Shared care arrangements in Australia: week on/week off, 5/2 and what the percentages mean
Week on/week off, 2-2-5-5, 5/2 and alternate weekends, converted into nights and care percentages, with what each does to child support and Family Tax Benefit.
Quick answer
Week on/week off, 2-2-5-5 and 2-2-3 all land on 50% each. The 5/2 split, with weekdays at one house and weekends at the other, gives roughly 72% and 28%. Alternate weekends alone is about 14% for the visiting parent, right on the edge of the lowest band. Those percentages drive child support and Family Tax Benefit, so the choice of schedule has real money consequences, even though it should be decided on what works for your kids first.
The common arrangements, in nights
Services Australia counts care in nights, over a year. Here is how the usual schedules convert, using 365 nights.
| Arrangement | Nights a year (parent A / parent B) | Care % | FTB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week on, week off | 183 / 182 | 50% / 50% | Both parents, about half each |
| 2-2-5-5 or 2-2-3 rotation | 183 / 182 | 50% / 50% | Both parents, about half each |
| 9/5 split: parent B has 5 nights in 14 | 235 / 130 | 64% / 36% | Both parents, split by care |
| 5/2: parent A weekdays, parent B weekends | 261 / 104 | 72% / 28% | Weekday parent full; weekend parent none |
| Parent B has alternate weekends plus one midweek night | 261 / 104 | 72% / 28% | Primary parent full; other none |
| Parent B has alternate weekends only (Fri and Sat nights) | 313 / 52 | 86% / 14% | Primary parent full; other none |
Week on/week off is seven nights each. The 2-2-5-5 rotation runs two nights with one parent, two with the other, then five and five. The 2-2-3 runs two, two, three, flipping each week. They differ on handovers but are identical on percentage.
School holidays move the numbers. A schedule that is 28% in term can reach 35% or more once half the holidays are added, which matters because 35% is a line. Count your real year, not just the term pattern.
How the percentage feeds child support and Family Tax Benefit
Services Australia sorts care into bands. Below regular care is under 14%, up to 51 nights a year. Regular care is 14% to under 35%, 52 to 127 nights. Shared care is 35% to 65%, 128 to 237 nights. Primary care is over 65% to 86%, 238 to 313 nights. Above that is more than 86%.
For child support, your care percentage sets how much of the child's costs you are treated as meeting by having the child with you. Regular care counts as 24%. In shared care it climbs from 25% at 35%, then reaches 50% for roughly 48% to 52% of nights. Primary care counts as 76%, and above primary care as 100%. The cost share then feeds the income-based formula, so the payment depends on both parents' incomes as well. Our child support calculator estimates the result, and what child support actually costs and how the formula works walks through it.
For Family Tax Benefit, a parent needs at least 35% care to get FTB for the child. Between 35% and 65% the payment is based on actual care, and over 65% a parent can receive the full amount. Below 35% a parent gets no FTB for that child. The detail is in Family Tax Benefit, Centrelink and Parenting Payment.
The cliffs
- 127 versus 128 nights. One night either side of 35% decides whether a parent qualifies for any FTB and starts counting shared care for child support. A pattern of 5 nights in 14 gives 130 nights, so it clears the line with only a couple of nights to spare.
- 51 versus 52 nights. Alternate weekends of two nights is 52, which is exactly the bottom of regular care. Miss a few weekends over a year and you can fall below it.
- 237 versus 238 nights. Over 65% moves a parent from a share of FTB to the full amount, and moves the other parent below 35%.
These lines are why you should keep a record of actual care, and tell Services Australia when it changes. If a written care arrangement is not followed, Services Australia may work the percentage out differently.
What suits which age
This is my reading of how most families approach it, not a rule. Under school age, shorter gaps between handovers tend to work better, so 2-2-3 or a 5/9 pattern with a midweek night is common. Primary school kids usually cope well with week on/week off or 2-2-5-5 once handovers are tied to school or care, which keeps parents from meeting at the door. Teenagers push back on rigid rotations, and flexibility around work, sport and friends matters more than the pattern. Distance matters too: a week-on pattern across a long commute is a lot of school-run kilometres. The detail on making it run is in kids week on, kids week off: the logistics nobody warns you about.
Pick the schedule for the child, then check the numbers
Choosing a schedule to hit a threshold tends to backfire. Courts look at what is in the child's best interests, not the maths, and a schedule built to move a payment can unravel when the child, or the other parent, notices. Start with what works for your children and your work week, then check the percentages so nothing about the money surprises you. Equal time is not a default, so write down the pattern you actually agree. See the 2025 family law changes and what to include in a parenting plan.
Run your own numbers: care percentage calculator. It works out both parents' percentages, care band, child support cost share and FTB position in your browser, with nothing saved.
Want the rest of the separation admin in one place? Use the free Atlas separation checklist: 119 steps across money, legal, kids and home.
Sources and resources
Last checked: 21 October 2026. General information, not legal or financial advice. Percentages are estimates and Services Australia assesses actual care.