The Custody Credits Calculator helps parents, legal professionals, and family courts determine the percentage of time a parent spends with their child in a custody arrangement. This percentage is essential for calculating child support obligations, visitation schedules, and custody agreements.
In custody cases, courts often assign custody time percentages to each parent, influencing legal and financial decisions. This calculator provides an easy way to calculate custody credits, ensuring fairness in shared parenting responsibilities.
Formula of Custody Credits Calculator
The custody credit percentage is calculated using the following formula:
Custody Credit (%) = (Total Time Spent with Child / Total Time in Custody Arrangement) × 100
Where:
- Total Time Spent with Child refers to the time a parent physically cares for or spends with the child, typically measured in days or hours per year.
- Total Time in Custody Arrangement refers to the total time available for custody, usually 365 days (one year) or another agreed timeframe.
This calculation provides a percentage-based custody credit, which is useful for child support calculations and custody agreement evaluations.
General Custody Credit Reference Table
The table below provides estimated custody credit percentages based on common custody arrangements.
| Days Spent with Child Per Year | Custody Percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| 365 (Full Custody) | 100 |
| 275 (Joint Custody, Majority) | 75 |
| 183 (Equal Shared Custody) | 50 |
| 120 (Non-Custodial Parent) | 33 |
| 80 (Limited Visitation) | 22 |
| 40 (Minimal Contact) | 11 |
This table gives a quick reference for estimating custody percentages based on number of days spent with the child.
Example of Custody Credits Calculator
A parent spends 200 days per year with their child under a joint custody arrangement.
Using the formula:
Custody Credit = (200 / 365) × 100
Custody Credit = 0.5479 × 100 ≈ 54.8%
This means the parent has 54.8% custody credit, indicating a near-equal shared custody arrangement.
Most Common FAQs
Custody credit percentages influence child support calculations. A higher custody percentage reduces the amount a parent may need to pay, as they are covering more direct expenses for the child.
Full custody is typically 100% custody credit, meaning the child lives with one parent full-time, while the other parent may have limited or no visitation.
Yes, custody percentages can change due to court modifications, changes in parental availability, or adjustments to visitation schedules.