A 60/40 custody schedule gives one parent about 60 percent of the overnights (roughly 219 nights a year) and the other about 40 percent (roughly 146 nights). California has no default custody schedule. Parents can agree to a 60/40 split, an equal 50/50 schedule such as the 2-2-3 rotation, a 70/30 arrangement, or almost any other plan, and when they cannot agree, a judge chooses the schedule that serves the child’s best interests.

This guide from Wade Litigation, a California family law firm founded by Amiel Wade, explains how the most common California custody schedules work, how each converts to a timeshare percentage and overnights per year, how judges evaluate a proposed schedule, and how your schedule affects child support. For a broader overview of custody law, visit our California child custody page.

Key Takeaways

• California encourages frequent, ongoing contact with both parents when it is safe, but it doesn’t require a 50/50 split or favor any particular schedule.
• The most common equal schedules are 2-2-3, 3-4-4-3, 2-2-5-5, and alternating weeks. Each gives both parents 7 overnights in every 14.
• A true 60/40 split is about 219 and 146 overnights a year. Most real-world 60/40 schedules work out to about 57/43 or 64/36 on a weekly basis.
• A 70/30 custody schedule usually means alternating weekends plus a midweek overnight, or about 104 overnights a year for the parent with less time.
• Holiday and vacation schedules generally take priority over the regular weekly rotation.
• Timeshare is a major input in California’s child support formula, so your schedule directly affects support.

How Do California Courts Decide on a Custody Schedule?

When parents cannot agree, the judge’s guiding question is what arrangement best serves the child. Under Family Code Section 3011, the court considers the child’s health, safety, and welfare, any history of abuse, the nature and amount of contact with each parent, and any habitual or continual use of illegal drugs, alcohol,l or controlled substances. Family Code Section 3020 adds that California policy favors frequent, ongoing contact with both parents, but when that goal conflicts with the child’s health, safety, and welfare, safety comes first.

California law makes no preference or presumption for or against joint physical custody or sole custody, giving judges wide discretion. In practice, judges look closely at:

• Each parent’s historical role in caring for the child
• Work schedules and each parent’s ability to handle school mornings and pickups
• The distance between the two homes and the child’s school
• The child’s age, developmental needs, and activities
• How well the parents communicate and handle exchanges
• The child’s own wishes, if the child is mature enough to express a preference

If a court finds that a parent committed domestic violence against the other parent or the child within the past five years, a rebuttable presumption arises against giving that parent sole or joint custody, and the schedule may involve supervised visitation. Our California restraining order attorneys handle those protective order issues alongside custody.

Before a judge decides a contested custody issue, California requires parents to attend court-ordered child custody mediation. In some counties, the mediator recommends a decision to the judge if the parents don’t agree, a process called Child Custody Recommending Counseling. Our article with mediation tips from a California attorney explains how to prepare.

Custody Schedules at a Glance: Percentages and Overnights per Year

Timeshare is usually measured by counting overnights over a full year. Here is how common schedules convert, based on a regular two-week cycle before holidays and summer are added:

• 50/50 (2-2-3, 3-4-4-3, 2-2-5-5, alternating weeks): 7 of 14 overnights each, or about 182 to 183 nights a year per parent.
• 4-3 schedule: 8 of 14 and 6 of 14, or about 57 and 43 percent. That is roughly 209 and 156 nights a year.
• True 60/40: about 219 and 146 nights a year.
• Alternating Friday to Monday weekends plus one midweek overnight every week: 9 of 14 and 5 of 14, or about 64 and 36 percent. That is roughly 235 and 130 nights a year.
• 70/30 (alternating Friday to Sunday weekends plus one midweek overnight every week): 10 of 14 and 4 of 14, or about 71 and 29 percent. That is roughly 261 and 104 nights a year.
• Alternating Friday to Monday weekends only: about 79 and 21 percent, or roughly 287 and 78 nights a year.
• Alternating Friday to Sunday weekends only: about 86 and 14 percent, or roughly 313 and 52 nights a year.

A 14-night cycle cannot split exactly 60/40, which is why most schedules described as 60/40 are really 57/43 or 64/36 week to week.

What Are the Most Common 50/50 Custody Schedules in California?

A 50/50 custody schedule in California gives each parent about half of the overnights. Equal schedules work best when parents live reasonably close to each other and to the child’s school, and when they can communicate without constant conflict.

The 2-2-3 Custody Schedule

In a 2-2-3 custody schedule, the child spends two days with Parent A, two days with Parent B, and then three days with Parent A. The next week, the pattern flips:

• Week one: Monday and Tuesday with Parent A, Wednesday and Thursday with Parent B, Friday through Sunday with Parent A
• Week two: Monday and Tuesday with Parent B, Wednesday and Thursday with Parent A, Friday through Sunday with Parent B

The main benefit is that the child never goes more than three days without seeing either parent, which is why many families with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers choose it. Each parent also gets alternating full weekends. The tradeoff is about three exchanges a week and weekdays that change from week to week, which can make school-night routines harder as children get older.

The 3-4-4-3 Schedule

The child spends three nights with one parent and four with the other, then the pattern reverses the following week. This means fewer exchanges than the 2-2-3 and gives each parent some consistent weekdays, which helps with school routines and activities.

The 2-2-5-5 Schedule

Each parent has the same two weeknights every week, and the parents alternate weekends. For example, Parent A always has Monday and Tuesday nights, Parent B always has Wednesday and Thursday nights, and the parents alternate Friday through Sunday, creating five-day stretches with each parent. School-age families often like this predictability.

Alternating Weeks

The child spends one full week with each parent, with an exchange on the same day each week, often Friday after school or Sunday evening. This schedule has the fewest exchanges and works well for many older children and teenagers. It can be hard for very young children.

What Does a 60/40 Custody Schedule Look Like?

A 60/40 custody schedule gives one parent roughly 60 percent of overnights and the other roughly 40 percent. It is a popular middle ground when one parent has a less flexible work schedule, lives farther from school, or travels for work, but both parents want significant, regular time.

Common versions include:

• The 4-3 schedule. The child spends four nights with one parent and three with the other each week, for example, Sunday through Wednesday nights with Parent A and Thursday through Saturday nights with Parent B. This is about 57/43 and is usually the closest weekly pattern to a true 60/40 split.
• Every extended weekend. Parent B has the child every weekend from Thursday after school until Sunday evening, and Parent A has the school week. This is the same 4-3 split.
• Alternating extended weekends plus a midweek overnight. Parent B has every other weekend from Friday after school until Monday morning, plus one weeknight overnight each week. That gives Parent B about 36 percent of overnights, closer to 64/36.

Because a true 60/40 split of about 219 and 146 nights does not fit neatly into a two-week rotation, parents often adjust holiday and summer time to bring the annual totals closer to their goal.

What Is a 70/30 Custody Schedule?

A 70/30 custody schedule gives one parent about 70 percent of overnights (roughly 256 nights a year) and the other about 30 percent (roughly 110 nights). The most common version gives the parent with less time every other weekend from Friday to Sunday plus one midweek overnight each week, which is 4 of every 14 overnights, or about 29 percent. A longer summer block can move it closer to an even 70/30 for the year.

When one parent has the child most of the time, the split may be closer to 80/20. Alternating Friday-to-Monday weekends give the other parent about 21 percent of overnights, and alternating Friday-to-Sunday weekends alone give about 14 percent. These primary custody schedules are more common when parents live far apart, when one parent has been the main caregiver, or when there are safety concerns. Our guide to types of child custody arrangements in California explains legal, physical, joint, and sole custody in more depth.

How Is Timeshare Calculated in California?

Timeshare is the percentage of time each parent has primary physical responsibility for the child. In most California cases, courts calculate it by counting each parent’s overnights over a full year, including the regular schedule, holidays, and summer vacation, and dividing by 365.

Courts are not locked into counting overnights. When overnights don’t reflect who is actually caring for the child, a court can consider other measures of caretaking time. Two practical points matter most:

• The order and the reality should match. If the order says 60/40 but the child is with one parent 75 percent of the time, the other parent may ask the court to adjust both custody and support.
• Keep a calendar. A simple record of each overnight is often the most persuasive evidence when timeshare is disputed.

How Does the Custody Schedule Affect Child Support?

Timeshare is one of the two biggest inputs in California’s child support guideline, along with each parent’s net income. Under Family Code Section 4055, the formula uses the approximate percentage of time the higher earner has the children. As that parent’s share of time increases, that parent’s support payment usually decreases.

The simplified example below uses the guideline figures that took effect on September 1, 2024. Assume the higher-earning parent has net disposable income of $6,000 a month and the other parent has $4,000, for a combined net income of $10,000, where the statute applies a 0.25 fraction. Approximate guideline support for one child changes with the higher earner’s timeshare:

• 80/20 (higher earner has 20 percent): about $1,200 a month
• 70/30 (higher earner has 30 percent): about $975 a month
• 60/40 (higher earner has 40 percent): about $700 a month
• 50/50: about $375 a month

Same incomes, very different results. In this example, moving from 70/30 to 60/40 lowers support by about $275 a month, and moving to 50/50 cuts it nearly in half again. If both parents earned about the same and shared time equally, the guideline figure could drop to little or nothing.

These figures are illustrations only. A real calculation uses exact tax, insurance, and deduction figures, and handles add-ons such as childcare and uninsured medical costs separately. The state’s free guideline calculator can give you an estimate, and our California child support attorneys can prepare a guideline calculation for your situation. Our article on how child support is calculated in Los Angeles shows how the formula works in local court.

Judges notice when a parent asks for more overnights than they’ll likely use, so ask for the schedule that truly fits your child, not the one that produces the best support number. If the schedule changes later, see our article on modifying child support orders.

How Do Holidays and Vacations Fit Into a Custody Schedule?

Most California parenting plans include a separate holiday schedule. On the Judicial Council’s Children’s Holiday Schedule Attachment (Form FL-341(C)), the holiday schedule takes priority over regular parenting time unless the order says otherwise. The form lets parents assign each holiday each year, in even-numbered or odd-numbered years, with specific start and end times.

Common approaches include alternating major holidays each year, splitting winter and spring breaks into halves, assigning Mother’s Day and Father’s Day to the corresponding parent, and alternating the child’s birthday. Parenting plans also typically address summer vacation, how much advance written notice a parent must give before a trip, whether travel outside California or the United States is allowed, and how three-day weekends are handled.

How Do I Choose the Right Custody Schedule for My Child?

The best schedule fits your child’s age, temperament, and routine. As a general guide:

• Infants and toddlers often do best with frequent, shorter periods with each parent, such as a 2-2-3 rotation or daytime visits that gradually expand into overnights.
• School-age children usually benefit from consistent school-night routines, which is why the 2-2-5-5 and 3-4-4-3 schedules are popular.
• Teenagers often prefer fewer exchanges and more flexibility around school, sports, jobs, and friends, so alternating weeks is a common choice.

When our attorneys help a parent choose, we start with a full-year calendar of school, work, and activities, then test two or three schedules against it. A schedule that looks fair on paper but creates daily conflict will not serve your child. As children grow, their views carry more weight, as our article on child preferences in California custody cases explains.

Common Custody Schedule Challenges Our Attorneys See

In our experience representing parents in custody cases across California, schedules that break down usually fail for the same few reasons. When the family law attorneys at Wade Litigation help a parent build a proposed schedule, we test it against each of these:

• Underestimating logistics. A 2-2-3 schedule that works when parents live ten minutes apart can fall apart after one parent moves across the county. Map out drop-offs, work shifts,s and activities before you commit.
• Ignoring how the child is coping. Frequent transitions are hard on some children, while long stretches away from a parent are hard on others. Watch for signs of stress and be willing to adjust.
• Conflict at exchanges. Clear exchange times and locations, or exchanges at school, reduce friction. Co-parenting apps help keep communication in writing.
• Informal changes without a court order. If a change is permanent, put it in a written stipulation and have the court approve it so it is enforceable and supports the new timeshare.
• Vague orders. Phrases like “reasonable visitation” invite disputes. Specific days, times, and exchange locations are easier to follow and to enforce.

How Do You Propose a Custody Schedule in California?

If you are starting a custody case or asking to change an existing order, the process usually follows these steps:

1. Draft a proposed parenting plan, often using Form FL-311, the Child Custody and Visitation (Parenting Time) Application Attachment.
2. File and serve your request by attaching the proposed schedule to your petition or Request for Order.
3. Attend court mediation with a family court mediator or recommending counselor.
4. Go to the hearing if needed, where the judge decides based on the child’s best interests.
5. Get a written order setting out the final schedule, often with attachments such as the holiday schedule form.

Can a Custody Schedule Be Changed Later?

Yes. Parents can change their schedule at any time by written agreement, and it is wise to have the court enter the agreement as an order. If parents disagree, either parent can ask the court to modify the schedule, and once a final custody order is in place, the parent requesting the change usually needs to show a significant change in circumstances. Learn more in our articles on modifying custody in California and enforcing and modifying a child custody agreement.

If a parent wants to relocate with the child, different rules apply. Our article on requesting a move-away in family court covers those cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many overnights are in a 60/40 custody schedule?

A true 60/40 custody schedule is about 219 overnights a year for one parent and about 146 for the other, or roughly 18 and 12 nights a month. Because a two-week rotation cannot split exactly 60/40, many families use a 4-3 schedule (about 57/43) and adjust holidays and summer to reach their target.

Is California a 50/50 custody state?

No. California encourages frequent, ongoing contact with both parents and presumes joint custody is in the child’s best interests when the parents agree. However, judges do not presume parenting time must be split equally; they decide each case based on the child’s health, safety, and welfare.

Is a 2-2-3 custody schedule based on days or overnights?

The numbers describe consecutive days, but time-sharing is usually measured by overnights. In a 2-2-3 custody schedule, each parent has 7 of every 14 overnights, an equal 50/50 split.

At what age can a child choose which parent to live with in California? 

No age gives a child the right to choose. Under Family Code Section 3042, a child age 14 or older may address the court about custody unless the judge finds it is not in the child’s best interests, and younger children may be heard when appropriate. The judge gives the child’s wishes due weight but makes the final decision.

What is the most common custody schedule in California?

There is no official statewide statistic. Among families who share time equally, the 2-2-3, 2-2-5-5, and alternating week schedules are among the most widely used. Many other families use alternating weekends with a midweek visit, which is roughly 70/30.

How can I make a long-distance custody schedule work?

When parents live too far apart for weekly exchanges, the distant parent usually gets longer blocks, such as much of the summer, alternating holidays, and some three-day weekends. Regular video calls, shared school calendars, and clear rules for travel costs help keep the relationship strong.

Do overnights matter more than daytime visits?

For child support, courts usually measure time-sharing by overnights, though they can consider other caretaking time. For the parent-child relationship, both matter, and a parent who coaches a team or handles after-school care still plays an important role.

Talk With a California Child Custody Attorney

Whether you are weighing a 60/40 custody schedule, a 2-2-3 rotation, or a primary custody plan, the schedule you choose will shape your child’s routine and your family’s finances for years. Wade Litigation was founded by Amiel Wade, who was named one of California’s Top Ten Family Law Attorneys by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, and the firm serves families from offices across the state, including Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Gatos,s and Redondo Beach.

Our child custody attorneys help parents throughout California negotiate practical parenting plans, calculate accurate timeshare, prepare for custody mediation, and present strong cases when agreement is not possible. Visit our family law practice page to learn more, or contact Wade Litigation today to schedule a free case evaluation.