Indiana: the rules behind a parenting plan
Last reviewed on October 1, 2026
Two sets of court rules shape most Indiana parenting plans: the Parenting Time Guidelines and the Child Support Guidelines. What each one is, and where to read it.
The Parenting Time Guidelines
The Indiana Supreme Court publishes the Parenting Time Guidelines. They set out a schedule by a child's age, a holiday schedule, and general rules for exchanges, communication, schedule changes and moving.
They describe themselves as a model:
The purpose of these guidelines is to provide a model which may be adjusted depending upon the unique needs and circumstances of each family.
When parents cannot agree on their own plan, the Guidelines set the minimum:
In the event the parties cannot create their own parenting time agreement, these guidelines represent the minimum time a parent should have to maintain frequent, meaningful, and continuing contact with a child.
They do not cover every family. The Preamble says they are "not applicable to situations involving family violence, substance abuse, risk of flight with a child, or any other circumstances the court reasonably believes endanger the child's physical health or safety, or significantly impair the child's emotional development."
The Child Support Guidelines
The Child Support Guidelines set how support is calculated. They are based on the Income Shares Model, which the Preface describes this way:
The Income Shares Model is predicated on the concept that the child should receive the same proportion of parental income that he or she would have received if the parents lived together.
The courts' site also has the worksheets and a calculator. The Guidelines were last updated in 2024.
About these guides
Each guide quotes the rule it describes and links to the official page. The rules change from time to time; each page says when it was last reviewed, and Tavvi checks the official pages every day.
Guides
- Before a sitter: the other parent's opportunity for more timeWhen a parent needs child care from someone outside the household, the Guidelines say the other parent is offered the time first. It is an offer, not a duty.
- Calls, texts and video with a child during the other parent's timeThe Guidelines give a parent and child reasonable, private contact at any time, and name what counts as interference, including recording calls.
- Holidays under the Indiana Parenting Time GuidelinesThe Guidelines' holiday schedule overrides the regular schedule, alternates most holidays by odd and even year, and splits the winter break in halves.
- Make-up parenting time when the schedule has to changeWhen an event outside a parent's control costs the other parent time, the Guidelines provide make-up time, chosen within a month if the parents can't agree.
- The Parenting Time Guidelines are a minimum, not a defaultThe Guidelines set the least time a parent should have when parents can't agree. They say themselves that they aren't meant to be adopted without thought.
- Uninsured health-care costs under Indiana's Child Support GuidelinesSince January 1, 2024, parents share uninsured health-care costs in proportion to their incomes. The old "6% rule" is gone, and there is a 30-day deadline for asking.