The reaction of copper dichloride dihydrate and bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)methane affords [Cu{H 2 C(3,5-Me 2 pz) 2 } 2 Cl]Cl·3H 2 O. The compound has been studied by IR, UV–Vis spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The electronic structure of the [Cu{H 2 C(3,5-Me 2 pz) 2 } 2 Cl] + cation has been calculated with the density functional theory (DFT) method. The spin-allowed doublet–doublet electronic transitions of [Cu{H 2 C(3,5-Me 2 pz) 2 } 2 Cl] + have been calculated with the time-dependent DFT method, and the UV–Vis spectrum of the title compound has been discussed on this basis.