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24/48 Schedule Calendar

On a 24/48 schedule you work one 24-hour shift and then have 48 hours off, a 3-day cycle. Pick a day you start work and get your whole year.

1 Your shift pattern

Kelly days

2 A day you start a block of shifts

Your next two weeks. If they don't match your rota, move the date a day.

Mon1924Tue20offWed21offThu2224Fri23offSat24offSun2524Mon26offTue27offWed2824Thu29offFri30offSat3124Sun1off

Holidays shown Crew names

Compare with your partner's shifts

Their pattern Version A day they start a block

Their shift shows as a bar under each day. Days you are both off get a green frame.

5 Your pay (optional)

Hourly rate ($) Night or evening differential ($/h)

Holidays worked A payday Paid

Overtime rule

See what you earn in the year, each month and each paycheck, before tax. Firefighters and police on a 7(k) work period: choose "No overtime" and use the 7(k) calculator. Your pay stays on this device and is not added to the share link.

Name this calendar

24/48 Schedule at a glance

Cycle: 3 days
Shift length: 24 hours
Crews for 24/7: 3
Hours a week: 56
Hours a year: 2,920
Days off per cycle: 2

What is a 24/48 schedule?

On a 24/48 schedule you work one 24-hour shift and then have 48 hours off, a 3-day cycle. Three platoons, usually called A, B and C shift, cover every day of the year.

One cycle, crew by crew

Standard (3 days)

Crew A

Crew B

Crew C

Employers often shift the start or swap the order of blocks. If your rota differs, change the start date until the calendar matches a week you already know.

Printable 24/48 schedule template

24/48 Schedule template: one 3-day cycle for crews A, B, C, day by day — One full cycle for every crew. Download the PNG, or pick your start date in the calendar above and press Print for your own year.

Working a 24/48 schedule

The 24/48 is the most common schedule in US fire departments. You work 24 hours, usually 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. to 8 a.m., and then have 48 hours off. Three platoons, A, B and C, take turns, so the station is staffed every day of the year.

Firefighters are usually paid under section 7(k) of the FLSA, with overtime after 212 hours in a 28-day work period instead of 40 a week. A 24/48 puts 9 or 10 shifts (216 or 240 hours) into any 28 days, so most work periods include some overtime; departments add Kelly days to bring that down.

Sleep at the station counts as working time on a shift of exactly 24 hours; it can only be excluded on shifts of more than 24 hours, by agreement (29 CFR 553.222). Ask your department how it counts calls during the night.

Overtime on a 24/48 schedule under 7(k)

Fire departments usually pay overtime under section 7(k) of the FLSA: after 212 hours in a 28-day work period (29 CFR 553.230). In any 28 days this cycle puts 9 or 10 shifts of 24 hours, so 216 or 240 hours, which is up to 28 hours over the threshold before Kelly days, swaps or callbacks.

Try your own work period in the 7(k) overtime calculator.

How many hours is a 24/48 schedule?

Version	Cycle	Crews	Avg hours a week	Hours a year
Standard	3 days	3	56	2,920

Hours a year = hours worked in one cycle × 365 ÷ days in the cycle. Standard: 24 h × 365 ÷ 3 = 2,920 h. These are scheduled hours; overtime, leave and swaps change your own total.

24/48 pay calculator: hours, overtime and pay a year at your hourly rate.

24/48 Schedule pros and cons

Pros

Two full days off after every shift.
Only about 122 shifts a year.
Simple and predictable.

Cons

Scheduled time is about 56 hours a week, 2,920 hours a year.
A bad night at the station runs straight into your days off.
Many departments add Kelly days to keep overtime down.

24/48 Schedule calendar 2027

An example year with Crew A starting its cycle on Monday, January 4, 2027; the other crews follow 1 days apart. For your own dates, use the calendar at the top of the page.

Crew	Shifts in 2027	Hours	Full weekends off
A	122	2,928	18
B	121	2,904	17
C	122	2,928	17

Day shifts yellow, nights blue, 24-hour shifts red, US federal holidays with an orange corner.