Child Custody Agreement Template
Child Custody Agreement
18 sections · 51 fields to fill · free, nothing uploaded
CHILD CUSTODY AGREEMENT
Date:
Between:
Parent 1:
Address: Phone:
AND
Parent 2:
Address: Phone:
CHILDREN
This agreement concerns the following child(ren):
Child 1:
Name:
Date of Birth: Age:
Child 2:
Name:
Date of Birth: Age:
1. LEGAL CUSTODY
Type: Joint Legal Custody Sole Legal Custody to
Legal Custody Includes:
- Educational decisions
- Medical decisions
- Religious upbringing
- Extracurricular activities
Major Decisions Require:
- Mutual agreement of both parents
- Decision by
2. PHYSICAL CUSTODY
Primary Residence: The child(ren) shall primarily reside with at .
Custody Schedule: Joint Physical Custody Primary Physical Custody with
3. PARENTING TIME SCHEDULE
### Regular Schedule
Weekly Schedule:
Parent 1:
Parent 2:
Exchange Times and Locations:
### Alternate Weeks (if applicable)
Week 1: Week 2:
4. HOLIDAY AND VACATION SCHEDULE
### Holidays
Holidays with Parent 1 (odd years):
Holidays with Parent 2 (even years):
Holidays Always with Parent 1:
Holidays Always with Parent 2:
Holiday Schedule Supersedes: Regular parenting time schedule
### School Breaks
Winter Break:
Spring Break:
Summer Vacation:
### Vacation Time
Each parent may take weeks of vacation time with notice to the other parent.
5. COMMUNICATION
### Between Parents
- Communication shall be conducted in a respectful manner
- Method:
- Frequency:
- Emergency contacts:
### Child Communication
- Child may contact either parent at reasonable times
- Method:
- Neither parent shall interfere with or monitor communications
6. TRANSPORTATION
Responsibility:
- Each parent responsible for pickup
- Each parent responsible for drop-off
- Shared responsibility
Costs:
- Each parent pays their own transportation
- Costs split equally
7. CHILD SUPPORT
Paying Parent:
Amount: per
Payment Due: of each
Payment Method:
Duration: Until child(ren)
Includes:
- Basic support
Additional Expenses:
- Extraordinary medical:
- Education costs:
- Extracurricular:
8. HEALTHCARE
Health Insurance:
Provided by: Policy:
Medical Decisions:
- Routine care:
- Non-emergency:
- Emergency:
Costs:
- Insurance premiums:
- Copays and deductibles:
- Uncovered expenses:
9. EDUCATION
School District:
School:
Educational Responsibilities:
- Both parents shall be listed as emergency contacts
- Both parents entitled to receive school information
- Both parents may attend school events
- Major decisions require
10. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Enrollment Decisions:
Cost Sharing:
Transportation:
Current Activities:
11. RELIGION
Religious Upbringing:
Religious Activities:
12. RELOCATION
Neither parent may relocate more than away without:
- Written consent of other parent
- Court approval
- advance notice
13. RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL
If a parent needs childcare for more than hours, they must offer the other parent the opportunity to provide care before using alternate childcare.
14. DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Disputes shall be resolved through: 1. Direct communication between parents 2. Mediation 3. Legal proceedings (as last resort)
15. MODIFICATION
This agreement may be modified by:
- Written agreement signed by both parents
- Court order
16. GENERAL PROVISIONS
- Neither parent shall speak negatively about the other parent to or in the presence of the child(ren)
- Both parents shall encourage a positive relationship with the other parent
- Neither parent shall use the child(ren) as messengers
- Both parents shall keep the other informed of significant issues
17. SPECIAL PROVISIONS
SIGNATURES:
Parent 1:
Signature: _______________________
Name:
Date: _______________________
Parent 2:
Signature: _______________________
Name:
Date: _______________________
WITNESSES (if required):
Witness 1:
Signature: _______________________
Name:
Date: _______________________
COURT APPROVAL (if applicable):
Approved and Ordered this day of , .
Judge: _______________________
Court: Case Number:
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What is a Child Custody Agreement?
A Child Custody Agreement — also called a child custody — is a personal and family document used when a family arrangement, an authority to act, or a wish about health or property needs to be recorded formally. In short: child custody arrangement.
It is typically signed by families, carers, parents, executors and anyone planning ahead or traveling. These documents are the most execution-sensitive in the library. Wills, powers of attorney and affidavits typically require specific formalities — witnesses who are not beneficiaries, notarization, particular wording — and a document that fails on formality fails entirely, however clear its intent.
When you need one
- You are about to child custody arrangement and want the terms recorded before anyone relies on them.
- The other side has proposed a child custody agreement and you want to see what a balanced version looks like first.
- A previous arrangement was verbal, and something has now happened that makes writing it down urgent.
- You need a starting point you can adapt rather than a blank page — the structure matters more than the prose.
What this Child Custody Agreement template includes
The template is structured around 18 sections. Each one exists for a reason — if you delete one, delete it deliberately.
- 01Children
- 02Legal Custody
- 03Physical Custody
- 04Parenting Time Schedule
- 05Holiday And Vacation Schedule
- 06Communication
- 07Transportation
- 08Child Support
- 09Healthcare
- 10Education
- 11Extracurricular Activities
- 12Religion
- 13Relocation
- 14Right Of First Refusal
- 15Dispute Resolution
- 16Modification
- 17General Provisions
- 18Special Provisions
Information you will need
Gather these before you start. Every one of them appears in the finished document, and a missing value is the most common reason a self-drafted child custody agreement fails to do its job.
- Parent 1 Name
- First parent
- Parent 2 Name
- Second parent
- Child(ren) Names
- Names and ages of children
- Custody Arrangement
- Custody terms and schedule
How to write a Child Custody Agreement
- 1
Read the full template
Read the complete Child Custody Agreement on this page before you use it, so you know what every clause commits you to.
- 2
Gather your details
Collect the names, addresses, dates and amounts listed in the "What you will need" section — every square-bracketed placeholder needs a real value.
- 3
Fill in the blanks on this page
Type your answers into the form beside the template and they are written into every clause that uses them as you go. Nothing is uploaded — the document is assembled inside your own browser.
- 4
Download the finished document
Download your completed Child Custody Agreement as a PDF or an editable Word file, or copy the text. There is no signup and no watermark.
- 5
Sign and store it
Sign it — electronically with the free Sign PDF tool, or in ink where the document type requires it — and give every party a copy.
Mistakes to avoid
Getting execution wrong
Wrong number of witnesses, a witness who inherits, missing notarization: any one of these can void the whole document.
Never updating it
Marriage, divorce, births and deaths change what a will or POA should say — and in some jurisdictions marriage revokes an existing will automatically.
Naming one person with no backup
Always name a substitute executor, attorney or guardian. The first choice may be unavailable when it matters.
Nobody can find it
Tell the people who will need it where the original is kept. An unfound will is functionally no will.
Jurisdiction note. Wills, powers of attorney, custody arrangements and advance directives are governed by strict local formalities, and courts apply them literally. Have anything in this category reviewed by a licensed attorney or notary in your jurisdiction before you sign it. This template is general-purpose information, not legal advice.
Child Custody Agreement FAQs
Is this Child Custody Agreement template free to download?
Yes. The complete text is published on this page — no email required. Fill in the blanks on the page, then copy it or download it as a PDF, Word (.docx) or plain-text file. There is no watermark and no usage limit.
Can I fill in this Child Custody Agreement template online?
Yes. Every square-bracketed blank in the template above is an editable field. Type your answer once and it is written into every clause that uses it, and the document beside the form updates as you type. When you are done, download the completed PDF or Word file. It all runs inside your browser — the document is never uploaded, and your answers are saved only in this browser so you can come back and finish later.
What information do I need to complete a Child Custody Agreement?
At minimum: parent 1 name, parent 2 name, child(ren) names, custody arrangement. The form on this page lists every blank the document contains and counts how many are still empty. Every placeholder in [square brackets] needs replacing before the document is signed — an unfilled bracket is the most common defect in a self-drafted document.
What should a Child Custody Agreement include?
This template is structured around 18 sections: children, legal custody, physical custody, parenting time schedule, holiday and vacation schedule and others. Those are the provisions that make the document do its job; anything you delete, delete deliberately.
Is a Child Custody Agreement legally binding?
These documents are the most execution-sensitive in the library. Wills, powers of attorney and affidavits typically require specific formalities — witnesses who are not beneficiaries, notarization, particular wording — and a document that fails on formality fails entirely, however clear its intent. Wills, powers of attorney, custody arrangements and advance directives are governed by strict local formalities, and courts apply them literally. Have anything in this category reviewed by a licensed attorney or notary in your jurisdiction before you sign it.
Can I edit this Child Custody Agreement template?
Yes, in three ways. Fill in the blanks on this page and download the result; or download the Word version and rewrite it in Word, Pages or Google Docs; or open it in the LegalDraft AI app, where the AI can rewrite any individual clause to be stricter, simpler or more balanced and review the finished document for risk before you sign.
Do I need a lawyer for a Child Custody Agreement?
Wills, powers of attorney, custody arrangements and advance directives are governed by strict local formalities, and courts apply them literally. Have anything in this category reviewed by a licensed attorney or notary in your jurisdiction before you sign it. For routine, low-value arrangements a carefully completed template is usually proportionate. The larger the sum, the more one-sided the terms, or the more the document depends on local statute, the stronger the case for professional review.
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