70/30 Custody Schedule: Examples and Calendars
A 70/30 custody schedule gives one parent about 70% of overnights (roughly 256 nights a year) and the other about 30% (roughly 110). The five common shapes are every weekend, a 5-2 with the two nights midweek, every third week, every third day, and alternate weekends plus a weekly midweek overnight. Fourteen nights split 70/30 is 9.8 and 4.2, so two-week patterns land on 10/4 (71/29), and the three-week and three-day patterns land on 2:1 (67/33). Neither is exactly 70/30, and the calendars below show the arithmetic for each.
The tables show where the child sleeps each night. Parent A is the 70% home and Parent B the 30% home. A handoff at school or daycare counts as an exchange.
The five schedules at a glance
| Schedule | Split | Nights a year (approx.) | Exchanges | Longest stretch away from B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every weekend | 71/29 | 261 / 104 | 4 per 2 weeks | 5 nights |
| 5-2 midweek | 71/29 | 261 / 104 | 4 per 2 weeks | 5 nights |
| Every third week | 67/33 | 243 / 122 | 2 per 3 weeks | 14 nights |
| Every third day | 67/33 | 243 / 122 | about 9 per 2 weeks | 2 nights |
| Alternate weekends + weekly overnight | 71/29 | 261 / 104 | 6 per 2 weeks | 6 nights |
The annual figures are the cycle share times 365, rounded: 10 ÷ 14 × 365 = 260.7, so about 261. Holiday and summer schedules move the real count.
1. Every weekend
| Night | Every week |
|---|---|
| Monday–Thursday | A |
| Friday | B |
| Saturday | B |
| Sunday | A |
B collects Friday after school and returns the child Sunday evening, every week. It’s simple and predictable, and B is never more than five nights away.
The cost is that A, the school-week parent, never gets a weekend night with the kids. A does homework, early mornings and the school run, and B gets all the free time. If that will build resentment, the 5-2 midweek or the alternating version below shares weekends more fairly.
2. The 5-2 with midweek nights
| Night | Every week |
|---|---|
| Monday | A |
| Tuesday | B |
| Wednesday | B |
| Thursday–Sunday | A |
Same 71/29 split, with B’s two nights moved into the school week: B collects Tuesday after school and drops off at school Thursday morning. Both exchanges can run through school, so the parents don’t need to meet.
It suits a parent who works weekends, or families where B lives close enough to the school for a weekday run. The trade-off is the reverse of schedule 1: A has every weekend and B has none. Some families alternate Saturdays between the two to soften it, which shifts the split slightly toward B.
3. Every third week
A has two weeks, then B has one, so the cycle is three weeks long. That’s 14 nights to 7, or 67/33. There are only two exchanges per cycle, the fewest of any shape here.
It fits long distances, older kids and teenagers who would rather move house less often, and parents with rotating three-week work patterns. It’s a hard fit for young children, because the child goes two full weeks without an overnight at B’s. Families who choose it often add a midweek dinner or a video call in the A weeks.
4. Every third day
| Night | Week 1 | Week 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | A | A |
| Tuesday | A | B |
| Wednesday | B | A |
| Thursday | A | A |
| Friday | A | B |
| Saturday | B | A |
| Sunday | A | A |
Two nights with A, one with B, repeating. That’s 2:1, or 67/33. Because three doesn’t divide evenly into seven, the B night moves around the week: Wednesday and Saturday in Week 1, Tuesday and Friday in Week 2, and Monday and Thursday in Week 3. The table shows how quickly it drifts.
It’s the 70/30 with the shortest gaps: the child is never more than two nights from B and never more than one from A. That suits babies and toddlers, provided the homes are close. It also has the most handoffs and the least predictable calendar, so activities can’t be tied to one house, and it only works with a shared calendar both parents check.
5. Alternate weekends plus a weekly midweek overnight
| Night | Week 1 | Week 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | A | A |
| Tuesday | A | A |
| Wednesday | B | B |
| Thursday | A | A |
| Friday | B | A |
| Saturday | B | A |
| Sunday | A | A |
B has every Wednesday overnight plus alternate Friday and Saturday nights: four nights out of fourteen, 71/29. It’s the every-other-weekend schedule with one standing weeknight added. The every-other-weekend schedule covers the 80/20 base and its variations.
Both parents get weekends in alternate weeks, B stays part of the school week, and Wednesday activities can belong to B for good. The price is six exchanges per fortnight, more than any two-week schedule here. Running the Week 1 Wednesday straight into the weekend (Wednesday pickup to Monday drop-off) cuts that to four and adds a Thursday night and a Sunday night. That gives six nights out of fourteen, which is a 57/43 split. It’s schedule 3 in our 60/40 custody schedule guide.
Choosing between them
- Homes far apart: every third week, or every weekend if Friday-night driving works.
- A toddler and homes close by: every third day, for the short gaps.
- Both parents want some weekends: alternate weekends plus a midweek overnight.
- Parents who shouldn’t meet: the 5-2 midweek, where every exchange runs through school.
- The 30% parent works weekends: the 5-2 midweek.
A 70/30 is usually the right call when one home has to be the school-week base: distance, a parent’s work hours, or a child who needs one steady routine. It isn’t a downgrade, it’s a different design. The co-parenting schedule hub compares it with the 50/50 rotations.
The overnight count matters outside the house too. IRS Publication 504 (loaded October 7, 2026) makes the parent with more nights the custodial parent for federal tax purposes, which on any 70/30 is Parent A unless a release is signed. State child-support guidelines often adjust for parenting time as well. Have a family-law attorney where you live check any schedule before it goes into a plan or order. This is a logistics post, not legal advice.
FAQ: 70/30 custody schedules
How many overnights is 70/30? About 256 for the 70% parent and 110 for the 30% parent in a 365-day year. Two-week patterns land at 10/4 (about 261/104) and three-day or three-week patterns at 2:1 (about 243/122).
Is every other weekend a 70/30 schedule? Not on its own. With only alternate weekends, B has about 2 of every 14 nights, nearer 85/15. Adding a weekly midweek overnight brings it to 71/29.
What’s the best 70/30 schedule for a toddler? The one with the shortest gaps, which is usually every third day, provided the homes are close and the exchanges are calm. Every third week is the hardest fit at that age.
Can 70/30 become 50/50 later? Yes, by written agreement or by modifying the order. The alternating-weekend version extends most easily, because lengthening B’s weekends moves it toward 60/40 one step at a time.
