What Does "Shared Parenting" Mean?

"Shared parenting" is a general, everyday term rather than a single defined legal status. People use it to describe an arrangement where a child spends a significant amount of time living with each parent, rather than living primarily with one parent and visiting the other. It is also sometimes used, less precisely, to describe parents who share authority over decisions affecting the child.

That looseness causes real confusion, because Ontario family law actually separates two different questions: how a child's time is divided between parents, and who has authority to make significant decisions about the child's life. An arrangement can be "shared" in one sense and not the other. Understanding that split is the most useful thing this page can offer.

Shared Parenting Time vs. Shared Decision-Making

Since reforms to the federal Divorce Act, Ontario family law generally no longer uses the older term "custody." Instead, parenting arrangements are described using two separate concepts, and a court order or parenting plan can — and often does — treat them differently.

Parenting Time

Parenting time refers to the time a child spends in a parent's care, including time the child is at school or otherwise not physically with that parent but is still in their care. "Shared" parenting time generally describes arrangements where each parent has a substantial share of that time, rather than one parent having the large majority of it.

Decision-Making Responsibility

Decision-making responsibility refers to the authority to make significant decisions about a child's well-being, such as health care, education, and religious upbringing. This responsibility can be given to one parent alone, shared jointly between both parents, or divided so that each parent decides certain categories on their own.

Why the Distinction Matters

These two questions are decided separately, and one does not determine the other. A family can have parenting time split close to equally while one parent alone holds decision-making responsibility. Just as easily, a child might live mostly with one parent while both parents continue to share decision-making authority. When you hear "shared parenting" in conversation, it is worth asking which of these two things — or both — is actually being described.

Is There a Legal Percentage That Defines "Shared"?

People often look for an exact number that turns "some parenting time" into "shared parenting time." There is a relevant concept in the Federal Child Support Guidelines (discussed further below), which is generally described using a rough threshold — often put at around 40% or more of a child's time with each parent over the course of a year — as a factor connected to how child support is calculated.

Treat that figure as a general orientation point rather than a fixed rule you can rely on for every purpose. Courts have discretion in how they weigh parenting-time arrangements, the guideline text itself can be interpreted differently depending on the facts of a case, and percentage thresholds discussed for child support purposes do not automatically define what a "good" or "typical" parenting arrangement looks like for other purposes. Confirm current wording directly with an official source (see Sources & Further Reading) and get advice about how it applies to your own numbers.

How Shared Parenting Arrangements Come About

Shared parenting time and shared decision-making do not require a court order. Many parents work out both through direct discussion, mediation, or a lawyer-assisted negotiation, then record the result in a written parenting plan or a broader separation agreement. Others ask a court to set out parenting time and decision-making responsibility in a formal order, which tends to become more relevant when parents cannot agree or want an arrangement that is directly enforceable.

Whichever path a family takes, it is generally worth addressing parenting time and decision-making responsibility as two separate items in the written arrangement, rather than assuming that agreeing on one settles the other.

How Shared Parenting Time Can Affect Child Support

Child support in Ontario is generally calculated first under the Federal Child Support Guidelines' basic table amounts, based on the paying parent's income and the number of children. Read more about the general child support rules.

The guidelines also contain a distinct concept for situations where parenting time is shared between parents to a significant degree — commonly discussed using the rough threshold described above. When that concept applies, the guidelines direct a court to take into account the table amount each parent would otherwise pay, the generally increased costs of maintaining two homes equipped for the child, and the overall conditions, means, and needs of each parent and the child. This can result in an amount that is higher, lower, or similar to what a simple table calculation would produce — it is not a fixed discount or a guarantee that support drops once time is shared. For a closer look at how this plays out, see shared parenting and child support.

Because this area involves real discretion, it is one where getting professional input on your specific numbers is often more useful than relying on a general rule.

What Shared Parenting Schedules Can Look Like

There is no single "standard" shared parenting schedule that suits every family, and this page does not recommend one over another. Families and professionals commonly discuss a range of general patterns — sometimes compared using a shared-parenting time calculator — including:

  • Week-about: the child alternates full weeks between each parent's home.
  • 2-2-3: a repeating short-rotation pattern that gives the child more frequent contact with each parent.
  • 3-4-4-3: a two-week rotation that also aims for frequent contact while creating longer blocks of time.
  • Alternating longer blocks: such as two weeks with each parent, sometimes used for older children or longer travel distances.

Each pattern involves trade-offs around transitions, school-week disruption, and how well it fits a child's age and temperament. What works well for one family may not work at all for another, so these are examples of what exists, not a recommendation of what to choose.

Is Shared Parenting Always in a Child's Best Interests?

No. Ontario family law directs decisions about parenting time and decision-making responsibility toward the best interests of the child, not toward achieving equal time or equal authority as a goal in itself. Whether a shared arrangement serves a particular child depends on factors such as the child's age and temperament, the child's relationship with each parent, each parent's ability to communicate and cooperate, geographic distance between homes, and any history of family violence or conflict.

A shared arrangement that works well for one family, or for one child within a family, may not be appropriate for another. Courts and professionals generally look at these circumstances case by case rather than assuming any particular division of time or authority is automatically preferable.

Making Shared Parenting Work Logistically

Beyond the legal framework, shared parenting arrangements tend to depend heavily on day-to-day logistics between the parents. Common practical considerations include:

  • Keeping a consistent, written schedule that both households can plan around, including holidays and school breaks
  • Deciding how school notices, medical appointments, and extracurricular activities are communicated between homes
  • Agreeing on a process for exchanging the child, including location and who is responsible for transportation
  • Establishing how day-to-day expenses, beyond formal child support, are handled between households
  • Building in a way to revisit the arrangement as the child gets older or circumstances change

A clear written parenting plan can help reduce ongoing disagreement by setting expectations for these details in advance, rather than renegotiating them repeatedly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is shared parenting the same as joint custody?

Not exactly. "Joint custody" was an older term that often blurred together time with a child and authority over decisions. Ontario now uses "parenting time" and "decision-making responsibility" as separate concepts, so an arrangement once called joint custody today needs to describe each one on its own terms. See Shared Parenting Time vs. Shared Decision-Making above.

Can I have 50/50 parenting time but not joint decision-making?

Yes. Parenting time and decision-making responsibility are decided separately. Parents can split time with a child roughly equally while one parent alone holds decision-making authority, or while they share it — the two questions do not have to match.

What percentage of time counts as "shared parenting" for child support?

There is no single figure fixed permanently in stone, but the concept in the Federal Child Support Guidelines is generally discussed using a threshold of around 40% or more of the time with each parent over a year. Courts retain discretion in how they apply it, so confirm the current guideline text and get advice on your own numbers rather than relying on a rule of thumb. See Is There a Legal Percentage That Defines "Shared"?

Does shared parenting time mean I pay less child support?

Not automatically. When parenting time is shared, the guidelines direct a court to consider each parent's table amount, the increased costs of running two households for the child, and each family's overall circumstances — the result can be higher, lower, or similar to a simple table amount depending on the facts. See How Shared Parenting Time Can Affect Child Support.

Is there one standard shared parenting schedule?

No. Schedules described as week-about, 2-2-3, or 3-4-4-3 are commonly discussed examples, not a single standard arrangement that suits every family. The right schedule depends on the children's ages, each parent's availability, distance between homes, and the children's own needs. See What Shared Parenting Schedules Can Look Like.

Is shared parenting always best for children?

No. Courts and professionals generally look at what arrangement serves a particular child's best interests, which depends on that child's age, temperament, relationship with each parent, and the parents' ability to cooperate — not on any assumption that equal time is automatically preferable. See Is Shared Parenting Always in a Child's Best Interests?

What if we agree on shared parenting time but disagree on decision-making?

This is common, since the two issues are legally distinct. Many parenting plans and orders set out shared or roughly equal parenting time alongside a different arrangement for decision-making, such as one parent deciding certain categories and both consulting on others.

Do we need a court order to have a shared parenting arrangement?

Not necessarily. Many parents set out shared parenting time and decision-making in a written parenting plan or separation agreement without going to court. A court order becomes more relevant when parents cannot agree or want the arrangement to be formally enforceable. See How Shared Parenting Arrangements Come About.