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VIRGINIA DIVORCE GUIDE · 5 OF 6

What needs to be decided when a Virginia divorce involves children?

Parents usually need to address who makes important decisions, where the child spends time, how day-to-day transitions will work, and how financial support will be handled. These subjects are connected, but they are not the same question.

Plain-language overview Reviewed August 9, 2026
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FOUR CONNECTED SUBJECTS

Parentage

Who has legal rights and responsibilities?

Decisions

Who makes important choices?

Parenting time

What schedule serves the child?

Support

How are the child’s financial needs addressed?

THE SHORT VERSION

An agreement helps, but the child’s interests remain central.

A Virginia divorce involving children can be uncontested when the parents agree on custody, parenting time, and support. The court still gives primary consideration to the child’s best interests, and child support is reviewed under Virginia’s guidelines and related rules. A useful agreement covers the real-life details—not just the labels “joint” or “sole.”

A parenting agreement does not create the six-month no-fault divorce route. When Virginia Code § 20-91(A)(9) treats a qualifying minor child as present, the general no-fault separation period is one year. See the separation-periods guide for the statute’s specific child categories.

BEFORE CUSTODY OR SUPPORT

First confirm who is legally a parent.

Custody and child support depend on legal parentage, not only on who is biologically related, who appears on a school form, or who has acted as a caregiver. Virginia law includes multiple ways a parent-child relationship may be established, and the correct answer can depend on the individual history.

Birth and marriage records

Birth records and marital presumptions may be relevant, but a record does not resolve every possible challenge or competing order.

Acknowledgment or parentage order

A signed acknowledgment or a prior judicial or administrative determination may establish legal rights and responsibilities. Obtain the actual document.

Adoption

A lawful adoption can establish the parent-child relationship even when the parent is not biologically related to the child.

Assisted reproduction

Virginia has specific parentage rules for children conceived through assisted conception. Consent, marital status, timing, and records may matter.

Surrogacy or embryo arrangements

Surrogacy contracts, genetic relationships, embryo custody, consent forms, birth records, and court orders can affect parentage. These facts require individual legal review.

A child connected to only one spouse

Being a stepparent or long-term caregiver does not by itself answer whether a person has parental rights or support duties. Adoption, an order, or another legal basis may matter.

Same-sex and different-sex spouses use the same Virginia custody and support framework. Do not assume that legal parentage is missing—or established—based on the parents’ genders, biology, or the way the child joined the family.

Gather before making assumptions

Birth certificate and any amended certificate

Adoption decree

Acknowledgment of parentage or paternity

Parentage, custody, visitation, or support order

Assisted-reproduction consent or clinic records

Surrogacy contract, consent filing, or court order

Order from another state or country

Any pending parentage or adoption case

Do not upload these records to Easy Divorce Virginia. A Virginia lawyer can identify which documents are relevant and whether another person or agency must be involved.

RELATED DOES NOT MEAN INTERCHANGEABLE

Four subjects need their own answer.

The child’s day-to-day life

LEGAL CUSTODY

Who has authority to make important decisions?

Education Nonemergency health care Mental-health care Religious upbringing Major activities or services

The wording should explain whether decisions are joint, individual, divided by subject, or handled through another clear process.

PHYSICAL CUSTODY AND PARENTING TIME

Where and when does the child spend time with each parent?

School-week routine Weekends Holidays and school breaks Summer Travel and exchanges

A percentage or label alone rarely explains the actual schedule.

PARENTING LOGISTICS

How will the plan work in real life?

Transportation and exchange locations Notice of schedule changes Parent-child communication Access to school and health information Emergencies and missed time

Clear, workable details can prevent ordinary misunderstandings from becoming new disputes.

CHILD SUPPORT

How will both parents meet the child’s financial needs?

Guideline support Health, dental, and vision coverage Work-related child care Unreimbursed health expenses Payment method and records

Parenting time affects some support calculations, but support and contact are not something parents exchange for one another.

Agreement on three subjects does not resolve the fourth. List each one separately before deciding that the case is fully uncontested.

THE LABEL IS A STARTING POINT

Virginia allows different custody structures.

Virginia law directs the court to consider joint legal custody, joint physical custody, sole custody, and combinations that serve the child’s best interests. There is no automatic presumption for either parent or for any one structure.

Joint legal custody

Both parents retain joint responsibility for the child’s care and joint authority to make decisions, even if the child’s primary residence is with one parent. The agreement should explain how decisions and disagreements will be handled.

Joint physical custody

Both parents share physical and custodial care. Virginia’s definition does not require an exact 50/50 schedule. The actual times, transitions, and responsibilities still need to be written clearly.

Sole custody

One person retains responsibility for the child’s care and control and has primary authority to make decisions. A separate parenting-time arrangement may still apply when contact with the other parent is appropriate.

Virginia law permits courts to use “parenting time” as another term for “visitation.” This guide generally uses “parenting time” because it describes the child’s schedule more naturally.

“Joint” answers who shares a form of responsibility. It does not, by itself, tell you the child’s address, number of overnights, holiday schedule, decision-making process, or child-support amount.

THE COURT’S PRIMARY CONSIDERATION

A parenting plan is evaluated around the child—not a score between parents.

Virginia Code § 20-124.3 lists the subjects a court must consider when determining custody and parenting time. No single factor automatically decides the result, and the factors should not be turned into a points system.

01

The child’s age, health, and development

The child’s physical and mental condition and changing developmental needs.

02

Each parent’s condition

The age and physical and mental condition of each parent as relevant to parenting.

03

Each parent-child relationship

Positive involvement and each parent’s ability to understand and meet the child’s emotional, intellectual, and physical needs.

04

The child’s needs and relationships

Important connections with siblings, peers, extended family, and others.

05

Past and future caregiving roles

The role each parent has played and is prepared to play in the child’s care and upbringing.

06

Support for appropriate parent-child contact

Each parent’s tendency to support the child’s relationship with the other parent, including unreasonable denial of access. Safety findings can change how this factor is applied.

07

Ability to maintain relationships and resolve disputes

Each parent’s willingness and demonstrated ability to maintain a close relationship with the child and address child-related disagreements.

08

A mature child’s reasonable preference

The court may consider a preference when it finds the child has sufficient intelligence, understanding, age, and experience. There is no fixed age at which the child chooses.

09

Abuse, violence, force, or threats

The statute requires consideration of specified histories of family abuse, sexual abuse, child abuse, and certain acts of violence, force, or threat.

10

Other relevant circumstances

The court may consider other factors necessary and proper to the decision.

The law does not ask which parent “wins.” It asks what arrangement serves the child’s best interests based on the evidence and the child’s circumstances.

TURN LABELS INTO WORKABLE TERMS

A useful plan answers ordinary Tuesday questions and unusual-event questions.

The right level of detail depends on the child’s age, needs, parents’ homes, school, work schedules, travel, communication, and safety. These prompts help identify subjects for discussion; they do not recommend a particular result.

Regular routine

School days and nonschool days · Weekends and overnight times · Start and end times · Where the child is picked up and returned · Transportation responsibility · Child care before or after school

Holidays and school calendar

Holidays important to the family · Birthdays and parent-recognition days · Teacher workdays and school closures · Winter, spring, and summer breaks · Odd-year and even-year rotation, if used · Which schedule controls when dates overlap

Decisions and information

Education and school enrollment · Nonemergency medical, dental, and mental-health care · Activities, tutoring, and special services · Religious upbringing · Emergency decisions · Access to school, health, and child-care records · How parents notify one another of material developments

Communication

Child’s reasonable phone or video contact with each parent · Parent-to-parent method for routine information · Urgent communication method · Notice for requested schedule changes · Response expectations · A process for genuine disagreements

Exchanges and belongings

Exchange place and responsible adult · Car seats, medication, devices, school materials, and clothing · Late arrival and cancellation procedure · Weather or transportation disruption · Missed time and whether make-up time is addressed · Neutral or protected exchange arrangements if needed

Travel and relocation

Notice and basic itinerary for travel · Passports and travel documents · Emergency contact information · Out-of-state or international travel concerns · Compliance with any relocation-notice requirement · What happens if a proposed move affects the existing schedule

Child-specific needs

Developmental stage and routines · Sibling and extended-family relationships · Disability, medical, educational, or therapeutic needs · Feeding, sleep, medication, and equipment routines · Cultural and language connections · A process for reviewing the plan as the child grows

More detail is not always better. Terms should be understandable, realistic, safe, and specific enough that each parent knows what is expected. A Virginia lawyer can help distinguish useful clarity from rigid language that may create new problems.

A GUIDELINE, NOT A GUESS

Virginia starts with a statutory child-support calculation.

Virginia law creates a rebuttable presumption that the amount produced by the applicable child-support guidelines is correct. A court may order a different amount when the legal standard is met, but it must identify the guideline amount and explain the reason for the deviation.

Guideline income and allowed adjustments

Number of children and applicable custody calculation

Health coverage and work-related child care

Other statutory factors

A presumptive support amount for legal review

Income is broader than take-home pay

Virginia’s guideline definition generally begins with income from many sources. Wages, bonuses, self-employment, business and rental income, retirement, benefits, investment income, and other receipts can require review. The statute also contains exclusions, deductions, and special rules.

— Current pay information

— Recent tax returns and income schedules

— Bonuses, commissions, overtime, or seasonal work

— Self-employment or closely held business records

— Rental or investment income

— Benefits, pensions, or other recurring income

— Existing support obligations for other children

The parenting arrangement affects the worksheet

Virginia uses different guideline methods for sole-custody, shared-custody, split-custody, and certain mixed arrangements. These are child-support terms of art and may not match the label a parent uses conversationally.

Under the current shared-custody guideline, the shared calculation applies when a parent has custody or parenting time for more than 90 qualifying days of the year. Virginia defines how a “day” is counted, including a rule for some overnight periods shorter than 24 hours. Do not estimate the legal result by counting calendar squares casually.

Coverage and child care can be part of the calculation

Allowable health, dental, and vision coverage costs for the child and qualifying work-related child-care costs can be added under the guideline rules. The order may also allocate reasonable and necessary unreimbursed medical and dental expenses.

— Cost attributable to the child—not the entire family premium

— Who currently carries each form of coverage

— Availability and cost of alternative coverage

— Actual work-related child-care cost and provider information

— Unreimbursed health-expense process and documentation

A deviation requires a legal reason

A different agreed number is not automatically sufficient. Virginia law allows consideration of specified circumstances affecting the support obligation, each parent’s ability to provide support, and the child’s best interests. A lawyer should review any proposed deviation or zero-support term.

Equal parenting time does not automatically mean zero child support. Income, coverage, child care, the statutory formula, and other relevant facts still matter.

Want to see the official worksheets?

Virginia’s court system publishes separate guideline worksheets for sole, shared, and split custody, and the Virginia Department of Social Services provides an official support-estimate resource. A worksheet result is an estimate or presumptive calculation—not a final legal conclusion.

WRITE DOWN THE OPERATING DETAILS

A number does not explain how support will work.

Monthly payment

Amount and start date · Due date and frequency · Payment channel · Income withholding or DCSE involvement · Record of direct payments, if permitted

Health coverage

Medical, dental, and vision coverage · Who enrolls the child · Cards and policy information · Notice of coverage changes · Backup if coverage ends

Unreimbursed health expenses

Which expenses are covered · Each parent’s proportion or responsibility · Documentation and submission deadline · Payment deadline · Dispute process

Child care

Work-related care used in the calculation · Provider and schedule changes · Receipts and payment process · Summer or school-break care · Tax-credit information for professional review

Other child-related costs

Activities, school expenses, tutoring, devices, transportation, or camps · Whether advance agreement is required · Spending limits, if any · Reimbursement and receipt process

Tax treatment and child-related benefits

Federal rules for claiming a child as a dependent · Child-related credits and head-of-household filing status · Whether IRS Form 8332 may be relevant · Health-insurance marketplace and other benefit consequences · Professional tax review before relying on an agreed tax term

A parenting agreement can allocate responsibilities between parents, but it does not rewrite federal tax eligibility rules. Tax treatment can depend on the actual facts for the tax year and any required federal form.

Duration and later changes

Statutory end conditions · High-school continuation rules · Possible disability-related continuation · Review after a material change · Treatment of past-due amounts

Virginia generally requires support to continue beyond age 18 when the child is a full-time high-school student, is not self-supporting, and lives in the home of the parent seeking or receiving support. When all three conditions are met, support continues until age 19 or high-school graduation, whichever occurs first. The court may also order support beyond age 18 in certain severe and permanent disability circumstances, and parents may agree to a longer obligation. Individual review is important.

Do not privately reduce, stop, redirect, or trade court-ordered support because the schedule or expenses changed. Virginia generally does not allow a support order to be retroactively modified for periods before the legal requirements for a pending modification are met. Ask for legal guidance promptly when circumstances change.

CHECK WHAT ALREADY EXISTS

The divorce may not be the first case involving the child.

Custody, parenting time, parentage, support, and protective-order matters may already be pending or decided. Obtain each order and tell the divorce lawyer about every case before preparing new terms.

Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Often handles custody, parenting time, parentage, and child support outside the divorce case.

EXISTING CASES AND ORDERS MUST BE COORDINATED

Circuit Court

Handles the divorce and may also address custody, parenting time, and support when those issues are properly before it.

Which court acts next can depend on what was filed, what relief is requested, the stage of each case, and prior orders. Do not dismiss, ignore, duplicate, or attempt to replace an existing case based on this overview.

Identify every existing matter

Divorce or separate-maintenance case

Custody or parenting-time case

Child-support court or DCSE case

Parentage or adoption case

Protective order

Child-welfare or guardianship matter

Prior order from another state, tribe, territory, or country

Pending appeal, enforcement action, or requested modification

WHEN MORE THAN ONE STATE IS INVOLVED

The child’s home-state history can control custody jurisdiction.

Virginia’s Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act governs when a Virginia court can make an initial custody determination and how orders from other jurisdictions are handled. Where the child lived during the six months before filing is often important, but the complete statutory analysis can include prior orders, continuing jurisdiction, declined jurisdiction, and emergency circumstances.

REVIEW FLAGS

The child moved to or from Virginia within the last six months

A parent still lives in the child’s prior home state

Another state has entered or is considering a custody order

The child is temporarily in Virginia

A parent or child lives outside the United States

There is an abduction or emergency-safety concern

Being physically present in Virginia does not by itself establish custody jurisdiction. Do not move, retain, or return a child based only on this overview.

WHEN LIFE CHANGES LATER

Custody and support orders can be reviewed—but not rewritten informally.

Virginia courts retain authority to revise child-related orders under the applicable standards. A custody change generally requires a material change of circumstances and a best-interests determination. Child support has its own modification rules. Until an order is legally changed, the existing order remains important.

EXAMPLES THAT MAY REQUIRE REVIEW

A material schedule or school change

A parent’s proposed relocation

A significant income or employment change

A major change in child-care or insurance cost

The child’s health, developmental, or educational needs change

A parent consistently does not exercise the schedule used for shared support

New safety concerns

A child approaches a statutory support-transition age

Virginia custody and parenting-time orders generally must require a party intending to relocate or change address to give the court and the other party 30 days’ advance written notice, unless the court orders otherwise for good cause. Notice is not the same as permission, and a proposed move may require additional legal action.

SAFETY COMES BEFORE CO-PARENTING CONVENIENCE

Quick exit

A standard agreement process is not appropriate for every family.

Family abuse, sexual abuse, child abuse, violence, force, threats, stalking, coercive control, abduction risk, unsafe substance use, or fear surrounding an exchange can affect custody, parenting time, communication, mediation, and what information should be shared. Virginia’s best-interests statute expressly requires consideration of specified abuse and violence histories.

Immediate danger

Call 911. Do not use an online divorce organizer as an emergency resource.

Confidential Virginia support

Virginia’s 24/7 Statewide Sexual and Domestic Violence Hotline:
Call 1-800-838-8238 · Text 804-793-9999

Confidential chat and local resources

Court protection information

Virginia’s court self-help service explains family-abuse and non-family-abuse protective orders and links to official forms and local court resources.

Protective-order information

Frequent contact and cooperative decision-making are considered only when appropriate. Do not feel pressure to contact the other parent, mediate, share an address, propose an exchange, or complete the organizer below when doing so may be unsafe.

Quick exit opens a weather website in this tab right away. It does not erase your browsing history.

PRIVATE DISCUSSION ORGANIZER

Put the child-related topics and unanswered questions in one place.

A clear topic list can make a conversation with a Virginia lawyer more useful. Use general labels only. Do not enter children’s names, birth dates, addresses, school names, medical details, account numbers, allegations, or information that could create a safety risk. Your entries are not saved or included with the Easy Divorce Virginia intake.

Private on this device · Not saved · Not submitted · Clear anytime

Quick exit

You do not need to describe the concern here. Skip any question that could be unsafe and use the safety resources above if you need immediate or confidential help.

1Identify the legal starting point

Legal parentage documents (choose any)

Existing matters (choose any)

These answers identify records and jurisdiction questions. They do not determine legal parentage or which court has authority.

2Mark decision-making topics

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Recording a proposal does not establish legal custody or show that the term is complete or in the child’s best interests.

3Mark schedule and logistics topics

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The organizer does not propose a schedule, count custody days, or decide what arrangement is developmentally appropriate or safe.

4Mark support facts and records

Do not enter dollar amounts anywhere in this organizer.

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This checklist does not calculate guideline income, custody days, support, arrears, or a deviation. Use the official Virginia worksheets with professional review.

5Mark follow-through questions

Topics you have organized

Your selections will be summarized here as you mark topics in the steps above.

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This summary restates what you selected. It does not determine parentage, evaluate either parent, decide the child’s best interests, recommend custody or parenting time, calculate support, or create an agreement or court order.

Clear all entries on this page?

PREPARE THE FACTS, NOT AN ARGUMENT

Gather the documents that explain the current situation.

PARENTING AND LEGAL RECORDS

Current and prior custody or parenting-time orders

Any written parenting agreement

Parentage acknowledgment, order, or adoption decree

Assisted-reproduction or surrogacy records, when relevant

Protective orders or no-contact terms

Orders or pending cases from another jurisdiction

General school calendar and regular activity schedule

A neutral copy of the schedule actually followed, if different from the order

Written notice of a proposed relocation or address change

SUPPORT AND EXPENSE RECORDS

Current support order and guideline worksheet

DCSE notices or account information

Recent pay statements and tax returns

Self-employment or variable-income records

Proof of support actually paid for other children

Child-specific insurance premium information

Work-related child-care invoices

Unreimbursed health-expense records

Record of support payments or claimed arrears

DO NOT UPLOAD THESE MATERIALS TO EASY DIVORCE VIRGINIA

Do not submit children’s names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, school names, health records, photographs, account details, abuse descriptions, court documents, or financial records through the guide or the general intake. Share sensitive information only through a participating law firm’s approved process after confirming who represents you.

DO NOT REDUCE THESE FACTS TO A CHECKBOX

Some child-related issues need prompt, individual attention.

Legal parentage is uncertain, disputed, or based on assisted reproduction, surrogacy, adoption, or an out-of-state determination.

A spouse has acted as a parent but may not have legally established parentage.

Another parent, grandparent, guardian, agency, or person with a claimed legal interest may need to participate.

There is a current custody, support, parentage, protective-order, child-welfare, guardianship, or adoption case.

A court or agency order already exists.

The child moved across state lines recently, another jurisdiction entered an order, or a parent plans to move.

A parent or child is outside the United States or there is an international travel or abduction concern.

There is family abuse, sexual abuse, child abuse, violence, threats, stalking, coercive control, substance-related danger, or an unsafe exchange.

A parent cannot safely communicate, negotiate, or attend mediation with the other parent.

A child has substantial medical, developmental, educational, or therapeutic needs.

A parent seeks supervised, restricted, or suspended contact.

The parents disagree about school, medical care, mental-health care, religion, activities, travel, or relocation.

Income is self-employed, irregular, disputed, concealed, or difficult to document.

A parent seeks to impute income, deviate from the support guidelines, or set support at zero.

There are significant arrears, enforcement actions, tax intercepts, license or passport consequences, or bankruptcy questions.

The actual schedule differs from the schedule used in the support order.

A child is nearing age 18 and may qualify for high-school or disability-related continuation of support.

Either parent is being pressured to sign quickly or without independent review.

A need for more review does not mean the divorce must become a fight. It means the legal and practical details should be understood before anyone signs or changes course.

COMMON MISUNDERSTANDINGS

Eight assumptions worth checking.

COMMON ASSUMPTION

“Virginia favors mothers.”

MORE ACCURATE

Virginia law creates no presumption in favor of either parent. The child’s best interests control.

COMMON ASSUMPTION

“Joint custody means 50/50 time.”

MORE ACCURATE

Joint legal custody concerns shared responsibility and decision-making. Joint physical custody means shared care, but Virginia’s definition does not require equal time.

COMMON ASSUMPTION

“A teenager chooses where to live.”

MORE ACCURATE

A sufficiently mature child’s reasonable preference may be considered, but there is no fixed age at which the child decides the case.

COMMON ASSUMPTION

“Equal time cancels child support.”

MORE ACCURATE

The applicable guideline still considers income, custody days, coverage, child care, and other relevant facts. Equal time does not automatically produce zero support.

COMMON ASSUMPTION

“We can trade support for more or less parenting time.”

MORE ACCURATE

Support and parenting time are separate obligations. Do not use nonpayment or missed time as a self-help remedy.

COMMON ASSUMPTION

“Our private agreement replaces the old order.”

MORE ACCURATE

An existing order remains important until it is legally changed. Informal conduct can create evidence and practical issues but does not automatically rewrite the order.

COMMON ASSUMPTION

“Thirty days’ notice means a parent may relocate.”

MORE ACCURATE

Notice is not the same as court approval or agreement. A move affecting the child can require prompt legal review.

COMMON ASSUMPTION

“If we agree, the court has no role.”

MORE ACCURATE

Agreement can avoid a contested hearing, but the court retains responsibility for child-related orders and the child-support framework.

Questions parents ask about custody and support.

Can a Virginia divorce involving children be uncontested?

Yes. Parents may agree on legal custody, parenting time, support, and related terms. The court still considers the child’s best interests and applies Virginia’s child-support framework. “Uncontested” does not mean that the child-related terms are automatic or beyond review.

Does Virginia automatically favor one parent?

No. Virginia law says there is no presumption or legal inference in favor of either parent and no presumption in favor of any custody form. The court gives primary consideration to the child’s best interests.

Is joint custody the same as equal parenting time?

No. Joint legal custody concerns shared responsibility and authority to make decisions. Joint physical custody means both parents share physical and custodial care, but it does not require an exact 50/50 schedule. The written plan should state the actual schedule.

At what age can a child choose which parent to live with?

Virginia does not set a fixed age at which a child chooses. The court may consider the reasonable preference of a child it finds sufficiently capable based on intelligence, understanding, age, and experience. That preference is one factor, not an automatic decision.

Does a 50/50 schedule eliminate child support?

No. Parenting days are one part of the applicable support calculation. Both parents’ guideline income, health coverage, work-related child care, the number of children, other support duties, and additional facts may affect the result.

Can parents agree that neither will pay child support?

Parents can present agreed terms, but a zero-support or non-guideline amount is not automatically controlling. Virginia’s guideline result is presumptively correct, and a deviation requires the legally required analysis and findings. A lawyer should review any waiver or deviation language.

Is child support based only on salary?

No. Virginia’s guideline definition of gross income can include many sources beyond regular wages and contains specific inclusions, exclusions, deductions, and adjustments. Self-employment, bonuses, benefits, investments, rental income, spousal support, and duties to other children may require review.

What if one spouse is not the child’s biological parent?

Biology is not the only way legal parentage may be established, and acting as a caregiver does not by itself answer the legal question. Adoption, assisted-reproduction law, marital presumptions, acknowledgments, court orders, and other facts may matter. Obtain individual legal review.

Which Virginia court handles custody and support during a divorce?

The circuit court handles the divorce and may address custody and support when those matters are properly before it. Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court often handles custody, parenting time, parentage, and support outside the divorce. Existing cases and orders can affect which court acts next, so give the lawyer every case number and order.

Can custody or child support change after the divorce?

Yes, under the applicable legal standards. A custody change generally requires a material change of circumstances and a best-interests determination. Child support has separate modification rules. Until a court or authorized agency changes an order, do not assume a private agreement has replaced it.

What if a parent wants to move?

Virginia custody and parenting-time orders generally must require 30 days’ advance written notice to the court and the other party of an intended relocation or address change, unless the court orders otherwise for good cause. Notice does not automatically authorize the move or change the schedule. Seek advice before making commitments.

Does each parent have access to school and health records?

Virginia law generally protects each parent’s access to a minor child’s academic, health, and child-care records regardless of custody, unless a court orders otherwise for good cause or a specified health-record safety exception applies. The agreement should still address practical access and notification.

When does Virginia child support end?

The answer depends on the order and the statute. Virginia includes specific continuation rules for certain full-time high-school students until age 19 or graduation, whichever occurs first, and possible continued support for some children with severe and permanent disabilities. Parents may also agree to extend support. Have the actual order reviewed before stopping payment.

Can one lawyer represent both parents when they agree?

One lawyer should not be presented as representing both spouses in the divorce. One spouse’s lawyer may communicate with an unrepresented spouse and prepare agreed documents, but the lawyer’s duties run to the client. The other spouse may obtain independent advice before signing child-related, financial, or other lasting terms.

Continue with the part that matters to you.

GUIDE 01

What “uncontested” means

Learn which decisions generally need to be resolved before a divorce can proceed without a contested legal dispute.

Read guide →

GUIDE 02

Virginia residency

Learn how residency can affect whether a divorce may be handled in Virginia and which circuit court may be relevant.

Read guide →

GUIDE 03

Separation periods

Understand why the no-fault separation period can depend on the circumstances and what information may be important to document.

Read guide →

GUIDE 04

Property and debt

Learn how identification, classification, valuation, responsibility, and implementation are different parts of a financial agreement.

Read guide →

GUIDE 06

Separation agreements and filing

Learn what a written agreement may address and how it relates to the broader filing and court process.

Read guide →

WHEN YOU WANT TO ORGANIZE THE BASICS

Start with a few factual questions.

The Easy Divorce Virginia intake asks about residency, separation, children, property, and cooperation. Your answers provide general routing information; they do not determine parentage, evaluate custody, recommend parenting time, calculate support, or decide whether child-related terms are safe, complete, or in the child’s best interests. You decide whether to provide contact information for lawyer review.

Answer the basic questions Back to all Virginia divorce guides

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Official sources used for this guide

This guide provides general educational information. Virginia law, federal law, agency practices, and court procedures can change, and the facts involving each child and family matter.

Easy Divorce Virginia is an advertising and factual-intake service. It is not a law firm, mediator, custody evaluator, child-support agency, guardian ad litem, therapist, or emergency service. It does not determine parentage, evaluate a parent, decide a child’s best interests, recommend custody or parenting time, calculate support, select a court, or create an agreement or order. A Virginia lawyer must evaluate the individual facts. Other-state, international, tax, safety, medical, or financial professionals may also be needed.