Custody Schedule Generator
Turn a parenting rotation into a real calendar. Pick the pattern, set the first day, name each household, and download an .ics file that drops straight into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook. Free, no account, and the file is built on your device.
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Build and download your custody calendar
14-night pattern preview
Example anchored to Monday. Pick a start date to put the rotation on your calendar.
Cycle metrics describe the base rotation before exceptions. Dated calendars and range totals include your exceptions.
- Cycle
- 14 nights
- Overnights A / B
- 7 / 7
- Exchanges per cycle
- 2
- Longest stay
- 7 nights
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Night 1A: with Parent A | Night 2A: with Parent A | Night 3A: with Parent A | Night 4A: with Parent A | Night 5A: with Parent A | Night 6A: with Parent A | Night 7A: with Parent A |
| Night 8B: with Parent B | Night 9B: with Parent B | Night 10B: with Parent B | Night 11B: with Parent B | Night 12B: with Parent B | Night 13B: with Parent B | Night 14B: with Parent B |
A = Parent A.B = Parent B. The letters carry the meaning; the shading is only a visual aid.
This is a planning calendar, not a custody order.
If a court order or approved parenting plan sets different dates, those dates control. Holidays and school breaks appear only when you enter their dates as exceptions. Importing another file is not live synchronization; remove the prior imported events before importing a replacement to avoid duplicates.
What the generator builds
You choose one of ten standard rotations and the date the schedule begins. Generate whole weeks or select an exact last night, up to 728 nights. January 1 through December 31 gives a full year, including February 29 in a leap year. The dated preview shows up to the first 14 nights.
Print a monthly calendar for your selected range, with the number of planned overnights for each parent. Counts include the date exceptions you enter. Use your browser print dialog to print on paper or save a PDF. The preview, totals and calendar file use the same nightly assignments.
The download is an iCalendar (.ics) file, the same open format calendar apps have shared for decades. Each custody block becomes one all-day event named for the household, so a week-on/week-off month imports as four tidy events rather than 28 daily entries.
The names you type become the event titles, like "With Mom" or "With Dad's house". Keep the neutral A and B labels if you prefer. Labels are written into the file safely, so punctuation cannot break the calendar.
Everything happens on your device. The file is assembled by your browser and handed to you directly; no schedule detail, name, or date ever reaches a server. There is no account, no trial, and no fee.
Add up to 24 date exceptions for holidays, school breaks or other changes in your own plan. Each entry includes its first and last night and the parent for those nights. The base rotation resumes without restarting after the exception. Overlaps and dates outside the calendar range are refused rather than resolved by guesswork.
Schedule generator FAQs
Is the calendar download really free?
Yes. There is no account, no trial period, and no paid tier. Some scheduling apps charge a monthly subscription for a shareable custody calendar; this file costs nothing and belongs to you.
Which apps can open the .ics file?
Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, and nearly every other calendar app. The iCalendar format is an open standard, so the same file works across households even when parents use different apps.
Is my schedule uploaded anywhere?
No. Your browser assembles the file locally and saves it to your device. The names and dates you type never leave your computer or phone, and this site keeps no copy.
Can both parents use the same file?
Yes, and it is the best way to stay in sync. Send the file to the other parent to import, or import it into a calendar you both share. Every event carries the household name, so the schedule reads clearly from either side.
How do I handle holidays and school breaks?
Use Add date exception and enter the first and last night and the parent assigned by your own plan. Those nights replace the base rotation in the preview, totals, printout and download. The tool does not choose holiday dates or resolve conflicting entries. Remove old imported events before importing a replacement file; this is an export, not live synchronization.
What if our rotation is not in the list?
The ten patterns cover the rotations most orders and mediations use, including 50/50 rotations, weekend plans, and a long-distance template. If yours is a variation, generate the closest pattern and edit the differing events after import.
Does the calendar prove my parenting time?
No. It is a planning tool. If you need a record for court, keep a log of what actually happened, because the order and the real exchanges are what a judge looks at.
How to use the calendar file
Set the start date to the first night of the rotation, not the day you sign anything. Day one of the pattern lands on that date and every exchange follows from it, so check the 14-night preview against what you and the other parent actually agreed.
Import the downloaded file into a calendar you can share. In Google Calendar, use Settings, then Import & export. On Apple devices, opening the file adds the events. In Outlook, use Add calendar, then Upload from file. Many co-parents import the same file into both households so everyone sees identical dates.
Generate a fresh file whenever the arrangement changes, delete the old events, and import the new one. Because each block is a single event, cleanup is quick.
What this estimate includes
- One all-day event per custody block, labeled with the household name you chose
- A 14-night visual preview before you download anything
- Printable monthly calendars and overnight totals for the selected date range
- Standard .ics output that works in every major calendar app
What it leaves out
- Automatic holiday dates or school calendars: enter the overnight dates from your own plan
- Exchange times of day: the events are all-day blocks, and your order or plan sets pickup times
- Reminders and notifications, which your calendar app controls
- Child support amounts or legal parenting-time determinations: the totals count planned calendar nights only
Sources
This tool makes no legal claims. The schedule patterns are common scheduling conventions, not requirements of any statute, and the export uses the open iCalendar (.ics) format that major calendar apps share. State-specific child support figures live on our state calculator pages, each with its official sources and effective dates.
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Changelog: page first published with the 10-pattern library and the free .ics export. Material changes are dated in the update log.