Understanding Parenting Time Calculations

Courts often use overnight counts to:

• Calculate child support obligations
• Determine physical custody percentages
• Assess whether custody is sole or shared
• Evaluate parenting plan effectiveness

An overnight is typically counted for the parent who has the child when they wake up in the morning. Some courts also count:

• The location where the child goes to sleep
• Which parent has the child the majority of the day
• The parent responsible for getting the child to school

Basic calculation: (Your overnights ÷ 365 days) × 100 = Your percentage

Example:

• Parent A: 183 overnights = 50.1%
• Parent B: 182 overnights = 49.9%

Include special provisions:

• Alternate major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break)
• Summer vacation blocks (often 1-4 weeks per parent)
• Three-day weekends
• School breaks and teacher workdays

Count all overnights, including holidays, in your annual total.

2-2-3 Schedule: Children switch homes every 2-3 days. Results in approximately 50/50 split.

Every Other Weekend: One parent has weekends (Friday-Monday), other has weekdays. Results in approximately 70/30 or 80/20 split.

Week On/Week Off: Children alternate full weeks with each parent. Results in 50/50 split.

3-4-4-3 Schedule: Children spend 3 days with Parent A, 4 days with Parent B, then reverse. Results in 50/50 split.

Different states use different thresholds:

• Sole Physical Custody: Typically one parent has 70% or more of overnights
• Shared Physical Custody: Generally when each parent has 30-70% of overnights
• Joint Physical Custody: Often requires at least 35-40% for each parent (varies by state)

These labels can affect child support calculations significantly.