Shift Schedule Maker
Create a weekly work rota in minutes: add your team and shift types, pick shifts on the grid and watch hours add up per person and per day. Copy last week, export to CSV or print it; everything is saved privately in your browser.
Staff
Shift types
Saved automatically in this browser. Overnight shifts count on the day they start.
How to use the Shift Schedule Maker
- Add your staff with a name and optional role. A sample team is loaded so you can see how it works.
- Set up shift types: name, start and end time, unpaid break minutes and a color. Leave the times empty for Off or Leave.
- Assign shifts by choosing a shift in each cell of the weekly grid. Hours update instantly.
- Check the totals: weekly hours per person (with an overtime warning), hours and coverage per day.
- Reuse and share: Copy previous week, then Export CSV or Print schedule to post it for the team.
How to make a shift schedule
- Work out coverage first: list how many people you need for each part of each day (for example 2 on the early shift, 3 on the late shift at weekends).
- Define your shift types: give each a short name, start and end time and unpaid break. Consistent shift patterns are easier for staff to remember.
- Fill fixed commitments: enter holidays, days off and part-time availability before anything else.
- Assign shifts day by day and watch the coverage row: it shows how many people are on each shift type.
- Balance the hours: check each person's weekly total against their contract and the overtime warning.
- Publish early: print or export the rota and share it as far ahead as you can. Many workplaces aim for at least one or two weeks' notice.
Shift hours worked examples
| Shift | Time | Unpaid break | Paid hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early | 06:00 – 14:00 | 30 min | 7.5 h |
| Day | 09:00 – 17:00 | 30 min | 7.5 h |
| Late | 14:00 – 22:00 | 30 min | 7.5 h |
| Night (overnight) | 22:00 – 06:00 | 30 min | 7.5 h |
| Long day | 07:00 – 19:00 | 60 min | 11 h |
| Half day | 08:00 – 12:00 | none | 4 h |
Formula: paid hours = (end − start) − break, adding 24 hours when the shift ends after midnight. Five 7.5-hour shifts make a 37.5-hour week. To total actual clock-in and clock-out times for payroll, use the Hours Calculator, and convert hours and minutes with the Decimal Hours Converter.
Common rota patterns
- Fixed shifts: each person always works the same shift (for example permanent earlies). Simple and predictable.
- Rotating shifts: staff move between early, late and night shifts, often weekly. Rotating forward (early → late → night) is generally easier on sleep than rotating backwards.
- 4 on, 4 off: four 12-hour shifts followed by four days off, common in healthcare, security and manufacturing.
- DuPont and Pitman (2-2-3): 12-hour patterns that give 24/7 coverage with four teams over a multi-week cycle.
Use Copy previous week to repeat a fixed pattern, then adjust for holidays. Working-time rules (maximum weekly hours, rest between shifts, breaks) differ by country, industry and contract, so check the rules that apply to your team.
Frequently asked questions
How are shift hours calculated?
Paid hours = end time − start time − unpaid break. A 09:00–17:00 shift with a 30-minute break is 7.5 hours. If the end time is earlier than the start time the shift is treated as overnight, so 22:00–06:00 is 8 hours minus the break.
Can I schedule night shifts that cross midnight?
Yes. Enter the start and end time as normal (for example 23:00 to 07:00). The hours are counted on the day the shift starts, which is how most rotas and payroll systems assign night shifts.
Where is my schedule saved?
In your browser's local storage on this device. Nothing is uploaded, so the rota does not sync to other devices automatically. Use Export CSV or Print schedule to share it, or to keep a backup.
How do I share the rota with my team?
Press Print schedule and choose your printer or Save as PDF to post or email it. Export CSV opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets if you want to edit or send it as a spreadsheet.
What is the difference between a rota and a roster?
They mean the same thing: a timetable showing who works when. Rota is more common in British English, roster and shift schedule in American English.
What does the overtime warning do?
Any person whose weekly total is above the limit you set (40 hours by default) is highlighted, so you can spot overtime before publishing the schedule. Rules differ by country and contract, so set the limit that applies to your team.