MAKE THE DOCUMENT WORK FOR YOUR SITUATION
About this child custody agreement review draft
Prepare a detailed child-centered plan covering major decisions, weekly and holiday schedules, exchanges, safety, expenses, and court submission. This editable template brings the key details into one document: children, jurisdiction & existing orders, decision-making & information access, parenting time & exchanges, costs, changes & court submission. Complete it online, compare the live preview with your records, and download a blank or completed PDF or editable Word document.
What the template includes
The online builder and downloaded documents use the same fields. A selected state can add relevant research prompts. Complete only applicable items; add explanations for exceptions rather than assuming a blank entry resolves them.
Document details4 inputs +
Set the date, jurisdiction, and your internal reference.
- Document date *
- US state *
- County
- Document reference
People & organizations8 inputs +
Use legal names and current contact information.
- First parent legal name *
- First parent address *
- First parent email
- First parent phone
- Second parent legal name *
- Second parent address *
- Second parent email
- Second parent phone
Children, jurisdiction & existing orders7 inputs +
Use the current order as the starting point when one exists.
- Child legal names and birth dates *
- Child home-state and residence history *
- Court and case number
- Existing custody, support, or protective orders *
- Developmental, accessibility, and health needs
- Schools and school-year calendar
- Safety issues and protected contact arrangements
Decision-making & information access8 inputs +
Distinguish major decisions from everyday care.
- Proposed legal custody arrangement *
- Education decisions and consent process *
- Nonemergency medical decisions *
- Emergency notification procedure *
- Extracurricular approval and expenses
- Religious or cultural arrangements
- School and medical information access
- Parent-to-parent communication channel and response window
Parenting time & exchanges11 inputs +
Include exact times, timezone, precedence, and transport responsibilities.
- Regular weekly schedule *
- Weekend schedule *
- Holiday schedule and odd/even year rule *
- School breaks and summer vacation *
- Which schedule overrides another *
- Exchange times, places, and transport *
- Late arrival and missed-time procedure
- Child phone or video contact
- Travel notice, passport, and consent arrangements
- Relocation questions for court review
- Supervised time or exchange details if required
Costs, changes & court submission8 inputs +
Child support must follow applicable law and any court order.
- Existing child support order reference
- Uninsured care and approved shared expenses
- Receipts and reimbursement deadlines
- Tax dependency proposals for tax and court review
- Temporary changes and written confirmation
- Safe dispute process and exceptions
- Official forms and filing plan *
- Review when school, location, or needs change
Additional details & signing7 inputs +
Add attachments, exceptions, and the names of authorized signers.
- Attachments / supporting records
- Exceptions / additional terms
- First signer printed name
- First signer title
- Second signer printed name
- Second signer title
- Signing date
How to complete it
1. Document details
Set the date, jurisdiction, and your internal reference. Review document date, us state, county, document reference against your source records.
2. People & organizations
Use legal names and current contact information. Review first parent legal name, first parent address, first parent email, first parent phone and the remaining details against your source records.
3. Children, jurisdiction & existing orders
Use the current order as the starting point when one exists. Review child legal names and birth dates, child home-state and residence history, court and case number, existing custody, support, or protective orders and the remaining details against your source records.
4. Decision-making & information access
Distinguish major decisions from everyday care. Review proposed legal custody arrangement, education decisions and consent process, nonemergency medical decisions, emergency notification procedure and the remaining details against your source records.
5. Parenting time & exchanges
Include exact times, timezone, precedence, and transport responsibilities. Review regular weekly schedule, weekend schedule, holiday schedule and odd/even year rule, school breaks and summer vacation and the remaining details against your source records.
6. Costs, changes & court submission
Child support must follow applicable law and any court order. Review existing child support order reference, uninsured care and approved shared expenses, receipts and reimbursement deadlines, tax dependency proposals for tax and court review and the remaining details against your source records.
7. Additional details & signing
Add attachments, exceptions, and the names of authorized signers. Review attachments / supporting records, exceptions / additional terms, first signer printed name, first signer title and the remaining details against your source records.
Practical tips
- Use separate supervised-exchange details where safety requires them.
- Do not force direct mediation or contact that conflicts with a protective order.
- List a reimbursement deadline after receipt of documentation, not only after the expense date.
Before signing or submitting
This is a planning and attorney-review draft, not an execution-ready statutory form. It has not been reviewed by a lawyer. State law can require particular wording, notices, witnesses, notarization, capacity, disclosures, or court procedures. Use the linked official form when appropriate and obtain jurisdiction-specific review before signing.