Michael J. Peterson, Attorney

Example of a 3-4-4-3 Custody Schedule

The image above represents a month of the custody schedule for co-parents Joe and Emma. In this example, during with the week starting on Monday children stay with Joe on the following days:

• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - First Week
• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - Second Week

Children stay with Emma on the following days:

• Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday - First Week
• Friday, Saturday, Sunday - Second Week

Starting from the 3rd week, the whole cycle repeats again.

This example of 3-4-4-3 Custody Schedule was built using the Google Calendar but you can use Outlook or any other calendaring application or a paper calendar to do the same. You can also use a spreadsheet such as Excel or Google Sheets.

 

Can you change the start day?

Yes, if both parents mutually agree or if a court orders, then they can change the start day of their 3-4-4-3 custody schedule. For example, if the co-parents want the week to start on Sunday, not Monday they can move up all the assigned days by one day.

 

Can you change the pickup and drop-off time?

With mutual consent, co-parents can alter the pickup and drop time.  Ideally, it is the in the afternoon at 3pm or 4pm to accomodate children's school schedule.

 

How to account for the third-party time?

If children are not going to be with either parent because of their routine schedules, such as daycare or school, then there is no real need to mark those times on your calendar.

 

What are the pros and cons of the 3-4-4-3 schedule?

Pros:

• Children can spend time with both parents each week without being away for long.
• The schedule is easy to understand.
• It can work well with professions with unusual schedules, such as gig workers and healthcare.
• Both parents get to spend an equal amount of time with their children.
• Both parents are the active caretakers of their children.
• It works perfectly with children of all ages.

Cons:

• The upfront planning can be confusing for co-parents.
• The frequent exchange of children requires an additional time commitment from both parents.
•  It can easily become a source of conflict. A good communication plan should be in place.
• The children may feel overwhelmed with frequent switching of homes. 
• The children may have trouble planning their playdates and other activities because of the frequent changes.
• Parents must live nearby for easy exchange of children.

 

In conclusion, a 3-4-4-3 custody schedule is a good variation of a 50/50 joint custody schedule.  If documented properly in a parenting plan it can be a good schedule for parents with younger children.  It is also a good alternative to the 2-2-5-5 schedule, the Alternating Weeks schedule, the Extended Weekends, and the 2-2 Custody schedule.  You can also consider 2 Weeks Each Custody Schedule.

 

Fact Check and Resources

In crafting this post, we conducted thorough fact-checking and research, consulting the following sources:

1. AAML New Jersey Chapter
2. Planning for Parenting Time - Supreme Court of Ohio
3. Oregon Judicial Department
4. Office of the Attorney General Texas
5. Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court

 

Other Custody Schedules

Typical 50/50 Custody Schedules

• Alternating Weeks - 50%
• Extended Weekends - 50%
• 2-2-3 Custody - 50%
• 2-2-5-5 Custody - 50%
• 2 Weeks Each - 50%
• Alternating 2 Days - 50%
• 3-4-4-3 Days - 50%

 

Popular Summer Custody Schedules

• Full time entire summer, alternate weekends and one overnight per week during fall, spring and winter - 39%
• Entire summer, alternate weekends, and one evening per week - 30%
• Every other weekend, one overnight per week, one month during the summer, and half the holidays - 29%
• Every other weekend, one evening/week, four summer weeks and half the holidays - 28%
• Every other weekend, one month during summer and half of the holidays - 23%
• First, third and fith extended weekend  - 24
• Every other weekend and half the holidays and summer - 22%
• Every other weekend, four weeks of summer and half the holidays - 21%
• Every other weekend, two weeks during the summer and half the holidays - 19%
• Every other weekend and two weeks during the summer - 18%
• 2 Weeks only during the summer break - 4%

 

Popular Weekend Parenting Arrangements

• Every other extended weekend and one overnight per week - 36%
• Every other extended weekend and one evening per week - 28%
• Every other weekend, half of the school vacation, one evening/week when school in session - 28%
• Every other weekend and one overnight per week - 28%
• Every other weekend  and one evening per week - 21%
• First and third extended weekend of every month - 21%
• Every other extended weekend - 21%
• Two extended weekends per month - 20%
• One overnight and one extended weekend per week - 19%
• First, third and fifth weekend - 15%
• Ever Other Weekend - 14%
• One weekend per month and one evening per week - 14%
• Two weekends per month - 13%
• One extended weekend per month - 10% (Aka 90/10 schedule)
• One weekend per month - 7%

Warning:  This post is neither financial, health, legal, or personal advice nor a substitute for the advice offered by a professional. These are serious matters, and the help of a professional is recommended as it can impact your future.