More parents are opting for joint custody over the past few decades over the traditional weekend schedules of yesteryear. While joint custody has proven helpful in ensuring children have a good relationship with both parents, how to divide time can be confusing. The 60/40 residency plan is a popular option and can be split in many ways. Here's an overview of the 60/40 program, some practical examples, and considerations for choosing what works best for your family.
What does a 60/40 schedule really look like?
When we talk about numerical hours of shared custody, we're really talking about the percentage of time that's shared between the two parents. On a 50/50 plan, both parents spend about half the time with the child in any given week. In a 60/40 custody program, one parent gets about 60% of the time while the other parent gets about 40%.
It's important to remember that this doesn't always work exactly. For example, a split could result in something like 57/43 depending on the schedule chosen, but for convenience it's referred to as a 60/40 split. Another important principle here is that joint custody arrangements consider 24 hours a day, not just time actually spent with the children. So even if you have the 60-side of the 60/40 split, if most of your days fall on weekdays when you work and the kids are at school, you may have less personal time than a parent who does has 40% on weekends.
60/40 joint custody
There are many ways to implement a 60/40 custody plan, and if both parents agree, they can create any schedule they want. When deciding how a 60/40 custody program will work, it is important to consider the ages of the children. 5 days is extended by the other parent. These are just some of the most common 60/40 custody systems.
long weekends
This schedule divides the week into two main parts: the main week and a long weekend. Dad #1 babysits Monday morning through Friday afternoon, and Dad #2 picks up the kids Friday afternoon through Monday morning. In this case, it is common for parent #2 to drop the kids off at school on Monday morning and pick them up on Friday afternoon. The main benefit of this schedule is that the days are always the same; but that also means that one parent gets paid every weekend. This can be a problem when Dad #1 works during the week as he ends up having very little free time with the kids.
4-3
In discussions of custody plans, you'll often see them presented as numbers with hyphens in the middle. This refers to how the days are separated between parents. For example, in the 4-3 program, parent #1 gets the kids for four days and parent #2 gets the kids for three days. This is repeated again and again.
The main difference between this and the long weekend schedule is that depending on how the week starts, you may not spend the entire weekend with a parent. For example, parent #1 could get Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and the other parent Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. This schedule can be adjusted based on when you want the three-day break with the other parent to be, which can be helpful for families with non-traditional work schedules.
2-2-5-5
A 2-2-5-5 schedule alternates, with parent #1 getting the kids for two days, then back to parent #2 for two days, then back to parent #1 for five days, then back to Parent #2 for five days. days. A practical example of such a schedule could be:
- Parent #1: Monday, Tuesday
- Father #2: Wednesday, Thursday
- Parent #1: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday
- Parent #2: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
This would then be repeated. The biggest advantage of this type of schedule is that the weekends rotate, giving each parent time away from work and school to spend with their children. However, it can be difficult to keep up.
2-2-3
The 2-2-3 rhythm is often used for younger children as there are no long periods without parents. An example of such a schedule is:
- Parent #1: Monday, Tuesday
- Father #2: Wednesday, Thursday
- Parent #1: Friday, Saturday, Sunday
- Father #2: Monday, Tuesday
- Parent #1: Wednesday, Thursday
- Parent #2: Friday, Saturday, Sunday
This schedule also allows for alternate weekends and may be easier to follow than the 2-2-5-5 split. However, it requires a lot of movement between houses, which can be difficult for children who feel like they don't have a main house. Even if the children move, there are often re-entry problems, especially if the rules between the two are very different. During this time, children often come or go into a home, which can make these problems worse.
How 60/40 residency plans can impact other issues
If you're still trying to decide how to proceedShared Custody, it's important to note that your custody program is different than your legal custody. For example, it is common for parents to have joint custody, so both parents spend enough time with their children, but one parent retains sole custody. This means that a parent still has the power to make decisions about things like education, religion, and medical decisions. Always make sure you know exactly what your physical condition is.jCustody Department is.
If you choose to go on a 60/40 custodial program, it may affect the altitudeFoodYou get it or you have to pay. on oneJoint custody division 50/50, it is common for judges not to award child support to either party because they split the time evenly, and presumably because of this they split the cost of living for the children equally. In a 60/40 custody system, the judge may award some child support to the 60% parent, especially if there are large income differences between the two parties, but it's likely to be much less than the holding parent's custody would be awarded in an isolated case. Custody program where the non-custodial parent only sees the children every other weekend.
The final consideration for any type of joint custody program is that it requires a great dealcommunication and coordinationbetween parents, especially in departments 2-2-5-5 and 2-2-3, where children frequently change homes. If you have a positive co-parenting relationship with the other parent and can keep lines of communication open, this can work very well. However, these types of schedules can be difficult in high-conflict situations. In these cases, it may be best to stick to a 4-3 split or a long weekend schedule so the schedule is consistent from week to week.
60/40 hours custody and 2 houses
Joint parenting apps like 2houses can make tracking and managing joint custody plans much easier. For example, the Calendar app lets you add the custody plan directly to the calendar, so you can always see at a glance who the kids are with and when. This is especially useful for more complicated 60/40 escrow systems like the 2-2-5-5 and 2-2-3 options. You can also enter important appointments, extracurricular activities, doctor's appointments, or anything else that needs getting done on the calendar so both parents know exactly what needs to happen on their parental leave without the other parent having to tell or remind you. .
The messaging feature is also useful for shared custody situations as it provides an easy way to coordinate with the other parent in a safe manner. Children who move frequently may have medication to take with them, or may forget their gym uniform or report card. Being able to do all these things in the same app is very useful for efficient communication and automatic documentation.
Find out more about how 2houses can help you make your parental leave together less stressful and more productive by checking out ourfeature summaryand then sign up for our 14-day free trial to see the benefits for yourself.