3-4-4-3 Custody and Visitation Schedule Examples

The 3-4-4-3 schedule is a 50/50 residential schedule that has your child stay with one parent for 3 days of the week, then the other parent for 4 days. The next week it switches, so the first parent has the child for 4 days and the other parent has him or her for 3.

Here's how the 3-4-4-3 schedule looks in the calendar.

Depending on what day you choose to start the schedule, you may actually end up with a 4-3-3-4 schedule, a 4-3-4-3 schedule, a 3-4-3-4 schedule, a 4-4-3-3 schedule or a 3-3-4-4 schedule. These are all variations on the same two-week repeating schedule.

3-4-4-3 schedule examples

The 3-4-4-3 schedule is fairly straightforward, but you can make some changes so it works for you. Here are some different examples of the 3-4-4-3 schedule.

Change the start day

Here the exchanges are on Wednesday and Sunday, then Wednesday and Saturday. The exchange times are different. If Wednesday is the start day, you have a 4-3-3-4 schedule. If Saturday is the start day, you have a 4-4-3-3 schedule.

Split the weekend time

Here is another schedule that splits the weekend time between the parents. The exchanges are on Tuesday and Saturday, then Tuesday and Friday.

Use 3rd-party time

You may want to mark 3rd party time when the child isn't with either parent. Here is a schedule that shows when the child is at school. Because the school time changes the parenting timeshare, Mom has been given more time on the second Saturday to make the parenting time 50/50.

Calculate your time

Using a parenting timeshare calculator while you make your schedule allows you to see the exact percentage of time that each parent has with the child. This lets you make sure that each parent still has 50% of the time with the child as you customize your schedule.

Pros and cons of the 3-4-4-3 schedule

Pros:

• Parents have the same nights each week, except for one night that switches.
• Children are able to spend significant time with both parents each week.
• There are minimal exchanges.
• Parents have equal time with the children.
• Each parent has the opportunity help with daily caretaking.
• The children don't go very long without seeing either parent.
• This schedule can work very well for parents with different work schedules.

Cons:

• One parent may have the children every weekend.
• Because there is a midweek exchange, parents must have good communication about the children's schoolwork and activities.
• Parents must be able to communicate about the children and the schedule.
• The children must be able to adapt to living in two different houses during the week.
• The parents must live fairly close together and close to the children's school.

The easiest way to make a 3-4-4-3 schedule

There's a lot to think about when you build a parenting time schedule. You'll want it to address holidays and school breaks, give the right amount of time to each parent, and work for years to come.

The Custody X Change app makes it easy. Just follow the steps to make a custody schedule. In Step 2, select the "3-4-4-3" button.

To make a custody schedule quickly and affordably, turn to Custody X Change. You'll get a written schedule and a visual calendar that meet your family's needs, as well as court standards.