9/80 Schedule Calculator
Updated November 2026 · Free · No sign-up
Calculate the 9/80 work schedule — The 9/80 compressed pattern: eight 9-hour days + one 8-hour day over two weeks, buying every other Friday off. See your average weekly hours, annual hours, and the next weeks of the rotation from any start date.
Quick answer: The 9/80 Schedule runs a 14-day cycle with 9 shifts of 8.89 hours — averaging 40.0 hours/week (2086 hours/year) across 1 crews for continuous coverage.
The Pattern
The 9/80 compressed pattern: eight 9-hour days + one 8-hour day over two weeks, buying every other Friday off. Four numbers define it:
| Cycle length | 14 days | Shifts per cycle | 9 x 8.89h |
| Average week | 40.0 hours | Annual hours | ~2086 |
| Crews for 24/7 | 1 | Typical users | engineering firms, government, aerospace |
Worked Example
At $28/hour, the 40.0-hour average week grosses about $1,120/week — but pay varies BY WEEK with the rotation: weeks containing more shifts cross 40 hours and trigger overtime under weekly-OT rules, while light weeks run short. Many employers average or use period-based agreements; check how yours handles the heavy weeks.
Strengths and Trade-offs
Works well: 26 three-day weekends a year at the cost of 50 minutes a day; commute-friendly.
Watch for: the workweek must legally split mid-Friday so each week holds exactly 40 hours — payroll misconfiguration silently creates weekly OT liability. Night blocks also trigger night differentials where policy provides.
Overtime and Pay-Period Mechanics
Fixed-cycle schedules interact awkwardly with weekly overtime laws: a 14-day cycle does not align with 7-day workweeks, so some weeks exceed 40 hours even though the AVERAGE is 40.0. US employers handle it with premium built into rates, period agreements, or straight OT payment on heavy weeks; California daily rules add 1.5x past 8 hours (2x past 12) on every 8.89-hour shift unless an alternative workweek was adopted — see the California overtime calculator.
Living on This Rotation
Sleep research favors forward rotation and consistent blocks; the long off-stretches are this pattern’s reward — plan them like mini-vacations rather than recovery-only time. Swaps should trade like-for-like blocks to keep the cycle (and the pay averaging) intact. For planning days off around the rotation, the cycle preview below maps any month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 9/80 work schedule?
The 9/80 compressed pattern: eight 9-hour days + one 8-hour day over two weeks, buying every other Friday off. It averages 40.0 hours/week over the 14-day cycle.
How many hours a year is this schedule?
About 2086 hours — 9 shifts x 8.89 hours per 14-day cycle, across 365 days.
Does this pattern trigger overtime?
Weeks with more shifts than average can exceed 40 hours even though the cycle averages 40.0 — weekly-OT jurisdictions owe premiums on those weeks unless a lawful averaging agreement applies.
How many crews does 24/7 coverage need?
1 crews rotate this pattern for continuous coverage — each crew offset within the cycle.
How does the 9/80 avoid overtime?
The defined workweek starts mid-shift on the 8-hour Friday, placing exactly 40 hours in each week — configured wrong, week one has 44 and owes OT.
What does 9/80 mean?
80 hours across 9 working days per two-week period: Monday-Thursday 9s, alternating Fridays of 8 hours or off.
✓ Formula verified • Last updated: November 3, 2026