How to make a rota
- Set up your shift types under the rota: a name, start and end time and the unpaid break. The tool shows the paid hours for each one. A shift that ends at or before it starts runs overnight.
- Add your staff and, if you want labour costs, an hourly rate for each. Leave the rate empty to count hours only.
- Pick the week, and whether your weeks start on Monday or Sunday.
- Choose a shift for each person and day in the grid. Totals for each person and each day update as you go.
- Next week, press Next and then Copy previous week, and change only what is different.
- Share it: Print rota for the staff room, Download CSV for a spreadsheet, or download one person’s shifts as an .ics file for their phone calendar.
Worked example: a café week
The rota opens with this example. Early is 07:00 to 15:00, Late is 15:00 to 23:00 and Night is 23:00 to 07:00, each with a 30-minute unpaid break, so each shift is 7.5 paid hours.
- Alex works five Earlies at £12.50 an hour: 37.5 hours, £468.75.
- Priya works five Lates at £13.00: 37.5 hours, £487.50.
- Jordan works four Nights, Thursday to Sunday, at £14.00: 30 hours, £420.00.
The week totals 105 hours and £1,376.25 over 14 shifts, with 2 people on shift every day. Sunday’s night ends at 07:00 on Monday, but its hours count on Sunday, the day it starts.
How hours and costs are worked out
Paid hours for a shift are its length on the clock minus the unpaid break. A shift from 22:00 to 06:00 is 8 hours long, so with a 30-minute break it pays 7.5 hours. Each person’s weekly hours are the sum of their shifts, and their cost is those hours times their hourly rate, rounded to the penny.
The day totals show how many people are on shift (your cover), split by shift type, plus the paid hours and cost for that day. Overnight shifts belong to the day they start, which is how most payroll and rota systems count them. People without a rate add to the hours but not to the cost, and the summary says how many are left out.
The cost is a planning figure: base pay only, before overtime, holiday pay, tax, pension or other employer costs.
Saving, printing and sharing
The rota saves itself in this browser as you work, including every week you have planned, so it is there when you come back on the same device. Nothing is uploaded. Private browsing windows may not keep it, and clearing your browsing data removes it, so download the CSV if you need a permanent copy.
Print rota makes a one-page landscape table with each person’s shifts, hours and cost, and the day cover underneath. The CSV opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers with the same rows. The .ics file holds one person’s shifts for the week with start and end times, ready to import into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook.
For rotating 24/7 patterns such as 4-on-4-off or DuPont, the shift calendar lays out a whole year for each crew.
Frequently asked questions
How are overnight shifts counted?
A shift whose end time is at or before its start time runs overnight. A 23:00 to 07:00 shift is 8 hours on the clock, and all of its hours count on the day it starts. In the .ics file it ends the next morning.
Is the unpaid break taken off the hours?
Yes. Paid hours are the shift length minus the unpaid break you set for that shift type. Set the break to 0 for paid breaks or short shifts without one.
Where is my rota saved?
In your browser on this device only, using local storage. It is never uploaded. Another device or browser will not see it, and clearing site data deletes it, so export a CSV to keep a copy.
Does the tool check break and working-time rules?
No. Rest-break, maximum-hours and minimum-wage rules differ by country, state and contract, so the rota only adds up the hours and costs you enter. Check the rules that apply to your team.
Can staff get their shifts on their phones?
Yes. Choose the person under "Calendar file for" and press Download .ics. Send them the file; opening it on a phone or importing it into Google Calendar adds each shift with its start and end time.