Casewell
Two-week pattern studio
Compare five common parenting patterns
Choose a pattern or filter by a practical feature. Every view uses the same repeating fourteen-night frame so the trade-offs remain comparable.
2โ2โ3 schedule
What the pattern changesFrequent handovers keep stretches short, but the weekday pattern rotates between homes.
This compares schedule mechanics only. It does not recommend what is best for a child or interpret an order, agreement, support calculation or local law.
How to read the comparison
A 50/50 label tells you how the nights add up. It does not tell you what the two weeks feels like for a child. The tool shows four things for each pattern.
- Overnight split. How many of the 14 nights are spent at each home.
- Transitions. How many times the child moves between homes in two weeks.
- Longest stretch. The most nights in a row at either home.
- Weekday rhythm. Whether the same parent usually has the same school nights.
Look at all four together. Two schedules can share the same split and still ask very different things of a child.
Equal time can feel very different
The 2โ2โ3, 2โ2โ5โ5, alternating weeks and 3โ4โ4โ3 patterns all split the 14 nights evenly. The way they get there is not the same.
A 2โ2โ3 pattern keeps stretches short, with no more than three nights away from either parent. The cost is six transitions every two weeks, and weekdays swap each week.
Alternating weeks sit at the other end. There are only two transitions in the two weeks. The child also spends seven nights in a row away from each home.
The other two patterns fall in between. A younger child who struggles with long gaps and an older child with a busy school week may need very different answers.
What Canadian law says about parenting time
The Divorce Act talks about parenting time and decision-making responsibility, not custody and access.
Section 16 says the court considers only the child's best interests. It also says a child should have as much time with each parent as is consistent with those best interests.
That is not a rule for equal time. It means time with each parent should fit what is good for the child. Parents who never married usually fall under provincial law instead, such as Ontario's Children's Law Reform Act.
Where the 40% rule fits
Section 9 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines covers shared parenting time. It applies when each parent has at least 40% of parenting time with a child over the course of a year.
When it applies, the support amount is not simply read from one parent's table. The court looks at both parents' table amounts, the higher costs of running two homes and each family's circumstances.
The every other weekend pattern in this tool gives three nights in every 14. That is about 21%, well below 40%. The equal patterns give 50%.
How the 40% is counted can be argued, and holidays change the yearly total. Provinces also have their own guidelines for cases outside the Divorce Act. Ask a family lawyer in your province how time is counted.
What the pattern leaves out
A two-week pattern is only one part of a parenting plan. A workable plan usually also covers:
- exact times and places for each handover
- school breaks, March break and holidays
- birthdays, special days and travel
- who does the driving
- how much notice to give for a change
- what happens when plans clash
Use the filters as a starting point for that conversation, not as an answer. They sort patterns by what they do, not by what suits your child.
The schedule is the plan. What happens is the record
Once a pattern is agreed, real life drifts from it. A transition runs late. A weekend gets swapped. Make-up time is offered by text and never happens.
Keep the agreed schedule separate from a dated note of what actually happened. If the arrangement is ever questioned, that second record is the one people will ask for. Casewell's parenting-time log is built for that job.
Which custody schedule is best for my child?
This tool cannot tell you that. The right pattern depends on your child's age and needs, the distance between homes, school and work, and any order or agreement already in place. Use the comparison to work out what to ask, then talk it through with the other parent or an adviser.
Does Canadian law require equal parenting time?
No. Under section 16 of the Divorce Act, the court considers only the child's best interests. A child should have as much time with each parent as is consistent with those interests. That is different from a rule for equal time.
What is the 40% rule for child support?
Section 9 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines applies when each parent has at least 40% of parenting time over a year. The court then looks at both parents' table amounts, the higher costs of shared parenting and each family's circumstances.
Does every other weekend reach 40% parenting time?
Not on its own. In this tool, every other weekend gives three nights in every 14, or about 21%. Extra weekday time and holidays can raise the total. Count the full year.
Is my schedule selection sent to Casewell?
No. The comparison runs in your browser and nothing you select is uploaded. If you later use Casewell, you decide what to record there.
Sources
The Divorce Act and Federal Child Support Guidelines are federal. Provinces and territories have their own laws for other cases. This tool is a planning aid, not legal advice.