May, June Most Common Months To Start Dating After Divorce
Also: More Than 1 in 10 Divorced People Cheated
A survey of 1,000 divorced people in the U.S. shows May and June are the most common months to start seeing someone after divorce. In fact, May through August are all popular months to start dating again, perhaps due to the warmer weather.
Use image with attribution
January and February are also common times to jump into post-divorce dating. This may be because many people wait to pursue romance until after the holidays — or due to reflecting on relationships around New Year's.
The data comes from a survey by co-parenting app Custody X Change. No customers were involved to the company's knowledge.
Previously, much of the information on dating seasons has come from dating apps. For example, Tinder and Bumble have also found January and February to be popular months for dating — but not May or June.
The unique finding from Custody X Change may mean divorced people are more likely than other groups to start dating in May and June. Or it might reflect that summer dating tends to be more offline. Myisha Battle, a dating coach, said in Time Magazine that summer has historically been "the season with the most potential for organically connecting with people."
Cheating also has an annual trend. More than two-thirds of people who saw someone else before their divorce began first did so between January and June.
Use image with attribution
"This fits with our earlier finding that divorce steps tend to happen in the first half of the year," said Ben Coltrin, cofounder and president of Custody X Change. "It's true for discussing divorce, filing a case, telling the kids — and even cheating."
More than 1 in 10 divorced people cheated
The survey also showed that 12% of divorced people saw someone besides their spouse before their divorce began. The cheating started a median of 11.7 months before the case did.
Use image with attribution
Roughly another 1 in 10 people stepped out on their spouse while their divorce was in progress. By the time their divorce was finalized, 21% of people had seen someone besides their spouse.
Less than 8% of people said they saw someone else before they had seriously discussed divorce with their spouse.
The good news for monogamists is that nearly half of respondents waited until their divorce was finalized to see someone, and another 32% still haven't started dating. (The respondents had all divorced within the last five years.)
"The vast majority of divorced people are not cheaters," said Coltrin. "But more than 1 in 10 are, so cheating is certainly not rare."
5 years after divorce, two-thirds of people have started dating
While cheaters jump the gun, many divorced people take their time getting back into the dating saddle.
One year after divorce, 39.1% of people have seen someone else. Five years after divorce, 67.6% have.
Use image with attribution
More about the study
Using the Pollfish platform in February 2026, Custody X Change researchers surveyed people who had divorced since 2021.
The study has a 3% margin of error at a 95% confidence level.
Download the spreadsheet of survey results.
Our takeaway
While every divorced person's journey is different, it's fascinating to see patterns emerge.
For example, most people stay faithful to their spouse while married. Nearly 80% don't see anyone else before their divorce is finalized.
In fact, about a third of people still haven't started dating by the fifth anniversary of their divorce. It seems many divorced people are not eager to move onto another relationship.
When people do date after divorce, many start at the same time of year — either May-June or January-February. Cheaters also commonly begin their affairs in those months, as well as in March or April.
"We hope these findings help some divorced people feel less alone by showing how many others are in similar boats," said Coltrin. "We're happy to have contributed research on divorce and dating that was previously lacking, particularly if real people find it useful."