The 4-3 Custody Schedule

Four nights with one parent, three with the other, repeating every week.

Also written as 4/3 schedule, 4-3 custody, four three schedule.

Overnight split: 57/43
Cycle length: 7 days
Exchanges: 2 per cycle
Longest gap: 4 nights

See 4-3 on a calendar

Change the start date, swap which parent begins, or tap a night to move it. The overnight counts update as you go.

Schedule pattern

Majority time

Four nights with one parent and three with the other, repeating every week, the most common way to build a 60/40 split.

January 2026

Parent A
Parent B

Tap any night to switch parents.

A 4-3 schedule is the simplest way to build a near-equal arrangement that still has a clear primary home. One parent takes Monday through Thursday, the other takes Friday through Sunday, and the whole thing repeats every seven days.

It is usually described as a 60/40 schedule. The actual arithmetic is 4 nights out of 7, which is 57.1% and 42.9%, close, but not 60/40. If your state's child-support calculation is sensitive to the exact overnight count, use the real number rather than the label.

Everything is fixed. Every Monday looks like every other Monday. For families coming out of a chaotic first year of separation, that predictability is often worth more than a few percentage points.

How 4-3 works

The week, night by night

Parent A has Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. Parent B has Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Two exchanges a week, on the same two days, forever.

The real split

Four of seven nights is 57.1%, and three of seven is 42.9%. Across a year that's roughly 209 nights and 156 nights. Many plans call this 60/40 as shorthand; the calendar below shows the exact figures.

Getting closer to 60/40

No clean weekly or two-week pattern lands on a genuine 60/40. Four nights of seven is 57/43. Nine of fourteen overshoots at 64/36, and eight of fourteen is the same 57/43 as the weekly version. Alternating a nine-night block with an eight-night block averages 17 nights out of 28, which is almost exactly 60/40. Build a custom cycle in the tool below and watch the percentage as you paint the nights.

Deciding between this and another pattern? Put them side by side in the custody schedule comparison tool, check your exact numbers with the parenting time calculator, and when the schedule is settled, turn it into a court-ready parenting plan.

Pros and cons

What works well

Completely predictable: every week is identical
Only two exchanges a week
Gives one parent every weekend
Close enough to equal to satisfy many shared-parenting expectations

What to watch for

Not actually 60/40, despite the common label
One parent gets no weekend time at all
The weekday parent carries all the school-morning logistics

Who 4-3 usually suits

Families where one parent's work makes weekday mornings impossible but weekends are wide open, and families that want most of the benefits of shared parenting with one clear primary residence for school enrollment purposes.

How it compares

The same figures for the schedules parents usually weigh against this one.

Schedule	Split	Cycle	Exchanges	Longest gap
4-3This page	57/43	7 days	2 / cycle	4 nights
3-4-4-3	50/50	14 days	4 / cycle	4 nights
Every other weekend + midweek	71/29	14 days	6 / cycle	6 nights
2-2-5-5	50/50	14 days	4 / cycle	5 nights

Common questions

Is a 4-3 schedule really 60/40?

Not exactly. Four nights out of seven is 57.1% and three is 42.9%. It's commonly called 60/40 as shorthand, but if the exact overnight number matters, and for child support it usually does, use the real figure.

How many overnights a year is a 4-3 schedule?

Roughly 209 nights for the four-night parent and 156 for the three-night parent, before holidays are layered on.

Can the weekend parent get weekday time?

Yes, swap the blocks so the four-night parent takes Thursday to Sunday. Or move to 3-4-4-3, which alternates Thursday and gives an exactly equal split while keeping most weekdays fixed.

Does 4-3 count as joint custody?

Many states treat a 57/43 division as shared or joint physical custody, but the thresholds vary and some states use a specific overnight percentage. State law and local court rules vary, so confirm the specifics with your court or an attorney before you file.

Document preparation only: not legal advice. Not affiliated with any court.