Split custody parenting plan · $54 $37

Start your split custody plan from a full draft, not a blank page.

A complete plan for a family where each parent is home base for at least one child, with the reasoning behind every provision, so you can bring your attorney a structure to edit instead of a story to start from.

PDF + editable DOCX · Beyond 18 Addendum included

Bought separately, with Beyond 18: $54  ·  Together: $37  ·  You save $17

Yours is the rarest of the arrangements: at least one child living primarily with each parent, the family split across two households in a way no template online seems to address. The hard conversation about whether this is the right shape for your family is already behind you. What's in front of you is the line in the draft that says child support is “$0, split arrangement,” and you can't tell if it's correct.

The decree-drafting season is the part most parents underestimate. Temporary orders are loud: hearings, deadlines. The decree is quiet, drafted over email, signed at a kitchen table, and then it governs the next decade of your family's life. This template is for the parent who wants to walk in with something instead of nothing.

Split custody, in plain language.

Two or more children, with at least one living primarily with each parent.

Both parents typically still share joint legal custody of every child, not just the one in their home. The schedules don't have to match between siblings, and sibling time together is its own provision rather than a byproduct of the split. This is the arrangement with the most moving parts, which is exactly why consistent language across every stage matters most here.

Which structure describes your case is a legal question, and not one I can answer. I'm not an attorney. This describes what the framework covers so you can recognize whether it's in the neighborhood, then confirm it with counsel.

The “$0 because we each have a kid” trap

“Split custody automatically means $0 child support” is one of the most common assumptions in this arrangement and one of the most expensive to get wrong. Many parents are surprised to learn that in a number of states, guideline formulas still weigh the income difference between parents even when each is the primary residence parent for at least one child, so the math can produce a net amount owed despite the split. Whether your state's guidelines work that way is a question for your attorney to confirm. This is here, before you buy, rather than buried in the document, because it's the misconception most worth raising with your attorney before signing.

What's inside

Court-format, structured for your attorney's review:

• A zero-baseline child-support provision with self-executing recalculation, drafted to start at zero during the active split and recalculate the moment the arrangement changes (a child turns 18, ages out, or changes residence), without requiring a separate court filing to trigger it. Zero is not automatic in split custody and is not consistent with every state's guidelines. Run the calculation under your state's guidelines with your attorney before finalizing.
• A complete shared-expense framework built for two unequal households: pre-approved categories, spending thresholds, cell phones, clothing, extracurriculars, reimbursement timeline, and payment method, drafted for the reality that in split custody, daily expenses don't divide as cleanly as the children do.
• Plus curbside exchange protocol, health insurance with open-enrollment notice, travel notice, driver's ed, child communication devices, and document production.
• A fee-shifting provision for concealed finances, with notes on why it is there, to ask your attorney about.
• A 48-hour response rule for properly formatted requests, so you can propose a way to stop waiting on unanswered ones.
• A tiered dispute-resolution sequence, five steps before court (notice, cure, Parenting Coordinator, mediation, court), drafted to make court the last resort.
• An expanded right-of-first-refusal provision, with a stated trigger threshold, an advance notice deadline, a response window, a default when nobody answers, and a list of what does not count, including school, regular daycare, activities, and time with relatives while the scheduled parent remains available.
• Attorney Notes, the drafting reasoning behind each provision, so you walk in saying “here's what I built and why” instead of starting from zero.
• Twenty-one hard-won lessons, drawn from observation and what other parents describe. They describe what tends to happen, not legal rules for your case.

Included free, the Beyond 18 Addendum. Most parenting plans end at the child's 18th birthday. Most disputes don't. A companion on the post-majority issues most decrees are silent on: FAFSA filing including the 2024 Simplification Act change, college and trade-school cost-sharing, ACA coverage to 26, tax dependency past 18, disabled-adult-child support with SSI and Medicaid coordination, and adult-child autonomy. Template-agnostic, works alongside any parenting plan, with attorney review.

Which one fits

• Joint 50/50: overnights within a few per year of each other.
• Sole Custody: one parent has the clear majority of overnights, with joint legal custody preserved.
• Split Custody: two or more children, with at least one living primarily with each parent.
• Not sure where you land? The free guide Which Parenting Plan Fits walks through it, and your attorney can confirm which structure fits your case. Bought the wrong one? Email within 14 days and we'll exchange it at no cost.

This may fit your situation if

• You're at the decree-drafting stage and want a written framework to bring to your attorney
• You'd rather walk in knowing what you're asking for than start from a blank page
• You want the drafting reasoning, not just the language

What this is not: Legal advice. A finished or court-ready document. A child-support calculation for your case. A guarantee any provision is enforceable in your state. A substitute for an attorney licensed in your state. A guarantee of any outcome.

Get your split custody draft