Free shift pattern calendars and schedules

Rota Template

Build a staff rota for the week commencing the date you choose, with early, late and night shifts and hours per team member.

Rota Template is a free, editable, printable work-schedule sheet that runs in your browser. It shows a grid with one row per person and one column per day, and each cell holds a shift code such as Early, Late, Night or Off. The sheet works out paid hours for each shift, each person and the whole rota as you type.

You can use it for a single week, a fortnight or a whole calendar month. The page opens on the current week’s Monday unless you arrive with a saved link, and the worked example starts on 5 Oct 2026. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no account or sign-up. The tool is free to use.

Rota template example

How to use the Rota Template

  1. Open the page. Without a saved link, the sheet starts on the Monday of the current week and shows the example rota with six rows and seven days.
  2. Choose a period: one week (7 days), two weeks (14 days) or a month. Week-like periods start on the date you pick. A month always shows the whole calendar month.
  3. Type your own title in the title field. Until you change it, the title reads “Rota for week commencing 5 Oct 2026”.
  4. Replace the example names in the rows with your team’s names.
  5. Type a shift code into each cell. Use the codes in the shift table, such as Early, Late, Night or Off.
  6. Use the Quick fill box to repeat a pattern such as “S1 S1 S1 S1 S1 O O” along one row or every row. You can also copy the first week onto the following weeks, or clear cells. To paint cells quickly, tap a code chip and then tap the cells you want.
  7. Check the warnings and the totals. Each row shows its shifts, paid hours and days off. The bottom row counts how many people work each code on each day.

When the rota is complete, use Print schedule, Download CSV or Copy link. The options are explained below.

How are paid hours calculated in a rota?

Paid hours for a shift equal the end time minus the start time, minus the unpaid break in minutes. If the end time is earlier than the start time, the shift runs past midnight. The result never goes below 0. The tool uses only this plain subtraction and addition on the values you type, and it does not apply any legal or pay rule.

For example, Early runs 07:00 to 15:00 with a 30-minute unpaid break, which gives 8 hours minus 0.5 hours, or 7.5 paid hours. Night runs 23:00 to 07:00, which is 8 hours across midnight, so it also gives 7.5 paid hours. An Off day has no times and counts 0 hours. In the default example, five rows of 37.5 hours and one row of 22.5 hours make 210 paid hours across 28 shifts.

Can I print the rota or share it?

Yes. Print schedule prints only the sheet in landscape, black on white, with large cells and a repeated header row. The printout includes a legend of the shift codes and their times, with times in 24-hour form and dates written day first. To keep a file, choose “Save as PDF” in the browser’s print dialog.

Download CSV saves the grid as a CSV file with totals. Copy link copies the page address, which stores every input in the ?s= part of the URL. Anyone who opens that link sees the same schedule, and you can reopen it later from the same link.

How do I fill in the cells quickly?

Click a cell and type a code, or use the arrow keys and Enter to move from cell to cell; the code list offers the codes defined in the shift table. On a phone, tap a code chip and then tap the cells to paint them. Quick fill repeats a pattern such as “D D N N O O O” along a row, optionally starting each row one step later, and can copy the first week onto the following weeks. A dash in the pattern leaves a cell blank.

What is in the CSV file?

Download CSV saves the grid with one row per person: the name, the codes for each date, and the totals. The header row uses dates in yyyy-mm-dd form. The file opens in any spreadsheet program. Nothing is sent anywhere; the file is made in your browser.

How does the staffing count work?

The count row at the bottom shows, for each date, how many people have each code. Use it to see at a glance whether a day has enough people on a shift. The page does not decide what is enough: you read the counts and judge for yourself.

Worked examples

InputResult
6 rows, 7 days, 5 Oct 2026 – 11 Oct 2026210 paid hours in total, 28 shifts
6 rows, 14 days, 5 Oct 2026 – 18 Oct 2026210 paid hours in total, 28 shifts

Calculated by the tool above; open it with the same values to see each step.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Rota Template work for a fortnight or a whole month?

Yes. The two-week option shows 14 days, starting on the date you pick. The month option always shows the whole calendar month, including 29 days for February in a leap year.

What does a red code in a cell mean?

A red code is not in the shift table. It counts 0 hours and is listed in a warning. Codes can be up to 12 characters long and are not case sensitive.

Why does the page warn about overlapping shifts?

The page warns when two worked shifts in a row overlap, for example when a night shift ends after the next day’s shift starts. It also warns when a shift has an unreadable time or when a code is defined twice.

Does the tool check rest periods or pay rules?

No. The tool does the time arithmetic on the values you type and reproduces no legal or pay rule. Check your own rules separately.

Is this tool free, and is anything I type uploaded?

Yes, it is free and needs no account or sign-up. Everything is calculated in your browser, and nothing you type is uploaded.

Can I print it or share it?

Yes. Print / save as PDF prints the page as you see it; choose Save as PDF in the print dialog to keep a file. Copy link copies a page address that stores your inputs, so the same schedule can be reopened later or sent to someone else.