New Year's Day Visitation for a Noncustodial Parent

New Year's Day is a time to celebrate the new year and what's to come. It unofficially marks the end of the holiday season on January 1.

When a child lives with one parent more than the other, that parent is often referred to as the custodial parent. The other is the noncustodial parent.

Parenting plans should include a holiday schedule that gives the noncustodial parent adequate special occasion time with the child, potentially including visitation on New Year's Day.

If your child is school-age, you'll likely have a modified custody schedule for winter break. Decide with the other parent if you want to make make special arrangements for New Year's Day or follow the winter break schedule as is.

New Year's Day schedule options

Parents can agree to any New Year's Day schedule that works for their situation. Consider these commonly-used options.

Give the noncustodial parent the day

If the custodial parent has the child on New Year's Eve, parents can agree to give the noncustodial parent New Year's Day (or vice versa).

Split the day

You can divide New Year's Day evenly between parents — a good option when parents have agreed to share holiday time equally. Or you can split the day according to your standard division of parenting time (e.g., 80/20).

In this example, the child spends the morning with the custodial parent, then the afternoon and evening with the noncustodial parent.

Give the noncustodial parent a short visit

In this arrangement, the noncustodial parent gets a brief amount of time, such as a dinner visit, to celebrate the new year with the child.

Alternate yearly

Many parents alternate who has New Year's Day each year. Your child might spend the day with you in odd-numbered years and with the other parent in even-numbered years.

Assign fixed holidays

Your child can celebrate certain holidays with the same parent every year, based on each parent's preference. For example, your child might spend every New Year's Eve with the custodial parent and every New Year's Day with the noncustodial parent.

Celebrate together

If parents can spend time together without conflict, they might celebrate New Year's Day with the child together, perhaps with a family meal or a board game day.

Use the court's standard schedule

When parents can't agree on their parenting time schedule, the court decides in a custody hearing or trial. Many courts issue a standard visitation schedule that includes New Year's Day.

For more information, see our guide to visitation in your location.

The easiest way to make a holiday visitation schedule

There's a lot to think about when you build a holiday schedule. You'll want it to address weekend and midweek holidays, reflect special occasions unique to your family (like birthdays) and work for years to come.

The Custody X Change app makes it easy. Just open your Custody X Change calendar and follow our steps to make a holiday schedule.

To make a custody schedule quickly and affordably, turn to Custody X Change. You'll get written and visual versions that meet your family's needs, as well as court standards.