70/30 Custody Schedule: Four Examples and How the Math Works

A 70/30 custody schedule gives one parent about 70% of overnights and the other about 30%. Over a 365-night year that is roughly 255 nights to 110 nights. Over a repeating two-week cycle it is about 10 nights to 4 nights.

It is one of the most common arrangements in the United States, because it fits families where one home is the school-week base and the other parent has substantial, regular time rather than only alternate weekends.

Example 1 — Every other weekend plus one midweek overnight

The most widely ordered 70/30 pattern. Parent B has Friday to Sunday every other weekend, plus one overnight each week (commonly Wednesday).

• Two-week cycle: 4 nights with Parent B, 10 with Parent A
• Exchanges per month: about 6
• Best for: school-age children, parents within a normal commute of the school

Example 2 — Extended alternate weekends (Thursday to Monday)

Parent B takes Thursday after school through Monday drop-off every other week.

• Two-week cycle: 4 nights with Parent B, 10 with Parent A
• Exchanges per month: 4 — the lowest-friction version of 70/30
• Best for: high-conflict cases where fewer handoffs matter more than midweek contact

Example 3 — Every weekend, no midweek

Parent B has Friday to Sunday every week; Parent A has all school nights.

• Two-week cycle: 4 nights with Parent B
• Note: courts sometimes resist this because Parent A never gets a weekend with the children

Example 4 — Nine-day rotation

Parent B has a three-day block every nine days. It produces about a 67/33 split and is used when a parent works a rotating shift.

Counting it the way a court does

Almost every state counts overnights, not hours or days. A Saturday afternoon visit with no overnight usually adds nothing to the percentage, even though it is meaningful time. Count the cycle, not the calendar month, then multiply.

Use the custody percentage calculator to check your own pattern, and read how courts count overnights before you quote a number in a filing.

Why the percentage matters financially

In income-shares and hybrid states, crossing a parenting-time threshold can change the child support figure. Some states have a shared-parenting adjustment that begins near 30% of overnights, which makes the difference between a 65/35 and a 70/30 order financially real. Check your state on the child support estimator.

Making 70/30 work in practice

The 30% parent is the one most likely to miss school notices, medical appointments, and last-minute changes. Fix that with structure, not goodwill: a shared calendar both parents see, written swap requests, and a transfer log so nobody is arguing later about who arrived when.

Related reading: 60/40 custody schedules and the complete 50/50 schedule guide.