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The Weekend Block
Friday evening to Sunday evening every other week, the anchor of the schedule and the time a child counts on.
Monday - Friday8:30AM - 5PM
OfficesFairfax | Manassas
Child Visitation / Standard Visitation
Standard Visitation · Virginia
The schedule most Virginia families start with.
Every other weekend with a midweek dinner is the most common visitation schedule in Virginia. It is a starting point, not a ceiling, and we shape it around your work, your child's school, and the age they are right now.
First call is a conversation, not a commitment.
The Short Answer
The standard Virginia visitation schedule is every other weekend, usually Friday evening through Sunday evening, plus one midweek dinner. That comes to roughly 80 overnights a year, just under the line where Virginia switches to its shared custody child support formula. It is common because it works, not because the law requires it.
How It Works
A familiar rhythm, built around your child.
When one parent has the children most of the time, the other parent's schedule is usually called visitation, or parenting time. The most common version in Virginia has a simple, predictable shape, and that predictability is part of what makes it work for a child. They learn the rhythm. They know which weekend is coming.
What the standard schedule looks like
Every other weekend, the children are with the visiting parent from Friday evening to Sunday evening. Add a midweek dinner, often a Wednesday, and you have a steady two week pattern that keeps both parents in the picture. Many families use school as the handoff point, which removes a face to face exchange and keeps the routine calm.
Why this is the starting point
Judges see this schedule constantly, so it is familiar and easy to approve. It fits a traditional work week. And it gives a child a clear home base while keeping real, repeated time with the other parent. None of that makes it the right answer for every family, but it is a sensible place to begin the conversation.
Where the overnights land
A plain every other weekend schedule with a dinner gives the visiting parent somewhere around 78 to 88 overnights a year. That keeps it just below 91, the number that matters for child support. If your time creeps toward that line, the schedule quietly becomes a money decision too, which is something worth knowing before you sign.
How we tailor it
The age of your child changes everything. A toddler may do better with shorter, more frequent visits. A teenager has a social life and a job and opinions. Work shifts, the drive between homes, and activities all reshape the plan. We start from the familiar frame and adjust it until it actually fits your life.
Core scheduleEvery other weekend, Friday evening to Sunday evening.
MidweekOne weeknight dinner, often Wednesday, to stay present during the school week.
OvernightsRoughly 78 to 88 per year, just under the 91 shared custody line.
Standard?Common and judge-familiar, but not required. The child's best interests govern.
SourceBest interests standard, Va. Code § 20-124.3.
Common Is Not The Same As Required
Virginia law does not lock in any one schedule. The every other weekend pattern is a familiar starting point. Your real schedule should fit your child's age, your work, and the distance between homes.
Source: Va. Code § 20-124.3
Corrie Sirkin, Esq.Founding Partner
Attorney Insight
A few honest things about the standard schedule.
"Parents hear the word standard and assume it is fixed. It is a starting point. The best schedule is the one built around your child, not around a template."
I tell clients not to fall in love with the word standard. It is familiar, and familiar is useful in front of a judge, but your child is not a template. A schedule that fits a four year old will frustrate a fourteen year old. The other thing parents miss is the overnight count. The every other weekend frame sits just under 91 overnights, and a small change can move you across that line and change the support number. Walk in knowing both, and you make a better decision.
Questions Parents Ask
Plain answers about standard visitation.
These are the questions parents ask most when we start talking about a schedule. If yours is not here, we are happy to answer it directly.
Have a specific question?
Call 571.260.0999 or send us a message.
What is the standard visitation schedule in Virginia?
The most common schedule is every other weekend, usually Friday evening through Sunday evening, plus one midweek dinner visit.
That works out to roughly 80 overnights a year, just under the line where Virginia switches to its shared custody child support formula.
Is the standard schedule required by law?
No. Virginia law does not fix a single schedule. Courts decide visitation under the best interests of the child standard in Virginia Code § 20-124.3. The every other weekend pattern is common because it is familiar to judges and workable for many families, not because it is mandatory.
Can a standard schedule be customized?
Yes, and it usually should be. Work shifts, school calendars, the distance between homes, and the age of the child all shape what a real schedule looks like. The every other weekend frame is a starting point we adjust to fit your family.
How many overnights does it give a parent?
A typical every other weekend schedule with a midweek dinner gives the visiting parent somewhere around 78 to 88 overnights a year, which keeps it just under the 91 overnight threshold that triggers the shared custody support calculation in Virginia.
When You Are Ready
Let's build a schedule that actually fits.
Tell us about your child, your work, and the distance between homes, and we will shape a schedule around the life you are really living. Three offices across Northern Virginia, one phone number.