Co-parenting is a visitation arrangement that parents have with each other about the children when they are divorced. In co-parenting, the division of care and parenting tasks is equally divided between both parents.
When co-parenting?
With co-parenting it is important that you as parents live close to each other. Preferably no more than 7 kilometers apart. In this way the children can continue their own life, without building two different lives with each parent. With co-parenting, the children are brought to school, appointments and sports by both parents. In order for co-parenting to succeed, it is important that both parents support this arrangement. After all, you will have to communicate a lot with each other for the sake of the children. So there will be a lot of contact between the two of you, for the sake of the children.
Co-parenting must fit into the lives of both parents. For example, consider your working hours. If you are a parent who works 40 hours a week, you can spend less time with the children than a parent who works less or not at all. So check carefully whether this can all be realized in your situation.
Co-parenting is that feasible?
Look closely at the children. Can the child handle co-parenting? After all, he or she is regularly traveling back and forth between both parents. Keep in mind that your child(ren) should not change homes too often. This causes a lot of anxiety and stress. You can do a trial run to find out whether co-parenting suits your family. If you like it all, you can register co-parenting. If the test doesn’t work, you have to look for another solution. But the most important thing is what the child(ren) want, so keep talking to them.
Child alimony in co-parenting
In practice, both parents incur the same costs for the care and upbringing of co-parenting. As a result, you do not have to make agreements about the child support. It is wise to make agreements when one of you has less income than the other. You can also agree on an amount and together arrange that this is disturbed on a possible account for the children. You record all agreements made in the parenting plan.
Change Co-parenting
Have you agreed co-parenting, but is that no longer feasible? Then you can adjust the agreements in consultation with each other. This means that a new parenting plan must be drawn up.
Co-parenting is sharing
The Social Insurance Bank pays the child benefit, and knows that your child(ren) live in two houses after the divorce. This means that both parents are entitled to half of the child benefit. When you are both on good terms, the child benefit will be transferred to one of you’s account. You arrange the distribution yourself. If you are not on good terms at all, a request can be submitted to divide the payment and transfer it to both of you. This isn’t happening anytime soon, but the opportunity is there.
If you are entitled to social assistance after the divorce, you should assume that you will receive an amount that is between the standard for a single person and that of a single-parent family. This has to do with the fact that you can share certain costs for your child(ren) with your ex-partner.
For the tax authorities, a child can only live with one parent. It is therefore also checked who the child is registered with for more than six months a year. That parent will then be entitled to a tax credit. If you would like both to be entitled to this, the combination discount can be applied for. The condition for this is that both of you have a job. Several schemes within the tax authorities are not designed for co-parenting, so pay close attention to this. And request information from the tax authorities.
