Illinois Parenting Plan: What to Include and How to File

What Illinois Law Requires in a Parenting Plan

In a case involving a petition for allocation, parents generally must file a proposed parenting plan — jointly or separately — within 120 days after service of the petition or filing of an appearance, as applicable. The court may extend the deadline for good cause; if the respondent has not appeared, no parenting plan is required unless the court orders one. That deadline comes from 750 ILCS 5/602.10.

If both parents agree, you submit a single signed plan. If you can't agree, each parent files their own proposed version and a judge decides using the best-interests standard. Either way, the plan must cover the 15 statutory minimum provisions, subject to exceptions such as the mediation provision not being required when one parent is allocated all significant decision-making responsibilities.

The 15 Mandatory Provisions

The statute at 750 ILCS 5/602.10(f) lists every element your plan needs:

1. Allocation of significant decision-making — who decides education, health, religion, and extracurricular activities (sole, joint, or split by category)
2. A detailed parenting-time schedule — specific days and times, not "reasonable parenting time"
3. Dispute resolution process — mediation before court for future disagreements
4. Access to records — both parents get medical, dental, and school records
5. Designation of the majority-time parent — this affects child support calculations
6. School enrollment address — which parent's address determines the school district
7. Contact information for both parents — address, phone, employer
8. Residence-change notification — a parent changing residence generally must give at least 60 days' written notice, unless notice is impracticable or the court orders otherwise
9. Emergency and travel protocols — who gets notified, how quickly, what documentation is needed for out-of-state travel
10. Transportation and exchange arrangements — specific pickup/dropoff locations, who drives, backup plans
11. Parent-child communication — phone/video call schedules, approved apps, quiet hours
12. Relocation provisions — provisions for resolving issues arising from a parent's future relocation under 750 ILCS 5/609.2, if applicable
13. Modification procedures — how changes will be proposed and resolved
14. Right of first refusal — whether it applies, the trigger duration, and exempt caregivers
15. Any additional provisions addressing the child's specific needs — discipline standards, grooming, new partner introductions

Where to Find the Official Forms

Illinois uses statewide standardized forms maintained by the Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice. You can download the approved parenting plan form from the Illinois Courts website. If you prefer guided completion, Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) offers an "Easy Forms" interview that walks you through each question and generates a completed document.

All filings go through the Odyssey eFileIL portal — Illinois requires electronic filing for civil cases. You'll need to create an e-filing account and pay the filing fee at submission (or apply for a fee waiver using Form CIR-GF-60).

Common Mistakes That Delay Approval

Vague language. Judges routinely reject plans that say "reasonable parenting time" or "mutually agreed upon." Specify days, times, pickup locations, and which parent drives. The more specific your plan, the less you'll fight about later.

Missing the 120-day deadline. If no plan is filed, the court must conduct an evidentiary hearing, and the court shall order mediation unless it finds impediments. That's an extra step that costs time and often money.

Forgetting relocation provisions. The court won't approve a plan that ignores the statutory relocation framework. Address future relocation issues and the 25-mile collar-county and 50-mile downstate thresholds when they apply.

Leaving out the right of first refusal. The statute requires provisions for exercising a right of first refusal only if the parents want one. If included, specify the trigger, notice, response, and transportation terms; the statute does not require every family to adopt one.

How the Parenting Plan Connects to Child Support

Your parenting-time schedule directly drives the child support calculation. Illinois uses the Income Shares Model, and the math changes significantly if the non-majority parent has 146 or more overnights per year — that triggers the shared-care formula, which multiplies the basic obligation by 1.5 and offsets based on each parent's time share.

Starting January 1, 2027, SB3524 lowers the shared-care threshold to at least 110 overnights for each parent and introduces "overnight equivalents" for daytime care blocks. If you're finalizing a plan now, build in enough specificity to count overnights precisely — it has direct financial consequences.

Building the Plan Before You Fill Out the Forms

The state forms are excellent for filing, but they're blank tables. They ask you what you've decided without helping you think through the decisions themselves. Before you open the court form, work through each of the 15 provisions with your co-parent and document your reasoning.

The Illinois Child Custody & Parenting Plan Guide walks you through every provision with worksheets, schedule builders, and a decision-making matrix — so you arrive at the official form with your agreement already mapped out.

See more Illinois guides →