Parenting Time & Custody Schedule Simulator
Updated · exact overnight arithmetic, not an estimate
Pick a schedule — or build your own two-week rotation — and see exactly how many overnights per year each parent has, and what parenting-time percentage that works out to. Overnight counts are the number courts and child-support formulas actually start from, and the difference between “every other weekend” and a 2-2-3 rotation is bigger than most people expect. Everything below is plain counting of the plan you choose — no estimates, no assumptions about your case.
1 · Pick a schedule
Mon–Tue / Wed–Thu blocks swap each week; weekends alternate.
2 · The repeating two-week cycle — tap any night to flip it
3 · What this plan adds up to
Parent A
183 overnights/year
50.1% of parenting time
Parent B
182 overnights/year
49.9% of parenting time
The full year, night by night — 365 nights of this cycle
Parent A Parent BColumns are weeks (Monday-start). Holiday and vacation carve-outs shift a handful of nights either way — count them separately.
What the percentage does — and does not — tell you
The overnight split is the raw input for two separate legal questions: many states’ child-support guidelines adjust the support amount based on the number of overnights with each parent, and “custodial parent” designations commonly follow the majority of overnights. Both rules vary by state — the count itself is the part everyone agrees on, which is why it is worth getting right before any negotiation.
What the percentage does not tell you: what a judge will order in your case, or what support amount results. Those depend on your state’s formula, both incomes and the facts of your case — questions for a family-law attorney, not a counting tool.
Talk to a family-law attorney about your schedule
A schedule that looks fair on a calendar can play out very differently in practice — and in your state’s support formula. A free consultation tells you what your numbers mean where you live.
Frequently asked questions
What is a 2-2-3 custody schedule?
In a 2-2-3 rotation, one parent has Monday and Tuesday night, the other Wednesday and Thursday night, and the weekend (Friday through Sunday) alternates — then the blocks swap the following week. Over a two-week cycle each parent has exactly seven overnights, which makes it one of the most common 50/50 schedules for younger children because neither parent goes more than three nights without seeing the child.
How is the parenting-time percentage calculated?
The standard method is counting overnights: the number of nights the child sleeps at each parent's home divided by 365. That is the method this simulator uses — it counts every night of your chosen cycle across a full year. Because 365 is an odd number, even a perfect 50/50 rotation gives one parent 183 nights and the other 182.
Why do overnight counts matter so much?
Two reasons. First, many states' child-support guidelines take the number of overnights with each parent into account when computing support. Second, designations like which parent is the 'custodial parent' — which can affect school enrollment, benefits and tax questions — commonly follow the majority of overnights. The exact rules differ by state; the count itself is the input everyone starts from.
Does 50/50 custody mean no child support?
Not necessarily. Most state formulas weigh both parents' incomes alongside the overnight split, so equal time with unequal incomes usually still produces a support obligation. How much depends entirely on your state's guideline formula.
Does this simulator account for holidays and vacation?
No — deliberately. Holiday and vacation carve-outs are negotiated case by case and typically shift only a handful of nights per year in either direction. The simulator shows the exact arithmetic of the repeating base schedule; treat holiday adjustments as a separate line item on top of it.
Related: Child support by income · Alimony calculator & 51-state formula table