60/40 custody plans and what they really look like (2023)

More and 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 that children have a good relationship with both parents, how time is divided can be confusing. The 60/40 home 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 is a 60/40 schedule really like?

When we talk about shared custody hours in numbers, we are actually talking about the percentage of time shared between the two parents. On a 50/50 plan, both parents spend about half of their 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, the division might result in something like 57/43 depending on the programming you choose, but for convenience it is called a 60/40 division. Another key principle here is that joint custody plans count 24 hours a day, not just time actually spent with the kids. So even if you have the 60 side of the 60/40 split, if most of your days fall in the week you work and the kids are in school, you may have less personal time than a parent who doesn't have 40% on weekends.

60/40 joint guard divisions

There are many ways to implement a 60/40 custody plan, and if both parents agree, they can make any plan 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 schemes.

long weekends

This schedule divides the week into two main parts: the main week and a long weekend. Father #1 has childcare hours from Monday morning to Friday afternoon, and Father #2 has childcare hours from Friday afternoon to Monday morning. In this case, it's common for parent #2 to drop the kids off at school on Monday morning and pick them up on Friday afternoon. The main advantage of this schedule is that the days are always the same; but it also means that every weekend a parent gets paid. This can be an issue when parent #1 works during the week as they end up having very little downtime with the kids.

4-3

In discussions about escrow plans, you will often see them presented as numbers with dashes in the middle. This refers to how days are divided 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 several times.

The main difference between this and the long weekend schedule is that, depending on how the week starts, you might not spend the entire weekend with one parent. For example, parent #1 might get Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and the other parent would get 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 nontraditional work schedules.

2-2-5-5

An alternating 2-2-5-5 schedule, 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 No. 2 five days 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 benefit of this type of schedule is that the weekends alternate, giving each parent time away from work and school to spend with the kids. 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 moving between homes, which can be difficult for children who feel they don't have a primary home. Even if the children move, there are often re-entry issues, especially if the rules between the two are very different. With that kind of schedule, children are almost always going to and from a house, so these problems can get worse.

How 60/40 residency plans can impact other issues

If you're still trying to decide how you're going to do thisshared custody, it is important to note that your custody program is different from your legal custody. For example, it is common for parents to have joint custody so that both parents can spend enough time with their children, but one parent maintains 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 his physical condition is.jEscrow Department is.

Choosing a 60/40 custody program can affect heightalimonyYou will receive or you will have to pay. on a50/50 joint guard division, it is common for judges not to award child support to either party because they divide the time equally, and it is assumed that, for this reason, they also equally divide the cost of living for the children. In a 60/40 custody plan, the judge may award the 60% parent some child support, especially if there are large differences in income between the two parties, but it is likely to be much less than what the custodial parent would receive in an isolated case. Custodial 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 large amount ofcommunication and coordinationbetween parents, particularly in divisions 2-2-5-5 and 2-2-3, where children move frequently. If you have a positive co-parenting relationship with the other parent and you can keep the lines of communication open, this can work really well. However, these types of timelines can be difficult in conflict situations. In these cases, it may be best to stick to a 4-3 split or long weekend schedule so that the schedule is consistent week to week.

60/40 service times and 2 houses

Joint parenting apps like 2houses can make tracking and managing joint custody plans a lot easier. With the calendar app, for example, you can enter the daycare plan directly into the calendar so you can always see at a glance who the kids are with and when. This is especially useful with more complicated 60/40 escrow schemes such as B. the 2-2-5-5 and 2-2-3 options. You can also add any important appointments, extracurricular activities, doctor's appointments or anything else that needs to get done on the calendar so both parents know exactly what needs to happen on their parental leave without the other parent having to inform or remind them. them.

The messaging feature is also useful for shared custody situations as it provides an easy way to coordinate with the other parent in a secure manner. Children who move frequently, take medicine, forget their sports uniform or report card, being able to do all this in one app is very useful for efficient communication and automatic documentation.

Find out more about how 2houses can help make your journey 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.