Shift rota maker
A month’s rota worked out, not a blank grid to fill in.
Examples temporarily replace the input and settings. You can restore your previous work.
Pro keeps the settings you use every week and puts them one click away. See Pro
Your files stay on your device
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, and you can even turn off your internet connection before you start.
Example
A 2-2-3 (Panama) schedule for four crews: November 2026, with Thanksgiving
A plant running around the clock on 12-hour shifts. Pattern “2-2-3 (Panama / Pitman) — 12 h, four crews”, no names (Teams A to D), November 2026, cycle starting on November 1, 12 hours per shift.
- Each crew works 2 on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off — two weeks of day shifts (D), then two of nights (N). Every day one crew is on days and one on nights.
- The crews are a week apart: Team A starts on days and Team C on nights on November 1; Team D (days) and Team B (nights) take over on November 3.
- Veterans Day (Wednesday, November 11) and Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26) are shaded and named at the foot of the sheet; a continuous pattern works through them.
- Shifts and hours are totalled for each crew at the right of the grid.
| Crew | Nov 11, Veterans Day | Nov 26, Thanksgiving | Shifts | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team A | D | – | 16 | 192 |
| Team B | – | N | 14 | 168 |
| Team C | N | – | 16 | 192 |
| Team D | – | D | 14 | 168 |
For December, keep “Cycle starts on” at 2026-11-01 and change only the month: the pattern runs on without a break, Teams B and D get the 16-shift month (192 hours) and Teams A and C work 15.
How it works
- Choose the pattern, or type your own cycle of shift codes.
- List the people or teams, one per line; with no names, the rota is made for teams A, B, C…
- Pick the month and, to carry on from a previous month, the date the cycle started.
- Download the PDF: days worked and hours are totalled for each person, and public holidays are shaded.
- For a roster spanning several sheets, find the page by its first and last employee and download just that sheet.
Frequently asked questions
- How does 12x36 work on the rota?
- Each person works one day and is off the next, so two people or two teams alternate and every day is covered. With Stagger on, the second name starts a day later than the first.
- How do I carry the rota on into next month?
- Enter the date the cycle started in your first month (the 1st of that month if you left Cycle starts on empty) and change only the month. The pattern is counted from that date, so a 31-day month does not put anyone on two shifts in a row across the change of month. Left empty, the cycle starts again on the new month’s 1st.
- What is the three-shift pattern?
- Continuous cover by four teams: two early shifts, two late, two nights and two days off, each team two days behind the one before. Every day has one team on each shift.
- Are public holidays taken into account?
- They are shaded and named at the foot of the sheet — on the English rota the US federal holidays, such as Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, with the observed day when one falls on a weekend. Continuous patterns such as 12x36, 2-2-3 and three shifts work through them; Monday-to-Friday and two-shift rotas take them off.
- Can I print a blank rota instead?
- Yes: the printable roster template gives an empty grid to fill in by hand.
- How does the 2-2-3 (Panama) schedule work?
- Four crews on 12-hour shifts. Each works 2 on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off — 7 shifts, 84 hours, in every 14 days — two weeks on days, then two on nights. Crews a week apart cover each other’s days off, so one crew is always on days and one on nights.
- Is anything uploaded?
- No. The rota is made in your browser. The free plan prints a small line with our name at the foot of the sheet; Pro leaves it off.