Home / Guides / 5-5-4 schedule
5-5-4 schedule
The 5-5-4 schedule is a 15-day rotation of 12-hour shifts: 5 day shifts, 5 days off, 4 night shifts and 1 day off, then it repeats. It is usually run with three crews. The five-day break is the attraction; the catch is the average week of 50.4 hours.
By Asier Fernández ·
5-5-4 at a glance
- Cycle
- 15 days
- Shift length
- 12 hours
- Hours a week
- 50.4
- Hours a year
- 2,628
- Most shifts in a row
- 5
- Longest break
- 5 days
With the three crews 5 days apart there is always one crew on days, but nights are covered on only 4 days in 5. Employers fill the gap with relief or overtime.
The math most guides skip
Each crew works 9 shifts every 15 days: 108 hours, an average of 50.4 hours a week and about 2,628 a year (220 shifts in 2027 for one crew). That is about 440 hours a year more than a four-crew 12-hour schedule such as the Pitman (2,184 hours). Under the federal rule, overtime is paid for hours over 40 in each workweek; depending on the day your workweek starts, a 5-5-4 crew works about 735 to 735 overtime hours a year.
Weekends and breaks
The cycle is 15 days, so your days move through the week. A crew gets 12 to 16, depending on the weekday your cycle starts full weekends off in 2027. The longest break is 5 days, and the change from nights back to days comes after just one day off, which many people find hard. The change from days to nights comes after the five-day break.
Who uses it and alternatives
The 5-5-4 appears in plants and contact centers that run three crews. If the hours are too high, the four-crew rotations average 42 hours: compare the DuPont (also with a long break) and the other 12-hour schedules. Choose “5-5-4” in the shift calendar to get your year, with every crew, holidays and a file for your phone.
More guides
Figures are worked out from each cycle; rules checked against official sources on . How we calculate
Questions
What is the 5-5-4 rotation schedule?
A 15-day rotation of 12-hour shifts: 5 days on day shift, 5 days off, 4 nights on night shift and 1 day off.
How many hours a week is a 5-5-4 schedule?
About 50.4 on average: 9 shifts of 12 hours every 15 days.
How many crews does a 5-5-4 need?
Usually three, 5 days apart. That covers the day shift every day and the night shift on 4 days in 5.
How many days off do you get on a 5-5-4?
6 days off every 15 days: a 5-day break and a single day off after the nights.
Is the 5-5-4 a good schedule?
It gives a 5-day break every cycle, but averages 50.4 hours a week and changes from nights to days after one day off.