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Pitman Schedule Calendar
The Pitman schedule is a 12-hour shift pattern that repeats every 14 days: 2 days on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off. Pick a day you start work and get your whole year.
Pitman Schedule at a glance
- Cycle
- 14 days
- Shift length
- 12 hours
- Crews for 24/7
- 4
- Hours a week
- 42
- Hours a year
- 2,190
- Days off per cycle
- 7
What is a Pitman schedule?
The Pitman schedule is a 12-hour shift pattern that repeats every 14 days: 2 days on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off. It is often called the 2-2-3 schedule. Two crews cover the day shift and two cover nights, so four crews give 24/7 coverage.
One cycle, crew by crew
Day shift (14 days)
Night shift (14 days)
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 Pitman schedule template
Working a Pitman schedule
A Pitman schedule needs four crews to cover 24/7: two work days and two work nights, each on the same 14-day cycle. Shifts usually run 6 to 6 or 7 to 7. Read the cycle as two on, two off, three on, then the same again starting with two off.
If your crew's cycle starts on a Monday, you work Monday, Tuesday and Friday to Sunday in the first week, and Wednesday and Thursday in the second. So you work one weekend from Friday to Sunday and have the next one off, every other week.
Police departments often keep crews on fixed days or fixed nights. Plants more often rotate crews between days and nights every few weeks; with a switch every 14 days it becomes the Panama rotation. Before you start, ask which crew you are on, the date your crew's cycle began and which day your employer's workweek starts, because that decides how much overtime you get (see the table below).
Overtime on a Pitman schedule: it depends on the workweek
Federal overtime is due for hours over 40 in a workweek, a fixed 7-day period that your employer chooses and that does not have to start on Monday (29 CFR 778.105). With the same shifts, the day it starts changes how the hours fall into weeks, and so the overtime. Crew A, cycle starting on a Monday:
| Workweek starts | Hours in each week | Overtime hours a year |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 60, 24 | 520 |
| Tuesday | 48, 36 | 208 |
| Wednesday | 36, 48 | 208 |
| Thursday | 48, 36 | 208 |
| Friday | 60, 24 | 520 |
| Saturday | 48, 36 | 208 |
| Sunday | 36, 48 | 208 |
Compare this pattern with every other 24/7 option in 24/7 shift schedules compared. Federal rule only, before leave and swaps. Daily overtime states such as California count differently: use “Your pay” in the calendar or the shift pay calculator.
How many hours is a Pitman schedule?
| Version | Cycle | Crews | Avg hours a week | Hours a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day shift | 14 days | 2 | 42 | 2,190 |
| Night shift | 14 days | 2 | 42 | 2,190 |
Hours a year = hours worked in one cycle × 365 ÷ days in the cycle. Day shift: 84 h × 365 ÷ 14 = 2,190 h. These are scheduled hours; overtime, leave and swaps change your own total.
Pitman pay calculator: hours, overtime and pay a year at your hourly rate.
Pitman Schedule pros and cons
Pros
- Every other weekend is a full three-day weekend.
- Never more than 3 shifts in a row.
- Same shift times all year if your crew stays on days or nights.
Cons
- 12-hour shifts are long, especially on nights.
- The days you work change from week to week, which makes childcare harder to plan.
- Fixed-night crews never rotate back to days unless the employer adds a rotation.
Pitman Schedule calendar 2027
An example year with Crew A starting its cycle on Monday, January 4, 2027; the other crews follow 7 days apart. For your own dates, use the calendar at the top of the page.
| Crew | Shifts in 2027 | Hours | Full weekends off |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 182 | 2,184 | 26 |
| B | 183 | 2,196 | 26 |
Day shifts yellow, nights blue, 24-hour shifts red, US federal holidays with an orange corner.
January 2027
February 2027
March 2027
April 2027
May 2027
June 2027
July 2027
August 2027
September 2027
October 2027
November 2027
December 2027
Who uses the Pitman schedule?
Police departments, manufacturing plants, 911 dispatch and security teams.
Pitman vs DuPont: which is better?
Similar patterns
- Panama Schedule28-day cycle, 42 h a week
- DuPont Schedule28-day cycle, 42 h a week
- 4 on 4 off Schedule8-day cycle, 42 h a week
- 3 on 3 off Schedule6-day cycle, 42 h a week
- 2 on 2 off Schedule4-day cycle, 42 h a week
- 4-3-3-4 Schedule14-day cycle, 42 h a week
Questions
How many hours a week is a Pitman schedule?
On average 42 hours a week: 7 shifts of 12 hours every 14 days. Over a year that is about 2,190 scheduled hours, before overtime, leave or Kelly days.
How many crews does a Pitman schedule need?
2 crews for this version, with exactly one crew on each shift every day.
How many hours a year is a Pitman schedule?
About 2,190 scheduled hours a year: about 183 shifts of 12 hours. Overtime, leave and shift swaps change your own total; the pay calculator works it out at your hourly rate.
How long is the Pitman schedule cycle?
14 days. After that the same days repeat, so the calendar for any year follows from one start date.
How do I add my shifts to Google Calendar or my iPhone?
Pick your pattern and a day you start a block, press "Add to calendar" and open the file. Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook import it as all-day events, so daylight saving time does not move them.
Can my family see my schedule?
Yes. Press "Copy link" ("Share" on a phone) and send it. The link holds your pattern and start date, so it opens the same calendar on any phone. Nobody needs an account.
Can I download it to Excel?
Yes. Press "Excel" to download the year as a CSV file that opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. With "All crews" selected you get one column per crew, ready to print or post for the whole team.