Custody schedules
In an every other weekend schedule, the children live mostly with one parent and spend alternate weekends with the other. It is one of the most common schedules when one parent has the children most of the time.
An every other weekend custody schedule gives one parent the weekdays and half the weekends. The other parent has the children every second weekend, usually from Friday after school to Sunday evening.
On its own, that is two nights in every 14, or about 86/14. Many plans add time, such as a midweek dinner, an extra Sunday night, or a longer share of the holidays.
Also called alternating weekends, alternate weekends or EOW.
Two weeks, then it repeats
Parent A Parent B
Here is the basic version, starting on a Monday:
That makes two handovers in every two weeks. Parent B goes up to 12 nights without an overnight, which is why a midweek visit is a common add-on.
Pros and cons
Every other weekend is common when parents live far apart, when one parent works long weekday hours, or when children need one steady school-week base. Many families add a midweek dinner so the gap feels shorter.
If both parents live close to school and want more equal time, a 2-2-5-5 keeps the alternate weekends and adds fixed weekdays. Our guide to the alternating weekend custody schedule covers more variations, and the 70/30 schedule adds midweek overnights.
Parent B has the children for dinner one evening a week. In Casewell this is a daytime visit, such as Wednesday 4 to 7 p.m.
Parent B keeps the children until Monday school drop-off, which adds Sunday night: three nights in every 14.
Add one weeknight every week. With an extended weekend, that moves the split to roughly 64/36.
Track it in Casewell
Pick it from the patterns. Casewell fills in who has the children each night, this week and next.
Use Swap sides or Move by a week until the nights match your order or agreement, then set the handover times.
When a night changes, record it. The calendar counts the nights with each parent, and your PDF can include the schedule.
Compare
| Schedule | Split | Handovers in 2 weeks | Longest time apart | Weekends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-2-3 | 50/50 | 6 | 3 nights | Alternate, Friday to Sunday |
| 2-2-5-5 | 50/50 | 4 | 5 nights | Alternate, Friday to Sunday |
| 3-4-4-3 | 50/50 | 4 | 4 nights | Split: Saturday alternates |
| Week on, week off | 50/50 | 2 | 7 nights | Alternate, as part of each week |
| Every other weekend | 86/14 | 2 | 12 nights | Every other weekend with Parent B |
Counted over two weeks with the handover times the app uses by default. Try the patterns side by side with the custody schedule comparison tool.
Common questions
Casewell helps you keep track of a schedule. It does not give legal advice or decide what a court will order.
The children live mostly with one parent and spend alternate weekends with the other, often Friday after school to Sunday evening. Many plans add a midweek visit or extra holiday time.
The weekend alone is two nights in every 14, about 86/14. Adding Sunday night makes it about 79/21. Adding a weekly overnight as well brings it to about 64/36.
They are often used to mean similar schedules. The exact split depends on the nights. Counting nights on a calendar gives you the real figure.
Two in every two weeks: one at the start of the weekend and one at the end. A midweek visit adds two short ones.
Choose Alternate weekends in Casewell, set the pickup and return times, and add any midweek visit. The calendar shows whose weekend it is and counts the nights.
Set up your every other weekend schedule, record changes, and count the nights with each parent.
Casewell does not provide legal advice or guarantee professional acceptance.
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