2-5, and week-on/week-off schedules all produce closer to 50/50 and are common where parents live near each other and communicate reasonably well.
Does 50/50 custody mean no child support in New York?
No. This is one of the most persistent myths in New York family law. Even in a true 50/50 arrangement, the Child Support Standards Act still applies — the court identifies the parent with the greater income as the non-custodial parent for support purposes (following Bast v. Rossoff, 91 N.Y.2d 723 (1998)) and applies the CSSA percentages. Shared parenting time can support a deviation from the guideline, but it does not eliminate support automatically.
What is a 2-2-3 custody schedule?
A two-week repeating pattern that gives each parent 50% of the time and never leaves a child away from either parent for more than three days. Parent A has Monday and Tuesday, Parent B has Wednesday and Thursday, and the parents alternate the Friday-through-Sunday weekend block. The following week the pattern flips. It works best for younger children, who tolerate short separations poorly, and it requires parents who live close together and can manage frequent exchanges.
What is a 5-2-2-5 schedule?
A 50/50 schedule with fixed, predictable weekdays. Parent A always has Monday and Tuesday; Parent B always has Wednesday and Thursday; the parents alternate weekends. Each parent gets a five-day stretch and a two-day stretch across the two-week cycle. Children and parents alike often prefer it to 2-2-3 because the weekdays never change — you always know who does Wednesday pickup — while still producing an even split.
At what age can a child decide which parent to live with in New York?
There is no magic age. New York has no statute that lets a child choose. A child's preference is one factor among many in the best-interests analysis, and courts give it more weight as the child gets older and more mature — a thoughtful sixteen-year-old's view carries real weight; a six-year-old's does not control. The child's wishes are typically conveyed to the court by the attorney for the child, not by the child testifying in open court.
How do holidays work in a New York parenting plan?
Holidays override the regular schedule — that is the first rule, and a plan that does not say so invites argument. The standard approach alternates each holiday by year: one parent has Thanksgiving in even years, the other in odd years, and they swap for Christmas. Mother's Day and Father's Day are fixed with the respective parent every year. Winter and spring school breaks are usually split in half or alternated whole. The details matter less than the specificity — a plan that says 'holidays to be shared as agreed' is a plan that produces a court date.
Can we change our parenting schedule without going back to court?
You can agree to anything between yourselves, and many co-parents do — but an informal agreement is not enforceable, and if it breaks down, the court will enforce the last order that was actually entered. If a temporary change becomes permanent, put it in a written stipulation and have it so-ordered. To modify a court-ordered schedule over the other parent's objection, you must show a substantial change in circumstances and that the change serves the children's best interests.