Free employee schedule calculator 2026. Build a weekly schedule by assigning shifts to employees. See total scheduled hours per employee, coverage by day, overtime alerts, and labor cost estimate per shift.
Enter each employee's name and their shift for each day of the week (e.g., "9-5" or "8-4").
Enter their hourly rate for pay calculation.
Add or remove employees using the + and x buttons.
Click Calculate Schedule to see total hours per employee, weekly totals, and OT alerts.
Review OT alerts to identify employees exceeding 40 hours/week (FLSA overtime threshold).
Build a weekly schedule by entering shift ranges (e.g., 9-5) for each employee per day. The calculator parses shift ranges, computes weekly hours per employee, flags overtime (over 40h/week per FLSA), and calculates total labor cost. Use this for staffing plans, coverage analysis, and labor budgeting.
Alice: Mon-Fri 9-5 (40h). Bob: Mon-Fri 12-8 (40h). Carol: Sat-Sun 10-6 (16h). Total = 96h/week. No OT. At $18/hr avg = $1,728/week labor cost.
Cook: 6 days x 8h = 48h (8h OT). Server A: 5 days x 6h = 30h. Server B: 4 days x 7h = 28h. Total = 106h. Cook OT = 8h at 1.5x. At $20/hr cook + $15/hr servers = (40x$20) + (8x$30) + (30x$15) + (28x$15) = $1,510.
4 crews x 42h/week avg (12h shifts, 2-2-3 pattern) = 168h total coverage. Each crew: 2h OT/week avg. At $30/hr = (40x$30) + (2x$45) = $1,290/week per crew, $5,160 total.
Alice: Mon-Thu 9-5 (32h, Fri PTO). Bob: Mon-Wed 9-5 (24h, Thu-Fri PTO). Carol: Mon-Fri 9-5 (40h). Total = 96h. No OT. PTO covered by temp or redistributed.
Alice: 3x 12h shifts (36h). Bob: 4x 10h shifts (40h). Carol: 5x 8h shifts (40h). Total = 116h. No FLSA OT. California: Alice has 12h daily OT each day (hours 9-12). Bob has 2h OT/day x 4 = 8h OT/week.
Find answers to the most common questions about employee schedule calculator.
List employees, assign shifts to each per day. Track total hours per employee to avoid OT (>40h/week). Ensure coverage by day and time. Use scheduling software (When I Work, Deputy, Sling, Humanity) for shift swaps and time-off requests. Best practice: post schedules 2+ weeks in advance — some cities (SF, Seattle, NYC) require by law.
Fair workweek laws (SF, Seattle, NYC, Chicago, Philadelphia, Oregon) require employers to: (1) Post schedules 14 days in advance, (2) Compensate for last-minute changes ("predictability pay"), (3) Offer shifts to existing part-timers before hiring new, (4) Provide "right to rest" — 10+ hours between shifts. Penalties: $10-$200 per violation.
For 24/7 coverage with 40h/week per employee: 168h/week ÷ 40h = 4.2 employees minimum. With 4 crews on rotating 12h shifts (2-2-3 pattern) = 4 employees cover 24/7 with avg 42h/week each (2h OT). For 8h shifts: 4 shifts/day x 7 days = 28 shifts ÷ 5 shifts per employee = 5.6 employees minimum.
Per employee: (regular hours × rate) + (OT hours × rate × 1.5) + (DT hours × rate × 2). Sum across all employees for total labor cost. Add employer taxes (FICA 7.65%, FUTA 0.6%, SUTA 1-5%), workers comp (1-5% of payroll), and benefits (typically 20-30% of wages). True labor cost = wages x 1.25-1.40.
FLSA overtime = 1.5× regular rate for non-exempt employees working over 40h in a single workweek. California adds daily OT (1.5× for hours 9-12, 2× for hours 13+). Alaska, Nevada have daily OT after 8h/day. Exempt employees (executive, administrative, professional) do not earn OT — 2024 threshold $43,888/year ($58,656 in 2025).
Shift differential = extra pay for less-desirable shifts (2nd/swing, 3rd/graveyard, weekends). Typical: 5-10% for swing, 10-15% for graveyard, 5-10% for weekends. When scheduling, assign shifts equitably — don't always assign the same employees to nights. Track differential separately in payroll for FLSA regular rate calculation.
Calculations and computational models on QuickBizCalc are verified against published regulatory standards and statutory tax tables:
Publication 15-T (Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods) & Publication 15 (Employer's Tax Guide).
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA 29 U.S.C. § 207) regulations on overtime hours, recordkeeping, and minimum wage.
OASDI taxable maximum wage base limits and statutory FICA tax rates (6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare).
Formulas and worked examples are checked against the sources above before publishing. For advice on your own situation, consult a licensed tax professional or accountant.
| Name | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Rate | Hours | Pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100.0h | $2,860.00 | ||||||||||
| 100.0h | $2,600.00 | ||||||||||
| TOTAL (2 emp) | 200.0h | $5,460.00 | |||||||||
