Parenting time log: how to track parenting time (free template)
Updated October 16, 2026 · 4-minute read
A parenting time log is a simple daily record of who the children were with, and what happened at each exchange. It helps you answer plain questions later: how many nights each parent had, which exchanges started late, and which scheduled time didn't happen. Here is what to write, a sample week, and a free printable template.
What to record each day
- Who the children were with. One line a day is enough: you, the other parent, or someone else.
- Planned time vs. actual time. For each pickup and drop-off, write the time on your schedule and the time it really happened.
- Place. School, your home, a set meeting place.
- How it went. On time, late, didn't happen, or cancelled with notice.
- A short note, only if needed. Facts only: what happened, where and when.
A sample week
This is what one ordinary week can look like. The names and details are made up.
| Day | With | Exchange |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Me | — |
| Tue | Me | — |
| Wed | Co-parent | School, planned 3:15 PM, on time |
| Thu | Co-parent | — |
| Fri | Me | Home, planned 6:00 PM, arrived 6:35 PM, no message before |
| Sat | Me | — |
| Sun | Me | — |
At the end of the month, the same lines tell you how many days the children spent in each home and how many exchanges started late or didn't happen.
How to document parenting time, the simple way
Family law firms tend to give the same advice. For example, McKinley Irvin's guide Keeping a Custody Journal suggests writing entries the same day, sticking to facts instead of feelings, noting pickup and drop-off times and whether each exchange happened as scheduled, and looking back over time to see what repeats.
- Write it the same day, while the details are fresh.
- Use exact times when you have them.
- If you miss a day, leave the gap. If you add it later, write the date you added it.
- Once a month, count the days with each parent and the late or missed exchanges.
Free parenting time log template
Prefer paper? Print a free one-page log with columns for the date, who the children were with, the exchange and short notes. A printable 2026 calendar works too: color each day by who the children were with.
Free printable: parenting time log
One page, US Letter: date, custody day, exchange and notes. No email, no sign-up.
Paper, spreadsheet or app?
Any of them works if you keep it up. Paper is quick but hard to count. A spreadsheet counts well but is slow on a phone at a pickup. An app on your phone is there at the moment the exchange happens.
Doing this in CustodyBook
- Log a custody day in one tap.
- Mark exchanges as on time, late, no-show or cancelled with notice. Reports count them for you.
- Export a clean monthly PDF you can share with your lawyer.
- CustodyBook is a private custody log for one parent: the other parent doesn't install or approve anything, and never sees it unless you share it.
CustodyBook makes court-ready PDFs: organized and dated, with edit history and a fingerprint you can verify. Edited later? The PDF says so: "Edited 1×", "Added later", and a change history. A fingerprint on every page. Check any CustodyBook PDF at getcustodybook.com/verify. Nothing is uploaded. The judge decides what is admitted. Not legal advice.
Free for 7 days, then $14.99 once. No subscription. iPhone or Android.