Learn how to use Alimentor, the best child custody calendar app for iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Welcome!
Alimentor is crafted with care by independent developers who value your experience.
If you have any questions about using our app
or need assistance in achieving specific goals, we are here to assist you.
Your feedback is invaluable to us.
If you encounter any difficulties or have suggestions for improvement,
don't hesitate to get in touch.
We rely on your input to enhance your experience.
Expect a response to your support requests within 12 hours.
Thank you for choosing Alimentor, the indie developer app tailored to your needs! ❤️
Track visitation time only for one of the parents to minimize data entry effort.
Report calendar can be configured to automatically assign unallocated time to the selected caregiver.
Each parenting time record can simultaneously store information about both
the planned parenting time (custody schedule)
and the actual time when your child was with you or another caregiver.
To log no‑shows, withheld visitations, missed payments, and other scheduled events
that did not occur use the Canceled status.
Optionally, use the Disagreement indicator to highlight conflicting events on the report.
You can create four types of records: parenting time, calls, expenses and memos.
Tap ＋ or any day on the calendar to add a new record.
iOS
Use the selector located above the calendar to choose
what type of events you want to add or edit at the moment.
Use the Setup button
located in the Report view to customize your report.
For everyday use, a short reporting period,
usually a monthly or a 4-week period, is recommended.
You can share your data with other users using
iCloud Sync
or export your records to external calendars thanks to
CalSync.
Consider recreating your historical visitation schedule
by defining recurring events that start in the past.
Use the calendar view or the Planned list
to switch the status of each historical event from Planned to Actual,
at the same time adjusting the dates to reflect any deviations.
To import a visitation stored in your device calendar to Alimentor,
open it using the calendar view in Alimentor and then select Import as Parenting Time.
Event Statuses
Depending on their status, events are shown in two different views:
Planned events are shown in Planned.
Actual and canceled events are shown in Diary.
Set the status of the event to Canceled in order to log: no‑shows, withheld visitations, missed payments.
Calendars
Bar Colors
Calendar bars can use colors assigned to caregivers or beneficiaries.
To choose your preferred setting:
Mac iPad
Use the Bar Colors setting located in Filters.
To change colors used in the report calendar modify the Breakdown by setting.
iPhone
Calendar uses colors assigned to children/beneficiaries
if you choose to display data for a caregiver.
Likewise, when you choose to display data for a child,
then color shown in the calendar will be read from the caregiver’s profile.
Autofill
Report calendar can be configured to automatically assign unallocated time to the selected caregiver.
Autofill is configured in reporting settings and works only in the Custody Calendar section of the report.
The main application calendar does not use autofill.
To edit your reporting preferences, use the Setup button
located in the upper left corner of the Report View.
Scroll down to the Calendar section and choose the default parent in the Autofill setting.
Make sure this person is also selected as one of the caregivers included in the scope of the report.
To include an event in your custody schedule set its Scheduled attribute.
This property is set automatically for planned, canceled and recurring events.
In case of nonrecurring events:
clear the Scheduled attribute when logging unplanned parenting time,
set the Scheduled attribute for events that are part of your agreed schedule.
Regular Schedule
You can create recurring events that repeat themselves:
weekly,
monthly,
yearly,
daily,
on selected weeks of the month.
You can create complex visitation schedules by using multiple recurring events.
For example, to define a 3-2-2 parenting plan,
create 3 events, each repeating biweekly:
Friday-Monday (3 n),
Wednesday-Friday (2 n),
Monday-Wednesday (2 n).
School Time
Most parents avoid excluding time at school from parenting time as this complicates tracking and reporting.
The resulting reports would contain significantly more records and could be difficult for mediators or the court to read.
The simplest way to get a more equitable distribution of time
than if you considered all time at school to be parenting time assigned to one parent is,
on days when one parent brings the children to school and the other parent picks them up,
to enter a time in the middle of the school day as the start/end of parenting time.
Holidays
For holidays that occur on fixed dates
consider creating recurring events that repeat every two years
(minor adjustments might be necessary for observed holidays).
For other holidays you can manually create
the required parenting time records for one or two years ahead.
To let you flexibly define holiday visitation schedule:
Parenting time records representing your regular schedule and holiday schedule can overlap.
Timeshare and totals calculation algorithm takes it into account.
This minimizes the need to alter your regular visitation schedule.
You can change the scheduled dates of individual occurrences of a recurring event and delete unwanted occurrences.
Adjusting a single occurrence does not affect the remaining occurrences.
Schedule Adjustments
To enter individual deviations from your basic schedule
(e.g. school holidays or vacations), use the calendar
or navigate to the Planned view and edit or delete chosen entries.
Changing the scheduled dates for a single occurrence of a recurring event
does not affect the other occurrences.
In addition to changing the planned dates, you can also edit the title
and add notes e.g. containing an email confirming the agreed schedule change.
When you need to make permanent changes to your schedule,
you can delimit existing recurring events and create new ones.
To quickly navigate to the initial instance of a recurring event
in order to edit the repetition rule,
e.g. to change the date when the repetition ends
or to delete the rule altogether:
iOS
Open any occurrence of the recurring event
and tap the "i" button located in the Repeat row.
Choose Edit Recurring Event when prompted.
Tap the Repeat row and make any required changes.
Mac
Open any occurrence of the recurring event
and click the Tools toolbar button,
select Show Recurring Event.
Comparing Alternative Schedules
To test potential custody schedule adjustments you can edit existing recurring events.
When you change a recurrence rule, the changes are applied to all occurrences that were not manually edited.
If you want to go further and compare two (or more) alternative schedules,
you can define additional temporary caregivers (e.g. John V1, John V2)
and then create recurring events assigned to them.
New events can be created from scratch
or by duplicating existing events (use the "Duplicate" tool available in the event editor).
Once you have decided on the optimum schedule,
remove unwanted recurring events and then delete unused caregivers.
Actual Visitation Time vs. Schedule
Each parenting time record can simultaneously store information about both
the planned parenting time (custody schedule)
and the actual time when your child was with you or another caregiver.
This allows Alimentor to detect and report deviations from your agreed schedule.
To store both time pairs (planned and actual), set the record status to Actual
and make sure that the Scheduled switch is turned on.
For example, if a particular visitation was supposed to take place from March 25th to 27th (planned),
but it was actually longer: 23rd - 28th, then it should be logged as follows:
Custodial Timeshare
The visitation timeshare (the percentage of time each parent has the child)
is calculated as: Custody time duration / Reporting period duration * 100%.
Alimentor calculates two different percentages:
Timeshare percentage (hr %) - based on hours
Nights percentage (n %) - based on nights
iOS
The custodial timeshare shown in the Home View below the calendar is based on hours and calculated for a monthly period.
You can change your reporting settings in order to calculate
parenting timeshare for a custom period of time.
To set your reporting preferences,
including custom reporting period,
use the Setup button
located in the upper left corner of the Report View.
Expenses
When tracking expenses, use the first field to indicate the payer
and the second field (where you can select multiple persons) to enter beneficiaries (payees).
If you track your own expenses, put your name in both fields.
To track reimbursements enter one parent as payer and the other one as payee.
In order to log unpaid, scheduled (agreed) expenses, use the status Canceled.
You can export all Alimentor data records to a spreadsheet file
in order to perform some advanced calculations or to create charts.
To generate a file in .xlsx format:
iOS
Navigate to Settings
and tap Export to Spreadsheet.
Mac
Choose File > Export as Spreadsheet... from the menu bar in Alimentor.
Use record type Call for logging parent‑child call history (date, time, duration).
The title field can be used to store the call type, for example: FaceTime, Phone Call.
iOS
If you add contact details to your child’s profile,
they will be displayed in the event editor (for call records) to let you quickly initiate a call.
When the call is ended, the call date and duration fields will be automatically updated.
Documenting Conversations
Mac
To copy iMessage or SMS conversations to Alimentor using your Mac,
make sure to enable Messages in iCloud,
launch Messages and display the conversion that you want to copy,
then use one of the following options:
Copying as text:
Press and hold ⇧Shift,
then click on the first and the last message that you want to copy.
Next choose Edit > Copy from the menu bar in Messages (⌘+C).
Switch to Alimentor, start editing the selected event and navigate to the notes field.
Paste the copied text by choosing Edit > Paste from the menu bar (⌘+V).
Copying as PDF:
Select File > Print… from the menu bar in Messages.
Click the PDF button and select Save as PDF.
Choose a file location and click Save.
Switch to Alimentor and start editing the selected event.
Click the Add PDF Documents button and select the previously saved file.
Copying as image:Take a screenshot of the Messages app window
using the Screenshot app (⇧+⌘+4) and then add it to the selected Alimentor record as image.
iOS
To document iMessage or SMS conversations in Alimentor for iOS,
launch Messages from your Home screen,
scroll to the relevant part of the conversation
and use one of the following options:
Copying as image:
To take a screenshot on your iPhone or iPad
press the side button and the volume up button at the same time,
then quickly release both buttons.
After you take a screenshot, a thumbnail temporarily appears in the lower‑left corner of your screen.
Tap the thumbnail to open it, then tap the Share button located in the upper right corner
and select Copy from the list of available options.
Switch to Alimentor and start editing the selected event.
Tap Add Photos and select Paste from Clipboard.
Copying as text:
Tap and hold the message that you want to copy.
Tap Copy.
Switch to Alimentor and start editing the selected event.
Tap Add Notes and paste the copied message.
Documenting E‑Mail Correspondence
E‑mail correspondence can be stored in Alimentor as PDF documents.
Mac
On your Mac:
Open Mail and select the message(s) you want to export.
Next choose File > Export as PDF... from the menu bar.
Choose a file location and click Save.
Switch to Alimentor and start editing the selected event.
Click the Add PDF Documents button and select the previously saved file.
iOS
On your iPhone or iPad:
Open Mail and tap the message you want to export.
Tap the action button.
The action button looks like a reply arrow (it's also used to reply to or forward email messages).
Tap Print to open the printer options.
Pinch open the thumbnail image of your email.
The Printer Options will be replaced with the PDF version of your email message.
Tap the Share button in the upper right corner of the screen.
Tap Copy.
Switch to Alimentor and start editing the selected event.
Tap Add PDF Documents and select Paste from Clipboard.
Locations
Parenting time records can store pick‑up and drop‑off locations.
Memos and expense records can store event location.
A single record can contain scheduled and actual locations.
Actual locations can be manually selected on the map or obtained by reading the location of your device.
Locations obtained from the user's device location are marked with an icon:
- matching timestamp (GPS timestamp matches event date and time).
- non‑matching timestamp (difference greater than 5 minutes).
You can manually adjust the location obtained from your device location
by selecting the desired point on the map view within 150 feet from your current location.
Reporting
To change your reporting settings, tap the Setup button
located in the Report View.
Color legend and formatting:
Black color - represents actual values.
Gray color - represents scheduled values.
Scheduled and actual values are presented in separate tables.
Available layouts: Actual vs. Schedule, Actual, Schedule.
The length of a single report is limited to 200 pages.
Alimentor uses Apple's CloudKit, part of iCloud, to sync and backup your data
and therefore you do not need a separate account/login process.
With iCloud Sync, your data is seamlessly pushed across all of your devices (that use the same Apple ID).
iCloud is a service running in the background on your device
and updates may take a few seconds or several minutes to appear on other devices.
To turn on iCloud Sync:
iOS
Navigate to Settings,
select iCloud Sync
and tap Turn On iCloud Sync.
Mac
Choose Settings... from the Alimentor menu bar.
Select the iCloud Sync tab,
click Turn On iCloud Sync.
To display or change your Apple ID and iCloud storage settings:
iOS
Open the Settings app, tap [your name].
Tap iCloud, then scroll down and
find "Alimentor 2".
Mac
Go to System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud.
Make sure that iCloud Drive is turned on.
Next to iCloud Drive, click Options and
find "Alimentor 2.app".
If you are syncing large amount of data for the first time,
please let the initial upload to come to an end,
then allow a few minutes for Apple servers to index freshly uploaded data
before turning on iCloud Sync on the secondary device(s).
If you have used iCloud Sync before and are turning it back on,
please be aware that Alimentor data records stored on your device will be
merged with the records stored in iCloud.
Sharing Data With Other Alimentor Users
How it works:
You can invite one or more users to access your data.
Data is always shared in a read-only mode, your records cannot be changed or deleted by someone else.
Users can mutually share data by creating and exchanging invitations with access rights.
If somebody shares with you data for a person that has the same nickname as the one that you have already used,
then Alimentor will link both person's profiles and display the combined data.
If you do not want to sync data shared by another user, you can disable the obtained access rights.
Previously downloaded data records will be removed from your device(s).
You can always revoke already granted access rights.
Shared data will be removed from the other user's device(s).
To let another Alimentor user access your data:
iOS
Open Alimentor and navigate to Settings > iCloud Sync,
tap Manage Access.
Choose how you would like to send your invitation, select recipients
and send the invitation link.
Mac
Click the Sharing button located in the toolbar above the calendar.
Choose how you would like to send your invitation, select recipients
and send the invitation link.
The sharing dialog box allows you to choose whether the access link
will work only for the people you invite or for anyone who gets the link.
v. 2.7.1
To accept an invitation that you have received from another user:
Tap the authentication link that you have received to open it in Alimentor.
Confirm that you want to open "Alimentor 2 Database" shared by another user.
Wait for the shared data to be completely downloaded.
Backup and Restore
iCloud Sync
When iCloud Sync is enabled, Alimentor maintains a copy of your data in iCloud and all changes are automatically backed up.
It is highly recommended to backup your records,
otherwise you risk losing your data when your device is lost or broken.
To manually enable iCloud Sync:
iOS
Navigate to Settings,
select iCloud Sync
and tap Turn On iCloud Sync.
Mac
Choose Settings... from the Alimentor menu bar.
Select the iCloud Sync tab,
click Turn On iCloud Sync.
Alimentor calendar can display up-to-date content of your device calendar,
showing daily events, holidays and visitations together.
To turn on access to system calendars in Alimentor:
iOS
Turn on the Device Calendar switch displayed under the calendar.
Mac
Click the System Calendars... button
displayed on the left side of the main window.
Enabling access to system calendars does not affect any data stored in Alimentor database.
Importing Events
Events stored in your device calendar can be manually imported to Alimentor as parenting time records.
If you used to track your visitations using your iPhone/iPad/Mac calendar, you can use this feature
to create historical records in Alimentor.
To import a visitation open it using the calendar view in Alimentor and then select Import as Parenting Time.
Imported records are not affected by any later changes made to the original events.
Disabling access to system calendars has no effect on such records.
Exporting Events
You can set up automatic export of Alimentor records to one or more
calendar accounts configured on your iPhone/iPad/Mac (iCloud, Gmail, Outlook...).
In this way, you can indirectly share your Alimentor calendar with someone
who cannot install the app because they are using an Android device or a Windows computer.
To configure automatic export of events:
iOS
Navigate to Settings,
select CalSync
and tap Add Rule.
Mac
Choose Settings... from the Alimentor menu bar.
Select the CalSync tab,
click Add Rule.
By default, exported events are not shown in Alimentor
to avoid displaying the original and exported events simultaneously.
The visibility of exported events is controlled by the Hide in App switch.
Data Deletion
To delete all your data (this operation is irreversible):
iOS
Navigate to Settings.
Select iCloud Sync if syncing is enabled,
otherwise choose Device Data.
Tap Delete Data and confirm.
Mac
Choose Settings... from the Alimentor menu bar.
Select the Database tab.
Click Delete My Data.
Preparing for Court
The following tips can help you when preparing for court:
Prepare several shorter reports focusing on specific periods, topics and factors,
instead of trying to generate one huge report with all the information collected.
Tag your records with the "best interests" factors,
then generate the Custody Journal section of the report
using the "Best Interests of the Child" layout.
Give this document to your attorney in order to minimize the time needed to prepare a legal brief.
Turn on reporting of the last record modification date,
by toggling the Last Modification Date switch
located in the Custody Journal reporting settings section.
This will make your reports even more acceptable by the courts,
as they will be considered less susceptible to manipulation and less likely to be false.
You can use almost any popular PDF reader on your PC or Mac
to add extra annotations to the final version of your report.
If you are using a Mac, you can
use Preview to annotate a PDF on Mac.
You can export all Alimentor data records to a spreadsheet file
in order to perform some advanced calculations or to create charts.
To generate a file in .xlsx format:
iOS
Navigate to Settings
and tap Export to Spreadsheet.
Mac
Choose File > Export as Spreadsheet... from the menu bar in Alimentor.
If you had been regularly sending Alimentor reports to the other parent (e.g. using email) in the past,
consider using that fact to prove that the other parent was aware of the actual situation.
The search functionality located in Diary
will help you quickly look up records containing specific notes and titles.
Turn off portrait photos in reporting settings to reduce report file size.
You can install Alimentor on an iPhone, iPad and Mac.
The iOS and macOS versions of the app (sold separately)
use the same private iCloud container for backup and data synchronization,
so all changes are seamlessly propagated to all your devices.
Downloading Alimentor requires only a one‑time purchase. There are no subscriptions or any other charges.
The learn how to check your App Store purchase history please refer to this
Apple Support article.
Requires macOS 12.2 or later.
Updated for macOS 14 (Sonoma).
Try the 40‑day free trial version of the desktop application.
The Mac app is fully compatible with Alimentor 2 for iOS and syncs data with it.
We invite you to try it out and share your feedback with us.
Installation:
Open the downloaded archive and move the "Alimentor 2.app" file to the "Applications" folder.
Troubleshooting
macOS
If Alimentor crashes after updating macOS to version 13.2, reinstall the application.
This problem affects only a small group of users.
For a currently unknown reason, the update process may prevent the system from launching Alimentor correctly.
Affected users have confirmed that reinstalling the app solved the problem.
Alimentor 1 Discontinuation Notice
Alimentor 1 (blue icon) was discontinued in December 2019
and is no longer actively adapted to new iOS versions.
Since November 2018, we have been offering Alimentor 2 (green icon).
Migration from
Alimentor 1
to Alimentor 2
When Alimentor 2 is installed on a device where Alimentor 1 is already present,
it automatically offers the option to import a copy of existing data from Alimentor 1.
Data migration is performed directly on the device without using iCloud.
Support Alimentor Development
If you like what we're doing and would like to support us we would be very grateful. Helping us could involve any of the following:
Writing a social media post promoting our app.
Telling your mediator or lawyer about Alimentor.
Adding a link to Alimentor website on your blog, profile, etc….
