Which custody schedule is best for your family? Take the free quiz
SplitDay Team · Updated · Runs entirely in your browser
Eight quick questions — your youngest child’s age, the distance between the two homes, how your work weeks look, how well you coordinate, how your child handles transitions, the school commute, whether you are aiming for a 50/50 split or a primary home, and how you feel about long stretches apart — scored against nine common custody patterns, from 2-2-3 for a toddler to alternating weeks, every other weekend and long-distance plans. You get the two patterns that fit your answers best, with their real costs computed: handoffs per month, the longest stretch away from each parent and the overnight split. Free, no account, and nothing you answer leaves your browser.
How the custody schedule quiz works
- Answer eight questions, one per screen: your youngest child’s age, the distance between homes, work weeks, how well you coordinate, how your child handles transitions, the school commute, whether you want equal time or a primary home, and how you feel about long stretches apart. Nothing is sent anywhere.
- Each answer adds or removes points for nine patterns using the scoring table further down the page — it is the same table the code runs, not a summary of it.
- Age guardrails then rule out patterns whose longest stretch away from a parent is longer than our age guides suggest: no 7-night blocks under 3, no 12-night gaps at 3–5, and no six-handoff fortnights for a teenager.
- Your two highest-scoring patterns appear with their costs computed from the rotation itself — handoffs a month, the longest stretch away from each parent, the overnight split — and a two-week picture of the pattern.
- Open the guide for each, build the pattern in the free planner, copy your result to share with your co-parent or mediator, or set it up once in the SplitDay app.
The nine custody patterns the quiz can recommend
Every number below is computed from the rotation itself: handoffs are the points where the child moves between homes over one full cycle, and the longest stretch is the most consecutive nights the child spends away from one parent.
| Pattern | Overnight split | Handoffs per fortnight | Longest stretch apart | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-2-3 | 50 / 50 | 6 | 3 nights | 2-2-3 |
| 3-4-4-3 | 50 / 50 | 4 | 4 nights | 3-4-4-3 |
| 2-2-5-5 | 50 / 50 | 4 | 5 nights | 2-2-5-5 |
| Alternating weeks | 50 / 50 | 2 | 7 nights | Alternating weeks |
| Extended weekend | 57.1 / 42.9 | 4 | 4 nights | Extended weekend |
| 4-3 split week | 57.1 / 42.9 | 4 | 4 nights | 4-3 split week |
| Every third week | 66.7 / 33.3 | 1.3 | 14 nights | Every third week |
| Every other weekend | 85.7 / 14.3 | 2 | 12 nights | Every other weekend |
| Long-distance blocks | school year in one home · breaks in the other | — | — | Long-distance blocks |
How the scoring works
The table below is the live scoring data from the quiz script, rendered as-is. A positive number means that answer argues for the pattern; a negative number argues against it. After the points are added up, the age guardrails listed under the table remove patterns outright, and the two highest remaining scores are your result. Ties go to the pattern with shorter blocks.
50/50 or every other weekend? The difference in practice
The two most-searched comparisons are really one question: how many nights, and how long between them. A 50/50 schedule gives each parent 7 of every 14 overnights; the patterns differ only in gap length — 3 nights in 2-2-3, 4 in 3-4-4-3, 5 in 2-2-5-5, 7 in alternating weeks — and in how many handoffs that takes (six, four, four and two a fortnight). Every other weekend gives the weekend parent 2 of every 14 overnights, with a 12-night gap between visits and only two handoffs a fortnight; a midweek evening or overnight is the usual way to shorten that gap. In our own survey of 804 co-parenting families (April–July 2026), 42% ended up on an even 50/50 split; the full breakdown is in our custody split statistics.
Custody schedules by age, in one paragraph
Our age guides run on one principle: younger children need shorter gaps between seeing each parent; older children can handle longer, more stable blocks. Infants (0–18 months): frequent short visits, with overnights added gradually. Toddlers (18 months–3 years): 2-2-3 and other short blocks, keeping the longest gap to two or three nights. Preschoolers (3–5): 2-2-3 or 3-4-4-3. School-age children (6–12): week-based patterns — 2-2-5-5, 3-4-4-3, alternating weeks — with school as the handoff point. Teenagers (13–18): alternating weeks with real flexibility and a real say. The quiz’s guardrails are those rows turned into rules.
Frequently asked questions
Is the custody schedule quiz free?
Yes. There is no account, no email field and no paid version. The questions, the scoring and the result all run in your browser, and nothing you answer is sent or stored anywhere.
How does the quiz decide which custody schedule fits?
Each answer adds or removes points for nine patterns using the table shown on this page, then three age guardrails rule out patterns whose longest stretch away from a parent is longer than our age guides suggest. The two highest scores that survive are your result. It measures fit to your answers; it is not a ruling on what is right for your child.
Which custody schedule fits a toddler?
For children between 18 months and 3 years our toddler guide points to short blocks and frequent returns: 2-2-3 first, then 3-4-4-3 and 2-2-5-5, keeping the longest gap away from either parent to two or three nights where possible. The quiz applies that as a guardrail, so a toddler is never steered to alternating weeks or every other weekend.
50/50 or every other weekend — what is the difference in practice?
Overnights and gaps. A 50/50 pattern gives each parent 7 of every 14 nights, with the longest stretch apart between 3 nights (2-2-3) and 7 (alternating weeks). Every other weekend gives the weekend parent 2 of every 14 nights with a 12-night gap between visits, and only two handoffs a fortnight. The first keeps both homes in the weekday routine; the second keeps the schedule simple and low-contact.
Does the quiz tell me what a court will decide?
No. Courts and mediators apply their own criteria and the law where your case is heard, and nothing here predicts or replaces that. The quiz describes how common patterns fit the answers you gave. For your own case, consult a family-law attorney licensed where your case is heard.
Can I save or share my result?
Use Copy my result to put the two patterns, their numbers and your answers on the clipboard as plain text, then paste it into a message to your co-parent or mediator. Nothing is stored on this site or in your browser; reload the page and the answers are gone.
This quiz is general information, not legal advice. It describes how common custody patterns fit the answers you gave; it does not say what a court will order or what is right for any particular child. For your own case, consult a family-law attorney licensed where your case is heard.
Turn your result into a schedule that runs itself
Set the pattern once in SplitDay and it keeps going — holidays, overrides, exchange reminders and a scoreboard built from what actually happened. Free, ad-supported, and it works even if only one parent uses it.
