4 On 4 Off Schedule Calendar
Pick the 4 on 4 off version and your crew to see every work day by date and the hours and overtime each week gives.
Free · runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded
How to use the 4 on 4 off schedule calendar
- Open Schedule and choose the 4 on 4 off pattern you want: days and nights, or 2 days and 2 nights.
- Set Crew A starts the cycle on to the first day of crew A’s rotation. The other crews follow automatically.
- Check Shift times and breaks. The defaults are day 07:00-19:00, night 19:00-07:00, and no unpaid break. Change them if your shifts differ.
- Enter your Hourly rate.
- Under What sets your overtime?, pick the rule pack that matches your employer or agreement.
- Use Crew to switch between crews A, B, C and D, and read the calendar for the crew you pick.
- Set First month and Months to show to choose the range the result card totals.
- Use Find my crew to see which crew works a chosen shift on a chosen date.
- Tap a day to record what really happened: on a work day, the mark cycles through sick, vacation, off and swapped shift; on a day off, it marks a picked-up shift. The rotation itself stays the same.
- Use Download calendar (.ics), Download CSV or Print to save or share the result.
Marks are stored only in your browser, so download your calendar before you clear the marks or switch devices. Use Clear my marks to remove them. Public holidays are underlined in the calendar.
How many hours is 4 on 4 off?
A crew on a 4 on 4 off schedule works 4 of every 8 days and averages 42 paid hours per week, with a Monday to Sunday range of 36 to 48 hours. Over a year that comes to about 2190 hours and 182.5 shifts per crew, using the default 12-hour day and night shifts.
| Measure | 4 on 4 off (days and nights) |
|---|---|
| Cycle length | 8 days |
| Work days per cycle | 4 |
| Longest run on / off | 4 days / 4 days |
| Average paid hours per week | 42 |
| Hours in a Monday-Sunday week | 36 to 48 |
| Shifts per year | 182.5 |
| Paid hours per year | about 2190 |
| Weekends fully off | 38% |
| 24/7 coverage, one crew per hour | Yes, with default times |
The 2 days, 2 nights version shows the same numbers. Hours change only if you edit the shift times.
Do you get overtime on 4-on-4-off?
Overtime depends on the rule pack you select, not on the pattern alone. In the worked example, four weeks of crew A at $30 an hour produced 32 overtime hours under the FLSA 40-hour workweek, but none under the FLSA 7(k) fire rule. Contracts and union agreements can differ from these estimates.
| Rule pack (worked example) | Overtime hours | Estimated gross pay |
|---|---|---|
| US federal 40-hour workweek (FLSA) | 32 h at 1.5x | $6240.00 |
| FLSA 7(k) fire (212 h in 28 days) | None | $5760.00 |
The tool counts overtime over whole workweeks, so a week cut by the edge of the months shown is counted in full.
More questions
How does a 4 shift system work?
Four crews share the coverage, and each crew works four of every eight days. “Crew A starts the cycle on” sets the start of crew A’s cycle, and the other crews run the same cycle delayed by a fixed number of days.
What Is the Panama Shift Pattern?
Panama is a 2-2-3 rotation of 12-hour shifts in which crews swap between days and nights every two weeks. This page covers 4 on 4 off; the Panama Schedule Calendar shows that rotation by date.
How do I export my shift calendar?
Use Download calendar (.ics) to get one event per worked shift for Google, Apple or Outlook calendars. Download CSV gives shifts with paid, regular and overtime hours and pay, and Print prints the calendar without the form.
How this tool works and where the numbers come from
The calendar repeats the rotation from your crew’s start date and counts every shift minute by minute. Overtime and pay are worked out over whole workweeks (or the 7(k) and 7(j) work periods) under the rule pack you pick, following the official texts below. Results are estimates, not legal or payroll advice.
Sources
- 29 U.S.C. § 207 (FLSA § 7): overtime after 40 hours a week; § 7(j) hospitals (8 and 80); § 7(k) fire and police work periods (U.S. Code, 2023 Edition) · checked
- 29 CFR Part 778: overtime compensation (regular rate, workweek) (eCFR current as of 2026-10-23) · checked
- 29 CFR § 778.105: the workweek is a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours (eCFR current as of 2026-10-23) · checked
- 29 CFR § 778.207(b): shift differentials are part of the regular rate (eCFR current as of 2026-10-23) · checked
- California Labor Code § 510: daily overtime over 8 hours, double time over 12, seventh day (as amended by Stats. 1999, ch. 134, effective 2000-01-01) · checked
- California Labor Code § 500: workday, workweek and alternative workweek schedule defined (added by Stats. 1999, ch. 134, effective 2000-01-01) · checked
- IWC Wage Order 5 (public housekeeping incl. health care), section 3(B)(8): 12-hour health care alternative workweek (effective 2002-07-01 as amended; sections 4(A) and 10(C) republished effective 2019-01-01) · checked
- California Labor Code § 511: alternative workweek schedules (up to 10-hour days without overtime) (as amended by Stats. 2012, ch. 46 (SB 1038), effective 2012-06-27) · checked
- 29 CFR § 553.230: maximum hours table, 212 h fire / 171 h police per 28 days and shorter periods (eCFR current as of 2026-10-23) · checked
- 29 CFR § 553.224: the 7(k) work period (7 to 28 consecutive days) (eCFR current as of 2026-10-23) · checked
- 29 CFR § 553.222: sleep time, excludable only on tours of duty of more than 24 hours (eCFR current as of 2026-10-23) · checked
- 29 U.S.C. § 213(b)(20) (FLSA § 13(b)(20)): fire and police agencies with fewer than 5 such employees (U.S. Code, 2023 Edition) · checked
- 29 CFR § 778.601: hospitals and residential care, 14-day period (8 and 80) (eCFR current as of 2026-10-23) · checked
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management: federal holidays (5 U.S.C. § 6103) · checked
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #23: overtime pay requirements of the FLSA (Revised October 2019) · checked
- California DLSE: overtime FAQ · checked
- California DLSE: overtime exceptions FAQ (alternative workweeks) · checked
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #8: law enforcement and fire protection employees (Revised March 2011) · checked
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #54: health care industry and overtime (8 and 80) (Revised July 2009) · checked
Frequently asked questions
What is a 4 on 4 off schedule?
A crew works four days in a row, then has four days off, and the cycle repeats every eight days. With four crews and the default times, every hour is covered by exactly one crew.
What is a 4 on 4 off shift pattern?
It is the same repeating run of four work days and four days off. The day and night version uses 12-hour shifts, while the 2 days, 2 nights version works two day shifts and then two night shifts in each run.
Is a 4 on 4 Off Good?
It suits people who want long stretches off and a predictable calendar. The tradeoff is long runs of work and an average of 42 paid hours a week, so compare those numbers with your own needs.
What Is a 4-on-3-off Shift Pattern?
It is a 7-day cycle of four work days followed by three days off. This page covers the 4 on 4 off patterns; the Shift Calendar Maker accepts it as a custom pattern written D4 O3.
How many working days are in a 4 on 4 off shift pattern?
A crew works four of every eight days, which comes to 182.5 shifts a year. That is roughly half of the calendar.
How many weekends?
A crew on this pattern has a fully off weekend 38% of the time. In the other weekends, at least one day is a shift, so you will work part of most weekends. The calendar shows the exact weekends for your crew.
Is 4-on-4-off better than 5-8?
Neither suits everyone. 4 on 4 off gives 4 days off after every 4 days worked and 182.5 shifts a year per crew, but its 12-hour shifts are long. Compare that shift count and daily length with a 5-8 schedule before you decide.
What Is a 7-on-7-off Schedule?
It is a 14-day cycle with seven straight work days followed by seven days off. The 7 On 7 Off Schedule Calendar shows it by date with its 84-hour work weeks.
Related tools
- Shift Calendar Maker: build calendars for other shift patterns.
- DuPont Schedule Calendar: check a DuPont rotation when your crew uses that cycle.
- Pitman Schedule Calendar: plan a Pitman rotation across crews.
- 12 Hour Shift Schedule Comparison: compare 12-hour rotations side by side.
- Overtime Calculator for Shift Workers: estimate overtime for hours you enter yourself.
- Timesheet Calculator: total hours from start and end times for a timesheet.
- How Many Work Hours in a Year: see annual hours for any schedule.
- 24/48 Schedule Calendar: plan a 24-hour on, 48-hour off rotation.