Three complete, worked parenting plan examples — the actual schedule, holiday, decision-making, communication, and expense provisions, filled in for three different family situations. Use one as the starting point for your own.
Reading about what a parenting plan should contain is one thing; seeing a finished one is another. Below are three complete sample plans — a 50/50 split between low-conflict coparents who live close by, a long-distance plan where one parent moved out of state, and a 70/30 plan for a higher-conflict situation. Each shows the provisions the way they'd actually read in the signed document. They aren't legal advice, and every family's plan is different — but they show the level of detail a family-law judge expects, and they're a faster starting point than a blank page.
Two parents who live about fifteen minutes apart, kids aged 7 and 10, both with flexible-enough work schedules. They get along, want equal time, and want a plan detailed enough that neither ever has to guess.
Parent A and Parent B share residential responsibility for the children. The children shall live with both parents and maintain frequent, continuing contact with each parent, following the parenting-time schedule set out in this plan.
The 2-2-3 rotation is set on the shared calendar and compiled into the plan's parenting-time schedule — Parent A on Monday and Tuesday, Parent B on Wednesday and Thursday, with the weekend alternating.
See the 2-2-3 scheduleHolidays and vacation periods take precedence over the regular parenting-time schedule. Time lost from the regular schedule because of a holiday or vacation shall not be made up. (The specific holiday assignments come from the calendar, which compiles into the plan.)
During summer break, the parents shall follow a parenting-time schedule different from the school-year schedule, as follows: week-on / week-off.
Parent A and Parent B share decision-making responsibility. They shall consult one another on substantial, non-emergency decisions affecting the children. Either parent may make emergency decisions alone and shall inform the other as soon as possible. Routine, everyday decisions — permission forms, over-the-counter medicine, routine sick visits, tutoring, and discipline within each home — shall be made by whichever parent has the children at the time.
When an exchange coincides with the start or end of a school day, the school shall be the exchange point. On a school day on which the children change households, the receiving parent's parenting time shall begin at that morning's school drop-off. With advance notice, the on-time parent shall wait up to 15 minutes past the exchange time.
When either parent requires child care for 8 hours or more, the other parent shall have the first opportunity to care for the children, with as much notice as possible. Regular care required for work, school, or training is exempt. This right of first refusal shall end once the youngest child reaches 12 years of age.
Except in an emergency, Kidtime — the parents' shared calendar, messaging, and expense-tracking application — shall be an approved method of communication. Each parent shall respond to the other's questions and requests within 2 days, and all communication shall remain respectful.
During each parent's parenting time, the children shall be able to reasonably reach the other parent by remote means. Neither parent shall listen in on, read, or watch the children's communication with the other parent, and each parent shall encourage the children's love and affection for the other.
Out-of-pocket medical care (co-pays, deductibles, uninsured care), dental, vision, and extracurricular activity fees are each shared on their own line by an agreed split. To obtain reimbursement, a parent shall share the receipt within 14 days of its date, and the other parent shall pay their share within 30 days of receiving it. A late reimbursement shall increase by 5% for every 15 days it is overdue.
Parent A shall claim the children as a dependent in odd-numbered filing years, and Parent B shall claim them in even-numbered filing years.
Neither parent shall pay child support.
Any change the parents agree upon shall be reduced to writing, signed and dated by both parents, with each parent keeping a copy. Every 6 months, the parents shall confer, by video call, regarding whether this plan still fits the children's needs.
One parent relocated about 900 miles away for work. Their child, age 9, lives primarily with the local parent during the school year, and the plan uses long blocks of time and flights instead of frequent transitions.
Parent A shall have sole residential responsibility and is designated the residential parent. Parenting time will follow the schedule set out in this plan or as the parents otherwise agree.
During the school year the child lives with Parent A; Parent B has extended summer and school-break blocks. The schedule is set on the shared calendar and compiled into the plan — long blocks that justify the travel instead of frequent short visits.
Compare custody schedulesUntil the child turns 5, they shall fly only when accompanied by a parent. From age 5 to 12, the child may also fly with an airline escort or another adult both parents approve. From age 12, the child may fly unaccompanied. Direct flights are required whenever the child flies unescorted.
After consulting together, round-trip tickets shall be purchased by whoever takes the child to the outbound flight. Tickets shall be purchased at least 30 days before the outbound flight, and all flight details, with proof of purchase, shall be provided to the other parent at least 21 days in advance. The drop-off parent shall watch the child board and notify the other parent at takeoff; the pick-up parent shall meet the child at the gate and notify the other parent when they land.
Holidays and vacation periods take precedence over the regular parenting-time schedule. Time lost from the regular schedule because of a holiday or vacation shall not be made up.
Parent A and Parent B share decision-making responsibility. They shall consult one another on substantial, non-emergency decisions affecting the children. The children's health and mental-health care, including providers and treatments, shall be decided by both parents together.
Regular scheduled contact shall follow this rhythm: video calls on Tuesday and Sunday evenings, initiated by the child. Where a parent resides at a distance, such contact shall occur as the parents agree. Neither parent shall listen in on, read, or watch the children's communication with the other parent.
Neither parent shall move the children's residence outside the agreed area without the other parent's written consent or a court order. Before moving, the moving parent shall give the other parent the new address in writing at least 60 days in advance, and the other parent shall have 30 days after receiving notice to object, sent by certified mail, return receipt requested.
The children's flights between homes are shared on their own line, along with out-of-pocket medical and other agreed costs. Costs arising from a missed travel reservation shall fall on whichever parent failed to deliver the children on time, except in an emergency. To obtain reimbursement, a parent shall share the receipt within 14 days, and the other shall pay their share within 30 days.
Parent B shall pay child support to Parent A. The child-support payment shall be $650 every month, beginning the first of next month.
Parent A shall claim the children as a dependent for all tax deductions, credits, and government payments, every year. When the parent with less parenting time holds the claim, the other parent shall deliver a completed, signed IRS Form 8332 at least 30 days before the tax deadline.
Any change the parents agree upon shall be reduced to writing, signed and dated. Every 12 months, the parents shall confer, by video call, regarding whether this plan still fits the child's needs as they grow old enough to fly alone and manage longer visits.
Two young children (ages 4 and 6) live primarily with Parent A. Parent B has alternating weekends and a midweek dinner. There's a history of conflict, so every provision is written to be exact, self-enforcing, and to minimize direct contact.
Parent A shall have sole residential responsibility and is designated the residential parent. Parenting time will follow the schedule set out in this plan or as the parents otherwise agree.
Parent B's alternating-weekend and midweek-dinner schedule is set on the shared calendar and compiled into the plan's parenting-time schedule, written to the exact clock hour so there is nothing to interpret.
See visitation schedulesHolidays and vacation periods take precedence over the regular parenting-time schedule; time lost shall not be made up. If a holiday, vacation, or agreed exchange would give one parent three consecutive weekends, the third weekend shall pass to the other parent so the alternating-weekend rhythm never breaks.
A minor illness — a cold, a low fever, a routine ailment — shall not interrupt the regular schedule. When a child falls ill, the parent then caring for the child shall continue to do so until the child is well enough for the regular schedule to resume. A parent who chooses to travel or be absent without the children forfeits that parenting time, and such time shall not be made up.
The parents shall keep their distance at exchanges — each remaining in their vehicle or home, or at least 30 feet apart. Exchanges shall be limited to the handoff itself; the parents shall not discuss swaps, money, or scheduling in the children's presence. No call, no show: the waiting parent may leave after 15 minutes, and if the late parent was beginning their parenting time, that period is forfeited unless the parents agree otherwise.
Parent A shall have sole decision-making responsibility for substantial decisions concerning the children's health, education, and welfare. Health and mental-health decisions — choosing a provider and approving treatments — require the consent of both parents. When the parents cannot agree, they shall first work with a licensed family counselor or mediator; if that does not resolve the matter, a parenting coordinator shall make the decision, rather than the parents proceeding to court.
Except in an emergency, Kidtime shall be the parents' method of communication. Within any twenty-four-hour period, neither parent shall send the other more than 2 calls, 3 text messages, or 1 email, and each parent shall respond within 2 days. Neither parent shall post about the other on social media, nor record the other without consent.
The parents shall not schedule or mandate set-time contact; contact between the children and the other parent is left to the discretion of each household. Neither parent shall interrupt, listen in on, read, or watch the children's communication with the other parent.
Only the parents shall be called “Mom” and “Dad,” or names like them, by the children. The children shall not be left alone with either parent's romantic partner unless that partner is a legal spouse.
Out-of-pocket medical and agreed activity costs are each shared on their own line by an agreed split. To obtain reimbursement, a parent shall share the receipt within 14 days of its date, and the other shall pay their share within 30 days; a late reimbursement shall increase by 5% for every 15 days it is overdue, and reimbursements shall be made only by the agreed methods.
Parent B shall pay child support to Parent A. The child-support payment shall be $900 every month, beginning the first of next month.
For any matter not addressed by this plan, the parents shall attempt resolution in the following order before seeking court intervention: (1) direct discussion; (2) a written proposal; and (3) mediation. Any consequence provided in this plan for a violation — including make-up parenting time for lateness and a penalty for a late payment — shall take effect automatically, without the need for prior court action.
Kidtime's AI assistant asks about your family and writes each section of your plan for you — just talk it through. No blank page, no legal jargon, no stress.
A completed parenting plan reads as a series of specific provisions — the schedule to the hour, who has which holiday in which year, who makes medical and school decisions, how the parents communicate, and how costs are split. The examples above show the level of detail a family-law judge expects: specific enough that an outside reader could follow it without asking either parent to explain.
Use them as a starting point, not a copy-paste final document. Every family is different — your schedule, your state's requirements, and your kids' ages all change what belongs in the plan. Start from the example closest to your situation, then adjust each section to fit, and have an attorney review it before you sign if your case is contested.
No. An example — or the plan you build from one — is a written agreement between two parents, useful as a record but not enforceable by a court until it's submitted as part of a custody case and signed by a judge. Most states accept a plan both parents have signed in front of a notary as the basis for a court order.
Most filed parenting plans run 8 to 15 pages once completed. Higher-conflict situations or complex schedules push it longer with more detailed contingencies. The right length is whatever it takes to make the document specific enough that an outside reader could follow it without asking either parent for clarification.
Start from the one whose schedule and conflict level most resemble yours: the 50/50 example if you live close and coparent cooperatively, the long-distance example if one parent has moved away, or the 70/30 example if one parent is primary and you need to minimize direct contact. You can mix provisions across examples — many families borrow the communication section from one and the schedule from another.
Right of first refusal (sometimes called "first right of refusal custody") is a clause that says if a parent can't be with the kids for more than X hours during their parenting time, the other parent gets the option before a babysitter, grandparent, or daycare does.
Decision-making authority is the section of the parenting plan that says who decides what — medical care, school choice, religious upbringing, mental health treatment, extracurriculars. This is what "legal custody" actually means.
How and how often coparents communicate — and what they communicate about — is one of the most-fought-over parts of any parenting plan. Writing it down prevents 80% of those fights before they start.
The exchange section says exactly when, where, and how the kids move between households. The most common-sense thing to write down — and the most common source of fights when it isn't.