A free weekly staff rota template in Excel for UK businesses: start, end and break times for every shift, paid hours worked out for you, staff on each day, and an 11-hour rest check built in. Download it, add your team, and plan the week.
The free rota maker does what this template does without the spreadsheet: add your staff, drop shifts on each day, and see each person's hours and the 11-hour rest check as you go. No account needed to build it — sign up to print or download it and the rota comes with you.
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Everything a UK shift-based business needs to plan and communicate rotas clearly.
Monday to Sunday on one sheet, with each day dated from the week-commencing cell
20 rows for name, role and contracted hours, with weekly paid hours and the difference from contract worked out for you
Start, end and unpaid break (in minutes) for every shift; paid hours are calculated per day, overnight shifts included
Staff working and total paid hours for each day, next to a row for the minimum cover you need
A notes column for each person: availability, holiday already booked, anything the rota must respect
Flags any gap under 11 hours between one day's shift and the next, and any week over 48 hours
Up and running in five steps — no software needed.
Click the download button to get the Excel file instantly, no email required. For Google Sheets, upload it to Drive and open it with Sheets.
Set the week commencing date, then add each person's name, role and contracted hours.
Fill in start times, end times, and breaks for each employee each day.
Compare staff working each day with the cover you need, and fix any CHECK in the 11-hour rest column.
Print or email the completed rota. Give reasonable notice of any shift changes.
Four real-world weekly rotas: names down the side, days across the top, shift times in the cells and paid hours at the end. Each one keeps 11 hours between shifts and stays under 48 hours a week. Copy any of them into the template above.
Two people on every day. Full-timers keep two days off together; part-timers cover the weekend. 09:00–17:30 includes a 30-minute unpaid break (8 paid hours); Sunday's 10:00–16:00 is exactly 6 hours, so no break is legally required.
| Staff | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Paid hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PriyaManager | 09:00–17:30 | 09:00–17:30 | 09:00–17:30 | 09:00–17:30 | 09:00–17:30 | Off | Off | 40 |
| TomSales assistant | Off | 09:00–17:30 | 09:00–17:30 | 09:00–17:30 | 09:00–17:30 | 09:00–17:30 | Off | 40 |
| JakePart-time | 09:00–17:30 | Off | Off | 12:00–17:30 | Off | Off | 10:00–16:00 | 19.5 |
| EllieWeekends | Off | Off | Off | Off | Off | 09:00–17:30 | 10:00–16:00 | 14 |
In the template: Type each start and end with a 30-minute break; Sunday's break is 0.
Chefs work lunch and dinner with the afternoon off; that gap is their break. The 11 hours' daily rest runs from the 22:30 finish, so a 10:30 start the next day leaves 12 hours. Front-of-house shifts are 6 hours or less.
| Staff | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Paid hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MarcoHead chef | Closed | Off | 10:30–14:30 + 17:00–22:30 | 10:30–14:30 + 17:00–22:30 | 10:30–14:30 + 17:00–22:30 | 10:30–14:30 + 17:00–22:30 | 10:30–15:30 | 43 |
| SaraSous chef | Closed | 10:30–14:30 + 17:00–22:30 | 17:00–22:30 | Off | 10:30–14:30 + 17:00–22:30 | 10:30–14:30 + 17:00–22:30 | Off | 34 |
| LilyFront of house | Closed | 11:00–15:00 | 11:00–15:00 | 11:00–15:00 | 11:00–15:00 | 11:00–15:00 | Off | 20 |
| DanFront of house | Closed | 17:00–22:30 | 17:00–22:30 | 17:00–22:30 | 17:00–22:30 | 17:00–22:30 | 11:00–15:30 | 32 |
In the template: Enter a split shift as one start and end with the gap as the break: 10:30 to 22:30 with a 150-minute break is 9.5 paid hours.
A senior and a care assistant on every long day, and a waking night carer every night. Long days end at 20:00 and start at 07:30, 11½ hours apart, so back-to-back long days are legal; back-to-back nights leave exactly 11 hours (08:30 to 19:30).
| Staff | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Paid hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior 1Senior carer | LD | LD | Off | Off | LD | LD | Off | 46 |
| Senior 2Senior carer | Off | Off | LD | LD | Off | Off | LD | 34.5 |
| Carer 1Care assistant | LD | Off | Off | LD | LD | Off | LD | 46 |
| Carer 2Care assistant | Off | LD | LD | Off | Off | LD | Off | 34.5 |
| Night 1Night carer | WN | WN | WN | Off | Off | Off | Off | 36 |
| Night 2Night carer | Off | Off | Off | WN | WN | WN | Off | 36 |
| Night 3Bank night carer | Off | Off | Off | Off | Off | Off | WN | 12 |
In the template: LD is 07:30–20:00 and WN is 19:30–08:30, each with a 60-minute break. An end time earlier than the start counts as overnight.
Wednesday is the team day, when everyone working is in, and at least one person is in the office every day. Every working day is 09:00–17:30 with a 30-minute unpaid break (8 paid hours).
| Staff | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Paid hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HannahFull-time | Office | Office | Office | Home | Home | 40 |
| RajFull-time | Home | Office | Office | Office | Home | 40 |
| GracePart-time, 3 days | Office | Off | Office | Home | Off | 24 |
| OwenFull-time | Office | Home | Office | Office | Office | 40 |
In the template: Put the hours in as normal and write Office or Home in the notes column.
Building one for the first time? Our guide to how to make a staff rota walks through it step by step, and the split shifts guide covers the rest rules behind the restaurant example.
The template gets you started. TimeTally replaces it entirely — with a proper rota builder, mobile app for staff, leave management, timesheets, and payroll export. All in one place, from £3/employee/month.
Create shifts, assign them to employees, and set recurring patterns — all from one view. No spreadsheet formulas, no copy-pasting. Publish the rota and every employee sees it instantly on their phone.
No more WhatsApp screenshots of the rota, printed schedules getting lost, or "I didn't see the update" excuses. Every published shift appears in the employee's app, and you can email the team their shifts in one click.
Holiday and sick leave appear on the same calendar as scheduled shifts. Before you approve a leave request, you can instantly see if it creates a coverage gap — so you're never caught short on a busy day.
The rota tells you who should work. TimeTally's time tracking records what actually happened — hours worked, breaks taken, overtime earned. Then export directly to Xero, QuickBooks, or CSV.
TimeTally gives you a proper rota builder, mobile app for staff, leave management, and payroll export — all in one place. Explore all features or see how it works.
Rota builder
Create shifts, assign employees, and publish the rota in minutes. Staff see their shifts in the iOS and Android apps once you publish.
Time tracking
Employees clock in and out via mobile. Overtime is calculated automatically at your configured rates.
Payroll export
Direct integration with Xero and QuickBooks, and a CSV export for any other payroll software.
If you employ shift workers in the UK, the Working Time Regulations 1998 set out minimum rest periods and maximum working hours. Getting these wrong can lead to enforcement action from HMRC or employment tribunal claims.
Adult workers are entitled to 11 consecutive hours of rest in every 24-hour period. If a shift ends at 11pm, the next shift cannot start before 10am the following day. This is the most common regulation that catches out small businesses using manual rotas — a spreadsheet will not flag the conflict, so you need to check manually. TimeTally's timesheet software monitors rest periods automatically.
There are limited exceptions for certain sectors (such as hospitals, transport, and security) where compensatory rest can be provided instead. See the GOV.UK rest breaks guidance for the full list.
Every worker is entitled to an uninterrupted 24-hour period without work in each 7-day period, or an uninterrupted 48-hour period in every 14-day period. When planning weekly rotas, make sure each employee has at least one full day off per week. For shift workers covering weekends, this means carefully rotating rest days rather than defaulting to Saturday or Sunday off for everyone.
Employees cannot be required to work more than an average of 48 hours per week, calculated over a 17-week reference period. Workers can opt out of this limit voluntarily in writing, but you cannot require them to do so as a condition of employment. Track total weekly hours on your rota to avoid creeping above this limit, particularly for employees who work overtime or have a second job.
Night workers (those who regularly work at least 3 hours between 11pm and 6am) must not work more than an average of 8 hours in any 24-hour period. Unlike the 48-hour weekly limit, night workers cannot opt out of this restriction. Employers must also offer free health assessments to night workers before they start night work and at regular intervals afterwards.
Workers aged 16–17 have additional protections. They are entitled to 12 hours of rest between shifts (not 11), a minimum of 2 consecutive days off per week (not 1), and cannot work more than 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week. Young workers generally cannot work between 10pm and 6am, although some exceptions exist for hospitality and retail. If you employ apprentices or part-time staff under 18, these rules apply regardless of contract type.
Any shift lasting more than 6 hours must include an uninterrupted rest break of at least 20 minutes. The break should be taken during the shift, not at the start or end. Young workers get a 30-minute break after 4.5 hours. These breaks should be reflected in your rota template — the template above includes a column for break durations so you can track this.
“TimeTally has been excellent for our business. The app is simple to use, reliable, and makes managing staff records straightforward. The system has saved us a significant amount of administration time. Highly recommended for any business looking for an easy-to-use workforce management solution.”
Jordan Ingoe, CLI Manchester
