Rotating Shift Schedule Maker
Type your rotation as blocks such as D2 N2 O4, choose how many crews share it and get the calendar, coverage check and pay.
Free · runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded
How to use the Rotating Shift Schedule
- Open Schedule and choose the shift pattern you want to check.
- Set Crew A starts the cycle on to the first day of crew A’s rotation. The other crews follow the same cycle, delayed by a fixed number of days.
- Use Crew to switch between crews A, B, C and D and see each crew’s calendar.
- If you want to know who covers a specific shift, open Find my crew, pick the shift and the date, and it finds the crew working that shift.
- Open Shift times and breaks and confirm the start, end and unpaid break for each shift type. Default times are 07:00-19:00 for day and 19:00-07:00 for night on 12-hour codes, with no unpaid break.
- Enter your Hourly rate, then choose a rule pack under What sets your overtime?
- Set First month and Months to show so the result card covers the period you care about.
- Tap any day to record what really happened. On a work day, taps cycle through sick, vacation, off and swapped shift. On a day off, a tap marks a picked-up shift. The rotation itself does not change.
Use Print to print the calendar without the form. Download calendar (.ics) creates one event per worked shift for Google, Apple or Outlook calendars, and Download CSV exports each shift with its paid, regular and overtime hours and pay. Marks are stored only in this browser, and Clear my marks removes them.
What are rotating shifts?
Rotating shifts are work schedules in which a group of workers moves through different shift times, such as days, evenings and nights, on a repeating cycle. Employers use them when work must be covered around the clock, so no single group has to work every hour.
In this tool each shift type has its own clock times, set under Shift times and breaks. Those times decide the hours and pay for every shift.
How do rotating shifts work?
Every crew follows the same cycle, but each one starts it on a different day. The date you enter in Crew A starts the cycle sets the start for crew A, and the other crews run the same cycle delayed by a fixed number of days.
In the three 8-hour pattern, the crew sequence is M M A A E E O O. M, A and E are the 8-hour shifts and O is a day off, so each crew works six of every eight days.
How do the 3x8 and 4-on-4-off patterns compare?
Both patterns cover every hour with one crew at a time under the default shift times, but they differ in how many days a crew works and how often weekends are fully off.
| Measure | Three 8-hour shifts, four crews | 4 on 4 off, 2 days 2 nights |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle length | 8 days | 8 days |
| Work days per cycle | 6 of 8 | 4 of 8 |
| Longest run on / off | 6 on, 2 off | 4 on, 4 off |
| Average paid hours per week | 42 | 42 |
| Hours in a Monday-Sunday week | 40 to 48 | 36 to 48 |
| Shifts per year | 273.8 | 182.5 |
| Paid hours per year | about 2,190 | about 2,190 |
| Weekends fully off | 13% | 38% |
| 24/7 coverage, one crew at a time | Yes | Yes |
What does the pay estimate look like under different overtime rules?
The same shifts can produce different pay totals depending on the rule pack. In a worked example, crew A of the three 8-hour pattern runs from 1 Nov 2026 for four weeks to 28 Nov, at $30 an hour.
| Rule pack | Shifts | Paid hours | Overtime | Estimated gross pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US federal 40-hour workweek (FLSA) | 22 | 176 (160 regular) | 16 h at 1.5x | $5,520.00 |
| FLSA 7(k) fire (212 h in 28 days) | 22 | 176 | none | $5,280.00 |
Other packs include California daily/weekly/7th-day, the California health care 12-hour alternative workweek, FLSA 7(k) police, FLSA 7(j) 8 and 80. For a rule from your own contract or union agreement, use the custom editor in the Overtime Calculator.
More questions
Is the pay estimate official payroll?
No. Every pay result is an estimate based on the rule pack you pick, and contracts or union agreements can differ. It is not legal or payroll advice, so check the final figures with your employer or payroll team.
How is overtime counted across months?
Overtime is counted over whole workweeks around the months you show. A week cut by the month edge still counts as a full workweek for overtime.
Where are my marks stored?
Sick days, vacations, pickups and swaps are stored only in your browser. Use Clear my marks to remove them.
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
Who uses rotating shifts?
Organizations that need staff on duty around the clock use rotating shifts so that their work runs at every hour. Hospitals, emergency services and factories are common examples.
Which industries use rotating shifts?
Healthcare is a common example, including hospitals, clinics and emergency services that need 24/7 staffing. Manufacturing, transport and security also often run round-the-clock operations with rotating crews.
What is a 12-Hour Rotating Shift?
Workers swap between 12-hour days and 12-hour nights on a fixed cycle, for example two days then two nights. The Rotating Shift Schedule uses 12-hour day and night codes with default times of 07:00-19:00 and 19:00-07:00.
What is a slow rotation shift schedule?
A slow rotation is a schedule in which employees keep the same hours for several weeks, months or even a year before moving to another shift. Compared with fast rotations, workers change shifts far less often.
Are rotating shifts unhealthy?
Working rotating shifts can affect sleep and mental health, according to some experts. If you manage people on rotating shifts, supporting a healthy work-life balance is a sensible step.
Why study the effects of shiftwork?
Shiftwork is part of life for many working people, so understanding its effects on sleep, health and family life helps employers and workers plan better schedules. The research also guides decisions about rest periods and shift lengths.
Related tools
- Shift Calendar Maker: use it to build a general shift calendar for your own pattern.
- DuPont Schedule Calendar: use it when you want to see a DuPont rotation laid out month by month.
- Pitman Schedule Calendar: use it to check a Pitman rotation across several months.
- 4 On 4 Off Schedule Calendar: use it when you want a focused view of a 4 on 4 off rotation.
- 12 Hour Shift Schedule Comparison: use it to compare 12-hour schedules side by side.
- Overtime Calculator for Shift Workers: use it to estimate overtime from your own hours.
- Timesheet Calculator: use it to total the hours on a timesheet.
- How Many Work Hours in a Year: use it to see how many hours a full year of work adds up to.