Every other weekend custody schedule
In an every other weekend schedule, the kids live mostly with one parent and spend every second weekend with the other. Here the weekend runs from Friday after school to Monday morning, which is three nights out of every fourteen, or about 78 nights a year before holidays.
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An example
Parent A and Parent B, starting this Monday. Your own calendar uses your names, start day and holidays.
Two weeks
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday October 26: Parent A | Tuesday October 27: Parent A | Wednesday October 28: Parent A | Thursday October 29: Parent A, today | Friday October 30: Parent B, changes homes | Saturday October 31: Parent B | Sunday November 1: Parent B |
| Monday November 2: Parent A, changes homes | Tuesday November 3: Parent A | Wednesday November 4: Parent A | Thursday November 5: Parent A | Friday November 6: Parent A | Saturday November 7: Parent A | Sunday November 8: Parent A |
| Monday November 9: Parent A | Tuesday November 10: Parent A | Wednesday November 11: Parent A | Thursday November 12: Parent A | Friday November 13: Parent B, changes homes | Saturday November 14: Parent B | Sunday November 15: Parent B |
| Monday November 16: Parent A, changes homes | Tuesday November 17: Parent A | Wednesday November 18: Parent A | Thursday November 19: Parent A | Friday November 20: Parent A | Saturday November 21: Parent A | Sunday November 22: Parent A |
| Monday November 23: Parent A | Tuesday November 24: Parent A | Wednesday November 25: Parent A | Thursday November 26: Parent A | Friday November 27: Parent B, changes homes | Saturday November 28: Parent B | Sunday November 29: Parent B |
| Monday November 30: Parent A, changes homes | Tuesday December 1: Parent A | Wednesday December 2: Parent A | Thursday December 3: Parent A | Friday December 4: Parent A | Saturday December 5: Parent A | Sunday December 6: Parent A |
From October 26, 2026 to October 25, 2027: 287 nights with Parent A and 78 nights with Parent B (78.6% and 21.4%), before holidays.
How it works
- Week one: Monday to Thursday with Parent A, then Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights with Parent B. On Monday morning the kids go back to Parent A.
- Week two: every night with Parent A.
- Then the two weeks repeat. The kids change homes twice in every two weeks.
3 of 14 nights with the weekend parent2 changes every two weeks
Common variations
- Friday to Sunday evening
- A shorter weekend that ends Sunday at an agreed time: two nights out of fourteen, about 52 nights a year. Pick “Every other weekend, Friday to Sunday” when you make your calendar.
- With a weeknight
- Many families add one night in the middle of each week, which gives five nights out of fourteen. Pick “Every other weekend and one weeknight” when you make your calendar.
- 1st, 3rd and 5th weekends
- Counted by the month instead of every second week, so the weekends never drift. Some months have two weekends in a row.
Things families weigh
- There are few changes: two every two weeks.
- The weekend parent can go up to eleven nights without the kids, which is why many families add a weeknight visit.
- Holidays and summer time often matter more in this schedule, since they change the balance most.
Your family decides which schedule fits, with your lawyer or mediator if you have one. This page only explains how the schedule works.
Questions
How many nights is every other weekend?
With a Friday to Monday weekend, 3 of every 14 nights, about 78 a year before holidays. With a Friday to Sunday weekend, 2 of every 14, about 52 a year.
What percentage is every other weekend?
About 21% of nights for a Friday to Monday weekend, or about 14% for Friday to Sunday. Holidays and summer weeks change the real number, which is why the calendar counts every night.
Can we add holidays to an every other weekend schedule?
Yes. Holidays replace the regular nights for their dates, and the weekends carry on counting underneath. Switching who has each holiday every year is common.
Is every other weekend the same as 80/20?
Close. Plain every other weekend is nearer 80/20 or 85/15. Adding a weeknight moves it to about 65/35, and summer weeks move it further.
Make your own calendar
Pick who has the kids this week and which holidays to include, and the calendar fills in the whole year, plus a calendar for each of your kids.
Start with this schedule