What counts as an overnight?
Most states count any night a child sleeps in a parent's home as one overnight — even partial weekends.
Shared custody intelligence · 50 states + D.C. + 5 U.S. territories
See how parenting time changes child support — in real time.
Build a weekly schedule, drag the slider, and watch the estimate respond. We translate every state's shared-custody rules into something a parent can actually understand.
Jurisdiction
Majority custody with Parent 2.
Parenting time
110 overnights with Parent 1
30% Parent 1
70% Parent 2
091182 (50/50)274365
Parenting-time distribution
Annual overnights, visualized.
30/70
P1 / P2
Parent 1110 nights
Parent 2255 nights
Monthly preview
A glance at how the schedule looks across a typical month.
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Weekly schedule builder
Tap a day to switch parent. Pattern repeats weekly — projects to 209 overnights/yr with Parent 1.
P1 (4d)P2 (3d)
Quick presets
Parenting-time impact curve
How estimated monthly support changes as Parent 1 overnights shift across the year.
Current
$1,823/mo
Why your number changed
Plain-language explanation, calmly written.
- Parent 1's 110 overnights cross California's shared-custody threshold of 73. The cross-credit method then reduces the basic obligation as time becomes more balanced.
- Significant overnights with the paying parent reduce the calculated transfer because direct care offsets cash support.
Clear information helps families plan with confidence. You can compare arrangements freely — nothing here is filed or shared.
Before vs after
What sole custody (0 overnights with P1) would look like vs your current schedule.
Sole custody
$2,150
/mo baseline
Your schedule
$1,823
/mo current
Understanding parenting-time impacts can reduce uncertainty during transitions.
Learn
Shared custody, simply explained
Quick primers reviewed for clarity, not legal-speak.
Why thresholds exist
Once parenting time crosses a state-defined threshold (often 92–146 nights), the formula starts crediting the paying parent for direct caregiving costs.
Split custody is different
When siblings primarily live with different parents, each parent pays support for the children in the other's care, then amounts are offset.
Continue with the full calculator
Add income, expenses, and dependents for a complete estimate — your custody choices carry over.