Shift Planner Calculator

A rotating shift schedule means workers cycle through different shifts — such as day, swing (afternoon), and night — on a repeating pattern. Common examples include the 4-on/4-off pattern or the classic Panama schedule. The rotation ensures 24/7 coverage while distributing unsociable hours fairly among all staff.

Divide your total hours worked in one full cycle by the total days in that cycle, then multiply by 7. For example, on a 4-on/4-off 12-hour schedule, you work 48 hours every 8 days, giving an average of 42 hours per week. This calculator does that math automatically based on your shift length and cycle.

8-hour shifts typically follow a 5-on/2-off pattern and require more staff to maintain 24/7 coverage. 10-hour shifts allow for some overlap between shifts, which is useful for handovers. 12-hour shifts mean fewer total shifts per year, which many workers prefer, but they require careful fatigue management.

This depends on your cycle length. On a 4-on/4-off pattern, you will work roughly every other weekend. On a 5-on/2-off 8-hour pattern covering all days, you will work approximately 26 weekends per year. Your specific pattern determines how weekend days fall within the rotation.

Overtime is typically triggered when you exceed a set number of hours in a week (commonly 40 hours in the US). Because rotating shifts can result in 4 or 5 shifts falling in a single calendar week, overtime can occur even when your average weekly hours are below threshold. This calculator estimates overtime based on your average weekly hours against your defined overtime threshold.

A swing shift covers the middle of the day, typically running from around 2 pm to 10 pm or 4 pm to midnight. It 'swings' between the day and night shift, filling the gap in round-the-clock operations. Swing shifts are common in manufacturing, hospitality, healthcare, and security industries.

Unpaid breaks reduce the number of payable hours per shift. For example, a 12-hour shift with a 30-minute unpaid break results in only 11.5 paid hours. Over a full year this can amount to a significant difference — this calculator automatically deducts your unpaid break time before computing pay estimates.

Yes — by adjusting the shifts-on, days-off, and shift length fields you can model many common patterns. The Panama schedule is typically 4-on/4-off with 12-hour shifts, and the DuPont schedule runs a 4-week rotating cycle. Enter the average values for your pattern to get an accurate hours and pay estimate.