1st, 3rd & 5th Weekends Custody Schedule (80/20)

1st, 3rd & 5th Weekends is one of the most common 80/20 custody schedules. The kids live primarily with one parent (usually the parent with the school-week residence), and spend the 1st, 3rd, and 5th weekends of each month with the other parent. It's often used in court-ordered arrangements when distance, work, or other factors mean a more equal split isn't workable.

How it works

Count the weekends in a calendar month from the first one. The non-residential parent gets weekend 1, weekend 3, and (when the month has one) weekend 5. The residential parent has the kids the rest of the time — including weekends 2 and 4. Months without a 5th weekend mean the non-residential parent simply has 2 weekends; months with one mean they have 3.

A typical month with 1st, 3rd & 5th Weekends:

• Weekend 1 (e.g. May 2-4): Non-residential parent
• Weekday week 1: Residential parent
• Weekend 2 (e.g. May 9-11): Residential parent
• Weekday week 2: Residential parent
• Weekend 3 (e.g. May 16-18): Non-residential parent
• Weekday week 3: Residential parent
• Weekend 4 (e.g. May 23-25): Residential parent
• Weekend 5 (e.g. May 30-Jun 1, when present): Non-residential parent

What it means for kids

Kids in this schedule have a clear primary home — same room, same routine, same school week — and dedicated 'special time' weekends with the other parent. Because those weekends are bracketed by full weeks apart, kids often experience them as more 'event-like' than routine. That can be great when both parents make those weekends count, and rough if either side feels distant or rushed. For older kids who can name the pattern ('Dad's weekend is the 16th'), it works smoothly. For younger kids the 'first / third / fifth' counting can be confusing — they may need help knowing in advance.

What it means for parents

For the residential parent, this schedule means owning the school week and most weekends — heavy day-to-day, but consistent. For the non-residential parent, it's about making the 2-3 monthly weekends rich and present without trying to cram a whole month of parenting into 48 hours. Both parents benefit from being aligned on which weekend is which (the calendar varies month to month) and from clear handoff times. Many courts that order this schedule also include a midweek dinner or call to keep contact between weekends.

How SplitDay makes it easy

Counting the 1st, 3rd, and 5th weekends of a month sounds simple — until February only has four weekends and August has five and you've stopped tracking. SplitDay's 1st, 3rd & 5th Weekends template handles the calendar math automatically — picks the right weekends month by month, all year. Both parents see the same schedule, and the kids see at a glance (printed for the fridge) which weekend is whose. Swaps and one-offs log once and update both phones.