3-4-4-3 custody schedule
In a 3-4-4-3 schedule the children spend 3 nights with one parent and 4 with the other, then 4 and 3 the next week. Each parent has half the nights over two weeks.
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
50% / 50% of nights
How the 3-4-4-3 schedule works
- Week 1: parent 1 has Monday to Wednesday (3 nights), parent 2 has Thursday to Sunday (4 nights).
- Week 2: parent 1 has Monday to Thursday (4 nights), parent 2 has Friday to Sunday (3 nights).
- There are 4 exchanges every two weeks.
- Also called 3-3-4-4 when the counting starts at a different day.
Pros
- No more than 4 nights away from either parent.
- Fewer exchanges than 2-2-3, and mostly the same days each week.
Cons
- As drawn here, parent 2 has the Friday and Saturday nights every week. Many families swap some weekends by agreement.
- The split changes between weeks (3/4, then 4/3), which can be harder to remember.
Other custody schedules
-
2-2-5-5 custody schedule
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun1122111112222250% / 50% of nights
-
Week on, week off custody schedule
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun1111111222222250% / 50% of nights
-
Every other weekend custody schedule
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun1111221111111186% / 14% of nights
Questions
- What is a 3-4-4-3 custody schedule?
- A 50/50 rotation: 3 nights with one parent and 4 with the other in the first week, then 4 and 3 in the second.
- Is 3-4-4-3 the same as 3-3-4-4?
- They are the same two-week cycle counted from a different starting day.
- Who gets weekends in a 3-4-4-3 schedule?
- With the blocks in the same place each week, one parent has the Friday and Saturday nights every week. Families who want to share weekends often trade some of them, or use 2-2-5-5 instead.
These are calendar layouts, not legal advice. Your parenting plan or court order decides your schedule.
Keeping track of school and activities too?
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