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A week-on/week-off schedule gives each parent one full week with the children before switching, so a child sleeps in the same bed for seven straight nights, then moves to the other parent's home for the next seven. Repeated all year, each parent ends up with roughly half the overnights, which is why it counts as an equal, 50/50 time-sharing pattern.
This guide walks through how the schedule works, a sample two-week calendar, the exact wording Florida's Parenting Plan expects, and who tends to do well with it.
A week-on/week-off schedule gives each parent one full week with the children before the exchange, so a child sleeps in the same bed for seven straight nights, then moves to the other parent's home for the next seven. Repeated all year, each parent ends up with roughly half the overnights, which is why it counts as an equal, 50/50 time-sharing pattern.
The appeal is its simplicity. There is one exchange a week instead of several, one school bag to pack instead of a mid-week handoff, and one fixed day everyone can put on a calendar. Florida's Parenting Plan, Form 12.995(a), does not name this pattern or any other by a label like "week-on/week-off." Instead, the form's time-sharing section asks for the actual schedule spelled out with real dates and a fixed starting point, so whatever pattern you agree on has to be written out plainly rather than referenced by name.
A seven-night rotation asks more of a child than shorter patterns, so it tends to suit some families more than others.
Week-on/week-off is one of several ways families split time evenly. The main difference between them is how often the children move.
| Pattern | Exchanges per week | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Week-on/week-off | 1 | Older children, longer distances, fewer disruptions |
| 2-2-3 | 2 to 3, alternating | Younger children who need more frequent contact with both parents |
| 3-4-4-3 | 2, on a two-week cycle | A middle ground between short and long blocks |
| Every-other-weekend | 1, but not equal time | One parent as the primary residence, the other with regular weekends |
None of these patterns is required or preferred by Florida law; the court does not favor one time-sharing schedule over another. What matters to the judge is that whichever schedule you choose is written into the Parenting Plan clearly enough to follow.
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Check my eligibilityHere is what a week-on/week-off rotation looks like written out, using Sunday as the fixed exchange day. Any day of the week works; what matters is picking one and keeping it consistent.
Holidays and school breaks typically override the regular rotation on specific dates, so a complete Parenting Plan lists those separately from the weekly pattern above rather than leaving them to fall wherever the rotation happens to land.
The Parenting Plan's time-sharing section has to reflect this schedule in enough detail that both parents, and the court, can follow it without guessing.
Amicably prepares Form 12.995(a) from what both parents have already agreed. The schedule itself is your family's election, not something we default a family into; see our guide to the full Parenting Plan form for everything else it covers.
Not necessarily. Florida's Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, Form 12.902(e), factors in both parents' incomes along with the time-sharing schedule, so an even split of overnights does not automatically mean neither parent pays the other. Whichever parent earns more can still owe support even on a week-on/week-off schedule.
This worksheet is required in every Florida divorce case involving minor children, including Amicably's Uncontested-with-Children package, alongside the Parenting Plan itself.
A week-on/week-off pattern that starts when children are young enough to need more contact can be phased in gradually rather than adopted all at once. Some families begin with a shorter rotation, such as a 2-2-3 pattern, and move to full weeks once a child is comfortable with longer stretches away from each parent. Others start with week-on/week-off from the beginning and simply add a mid-week call or short visit until the children are used to it.
Because the Parenting Plan is the document the court actually relies on, any adjustment that both parents agree to should be written into a modified plan rather than handled as an informal understanding. An informal change works fine day to day, but if a disagreement comes up later, the filed plan is what governs, not what the parents remember agreeing to verbally.
Yes. Alternating full weeks gives each parent roughly the same number of overnights over a year, which counts as an equal, 50/50 time-sharing arrangement in a Florida Parenting Plan.
There is no set legal age; it is a practical judgment. It tends to work best for school-age children and older who can manage a week between check-ins with the other parent. Infants and toddlers usually do better with shorter, more frequent time in each home.
No, when both parents already agree, the schedule is written directly into Form 12.995(a) as part of an uncontested Florida divorce. Amicably prepares the form from what you have agreed; it becomes a dispute only if you do not agree, and that falls outside an uncontested case.
Yes, but changing the schedule generally means modifying the Parenting Plan through the court rather than switching informally, so both parents' expectations stay enforceable.
Not automatically. Florida's Child Support Guidelines Worksheet weighs both parents' incomes along with the time-sharing split, so support can still be owed even with equal time.
Not usually. Most Parenting Plans list specific holidays and school breaks as overrides to the regular weekly pattern, so a holiday does not just fall to whichever parent's week it happens to land in.
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Start the free checkFlorida Courts: Parenting Plan Form 12.995(a) · Florida Statutes § 61.13, parenting plans and time-sharing · Florida Statutes § 61.30, child support guidelines