Shift hours per week and per year
Work out average paid hours for a repeating shift pattern and compare schedules with their shift lengths shown.
Average paid hours
4 on 4 off: DDDDOOOO. 4 shifts in 8 days, 12.00 paid hours per shift.
Example: Edit settings to personalise.
- Per week
- 42.00average paid hours
- Per 365-day year
- 2,190.00average paid hours
- Per cycle
- 48.008 calendar days
These are cycle averages. A dated calendar can have a different total. Leave, overtime and shift swaps are not included.
Compare other patterns
Fixed presets use their documented shift lengths. Other rows use your entered length. Breaks apply per shift or 24-hour duty day.
| Pattern | Hours per week | Hours per year |
|---|---|---|
| 4 on 4 off(12h), selected | 42.00 | 2,190.00 |
| DuPont(12h) | 42.00 | 2,190.00 |
| Pitman(12h) | 42.00 | 2,190.00 |
| Panama (14-day shift rotation)(12h) | 42.00 | 2,190.00 |
| 2-2-3(12h) | 42.00 | 2,190.00 |
| 24/48(24h) | 56.00 | 2,920.00 |
| 48/96(24h) | 56.00 | 2,920.00 |
| Kelly(24h) | 56.00 | 2,920.00 |
| 3x12(12h) | 36.00 | 1,877.14 |
| Continental(8h) | 42.00 | 2,190.00 |
For general information only, not professional advice. Check the official sources below. Use your own judgement and speak to your employer or HR team before you act.
How to use this tool
- Choose a preset in the Pattern selector, or choose Custom cycle and enter your own day codes.
- Fixed presets show their documented shift length. For other patterns, enter your shift length in hours. Enter the unpaid break per shift, or per 24-hour duty day.
- Read the paid hours per cycle, average week and 365-day year for your selected pattern. Open Compare other patterns when you want to compare presets with their shift lengths shown and the same unpaid break.
- Save your settings on this device, share them as a link or print the results and comparison table.
How it works
- D D D DDay shift · 4 days
- O O O OOff · 4 days
Paid hours per shift equal the shift length minus the unpaid break in hours. D, N, M and E each count as one shift; O is off. 24/48 and Kelly use 24-hour shifts. 48/96 uses two consecutive 24-hour duty days. 3x12 uses 12-hour shifts and Continental uses 8-hour shifts. Other patterns use your entered length; choose Custom cycle to change a fixed preset length.
Multiply paid hours by the work days in the cycle. Divide by the cycle length and multiply by 7 for an average week or 365 for an average year. Values are rounded to two decimal places after calculation.
These are averages across repeating cycles. They are not a count of your actual shifts in a selected year, a payslip calculation or a determination of overtime.
Worked example
A 4 on 4 off cycle, 12 hours and no unpaid break gives 48 paid hours per eight-day cycle, 42 per week and 2190 per 365-day year. A 30 minute unpaid break reduces the average week to 40.25 hours.
Common questions
How many hours a year is a 42-hour week?
Using 365 calendar days, 42 divided by 7 times 365 is 2190 hours. Multiplying by 52 would cover only 364 days.
Should I take off unpaid breaks?
Yes, enter the unpaid part in minutes. A 30 minute break on a 12-hour shift leaves 11.5 paid hours. Do not subtract a paid break.
Why is this an average?
A calendar year does not usually contain an exact number of cycles. The tool scales a complete cycle to seven or 365 days. A dated schedule may have a different shift total.
How do patterns compare?
Open Compare other patterns below your selected-cycle result. Each row shows the shift length used. Fixed presets use their documented length; other rows use your entered length. The same unpaid break is deducted per shift or 24-hour duty day. A row is unavailable if the break is as long as or longer than its shift. Printing includes the comparison table even when it is closed on screen.
Are overtime, leave and leap years included?
No. The annual average always uses 365 days. Actual leave, overtime, swapped shifts and a 366-day leap year require a dated rota and your employer's rules.
Sources
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