Custody Agreement Template: What a Parenting Plan Covers

What a custody agreement is

A custody agreement, often called a parenting plan, sets out who makes decisions for your children and when they are with each parent. Courts look for plans that are clear and focused on the children’s best interests. A detailed plan also means fewer arguments later, because the answer is already written down.

Legal custody and physical custody

• Legal custody is the right to make major decisions, such as school, medical care, and religion.
• Physical custody is where the children live day to day.
• Either kind can be shared (joint) or given to one parent (sole).

Sample parenting plan outline

This is a general outline to show you what goes where. It is not an official court form. Many states and courts publish their own form, and if yours does, you usually must use it.

PARENTING PLAN

Parents: [Parent A], [Parent B]
Children: [names and birth dates]

1. Decision-making (legal custody):
   [joint / sole to ...]. How we decide
   school, medical care, and religion.

2. Regular schedule: [which days each
   parent has], exchange [time and place].

3. Holidays and school breaks: [each holiday
   and who has it, alternating years].

4. Summer: [time with each parent, and when
   to give notice of plans].

5. Exchanges: [who drives, where].

6. Communication: [calls or video with the
   other parent; how parents talk to each
   other].

7. Travel and moving: [notice needed before
   travel or a move].

8. Changes: [how we agree to changes; try
   mediation first].

[Signatures and dates of both parents]

Common schedule patterns

There is no single right schedule. Pick one that fits the children’s ages, school, and how far apart you live.

• Alternating weeks: the children switch homes once a week
• 2-2-3: two days with one parent, two with the other, then three, and it flips the next week
• School week and weekends: one parent has school days, the other has alternating weekends and some weeknights

State rules to know

Some examples, checked against official court sources:

• Florida: a Parenting Plan is required in every case involving time-sharing with minor children, even when time-sharing is not in dispute.
• New York: custody cases usually start in Family Court in the county where the child lives, and it is free to file a custody petition there.
• Pennsylvania: a custody case starts with a Complaint for Custody in the county Court of Common Pleas.
• California: if you are served with a form that starts a family law case (FL-100, FL-200, or FL-260), you generally have 30 days to respond.

• California custody forms
• Florida custody forms
• Texas custody forms
• New York custody forms
• Pennsylvania custody forms

Steps to make it official

1. Talk through each section of the outline with the other parent, if you can.
2. Write the plan with specific days, times, and places, not "reasonable" or "as agreed."
3. Check your state court site for an official parenting plan form.
4. Both parents sign and date the plan.
5. File it with the court and ask the judge to approve it as an order. An agreement that is not a court order can be hard to enforce.