Free Parenting Time Calculator
Turn your parenting pattern into annual nights and a care percentage, and see what the numbers mean after the May 2024 family law changes.
Your pattern
0 to 14. An alternate-weekend pattern is usually 2 to 4.
Australian school holidays run to roughly 12 weeks a year. Half-half is 6.
Extra nights a year from birthdays, Christmas swaps, long weekends. Negative if they go the other way.
The number is a description, not a scoreboard
Since May 2024 there is no presumption of equal shared parental responsibility and no default split. Courts build arrangements around the children's best interests. Use the percentage to understand your current pattern, not as a target to game.
One thing this calculator deliberately is not
Care percentage also feeds child support assessments. That is a separate Services Australia process Forge does not handle: their tools cover it.
Parenting time FAQ
What counts as equal time after the 2024 changes?
Equal time means the children genuinely spend about half their nights with each parent across the whole year, holidays included. Since May 2024 there is no presumption pointing to it: arrangements are decided on the children's best interests, case by case.
What is substantial and significant time?
It is a pattern, not a percentage. It means time that includes weekdays as well as weekends and holidays, and real involvement in the children's daily routine: school runs, homework, sport, the ordinary stuff. A high night count made up only of alternate weekends does not fit the description.
Is there a magic number of nights I should push for?
No. Courts look at what works for the children, not a target number. A workable, child-focused pattern you can actually sustain beats a bigger number that falls over in practice.
Do school holidays really matter that much?
Yes. Australian school holidays run to roughly twelve weeks a year, about a quarter of the calendar. How they are split can move your care percentage more than an extra night a fortnight does.
Can an existing pattern be changed?
Often, yes. Informal patterns can be renegotiated any time, parenting plans can be rewritten by agreement, and consent orders can be varied in limited circumstances. Get advice before you change anything unilaterally.
Disclaimer: This calculator estimates nights and care percentage from the pattern you enter, using an approximate 12-week school-holiday year. It is general information, not legal advice, and every family's arrangements are different. For advice on your situation, book a strategy call.
Why the pattern beats the number
Two fathers can hold the same care percentage and be in completely different positions: one sees his kids every week across school nights and weekends, the other crams the same nights into holidays only.
Courts and family reports look at involvement: school runs, homework, sport, routines. Build the pattern first and the number follows.
Want the pattern improved, properly?
Sixty minutes, written plan, fixed fee. Bring these numbers; leave with the sequence.
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