60/40 Custody Schedule: The 4-3 and 5-2 Rotations Explained
60/40 sits between alternate weekends and true 50/50 — about 219 nights to 146. Here are the rotations that create it and when a court is likely to order one.
A 60/40 custody schedule gives one parent about 60% of overnights and the other about 40%. That is roughly 219 nights to 146 nights a year, or 6 nights to 4 nights in a ten-night stretch.
Families land here for a practical reason: 50/50 is not workable because of distance, work schedules, or a child's needs, but alternate weekends is clearly too little.
The 4-3 rotation
The cleanest 60/40. Parent A has four consecutive nights, Parent B has three, and the pattern repeats weekly on fixed days.
- Weekly: 4 nights / 3 nights — an exact 57/43 split
- Exchanges per month: about 8
- Best for: school-age children with two nearby homes
- The days never move, which makes it easy for children to memorise
See the full 4-3 schedule page for a rendered calendar.
The 5-2 rotation
Parent A has five nights (usually the school week plus one weekend night), Parent B has two fixed nights every week.
- Weekly: 5 / 2 — a 71/29 split, so this is really the top edge of the range
- Exchanges per month: about 8
- Best for: keeping a stable school week while giving regular, predictable weekend time
Extended weekends plus a midweek overnight
Thursday to Monday every other week plus a weekly midweek overnight produces about 6 nights per 14 for the second parent — a genuine 60/40 with only moderate transitions.
60/40 versus 50/50
Courts increasingly start from a presumption of substantial time for both parents, and 60/40 is frequently the negotiated landing point when one parent's work makes equal time impossible. It is easier to defend than alternate weekends and easier to operate than 2-2-3 when the homes are not close together.
If you are choosing between them, weigh three things: the driving distance, the number of exchanges you can realistically manage, and the child's age. Younger children need shorter gaps; teenagers usually prefer fewer moves.
Getting the number right before you file
Do not estimate. Count overnights across the full repeating cycle with the custody percentage calculator, then build the actual dates with the custody schedule generator.
Related reading: 70/30 schedule examples and custody schedules by child age.
The CustodyTrac Team
Written for parents building two-home families.