Reduced, standard or shared: what each visiting pattern does to child support
Same family, same income, three amounts: it all depends on how much time the child spends with the paying parent.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy
The Ministry of Justice table recognises only three amounts of visiting and staying time, and it is one of the variables that weighs most on the figure. For an only child the rate goes from 18.0 % with reduced visiting to 13.5 % with standard visiting and 9.0 % with shared residence. On €2,500 net, that gives €333, €249 or €166 a month: a gap of €166 every month, €1,996 over a year. The logic is about direct costs: the more time the paying parent has the child, the more they pay themselves for food, a bedroom and outings, and the smaller the cash share should be. In French documents these are “droit de visite et d’hébergement réduit, classique ou alterné”. Compare the three columns for your case with the calculator.
What the amount of visiting time changes
Gap between reduced and shared, per month
€166
| Reduced visiting rights | €333 |
| Standard visiting rights | €249 |
| Shared residence | €166 |
The three patterns, as the Ministry defines them
Reduced (“réduit”): the child lives with one parent, the other has less contact than the standard pattern, for example a single day, every other week, or supervised contact. Standard (“classique”): the child lives with one parent, the other usually has every other weekend and half the school holidays. Shared (“alterné”): the child lives alternately with each parent, equally. These are justice.fr’s definitions; real arrangements do not always fit them, and that is often where disagreements start.
The gap by income, one child
| Net income | Reduced | Standard | Shared | Reduced − shared |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €1,200 | €99 | €74 | €49 | €49 |
| €1,600 | €171 | €128 | €85 | €85 |
| €2,000 | €243 | €182 | €121 | €121 |
| €2,500 | €333 | €249 | €166 | €166 |
| €3,000 | €423 | €317 | €211 | €211 |
| €4,000 | €603 | €452 | €301 | €301 |
| €5,000 | €783 | €587 | €391 | €391 |
With two and three children
| Net income | 2 children reduced | 2 children standard | 3 children reduced | 3 children standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €1,600 | €294 | €218 | €378 | €284 |
| €2,500 | €573 | €425 | €737 | €554 |
| €3,500 | €883 | €655 | €1,136 | €854 |
A lasting change of pattern, for example a move from standard visiting to shared residence when the child starts secondary school, justifies revisiting support, by an approved agreement or an application for a review. Shared residence has its own tax and practical rules, set out on shared custody.