24/48 and 48/96 shift patterns
Understand the calendar cycle without assuming which hours count toward overtime.
You can see the duty cycle, but Kelly days, sleep time, work periods and overtime rules make the paycheck difficult to predict.
Short answerThe schedule pattern tells you when duty occurs. It does not by itself determine compensable hours or overtime. Department policy and applicable public-safety rules are essential.
How the two patterns repeat
A 24/48 pattern is one 24-hour duty day followed by two days off. A 48/96 pattern is two consecutive 24-hour duty days followed by four days off. Both repeat every six days and therefore move across calendar weekdays.
Calendar pattern and payroll are separate
The duty calendar does not decide whether all on-premises time is compensable, how sleep interruptions are handled or when overtime begins. Do not multiply every scheduled hour by the base rate and assume the result should match payroll.
Public-safety work periods can differ
Under specified conditions, qualifying public fire and law-enforcement employees may use work periods from seven to 28 consecutive days under FLSA section 7(k). The threshold depends on the work period and role.
Kelly days change the practical calendar
A department may schedule periodic relief days to manage average hours. Entering only the base 24/48 or 48/96 cycle will not capture those days. Add them from the official roster after generating the recurring pattern.
Verify with several known duty dates
Use a confirmed first duty date, generate the calendar and compare multiple past and future duty dates. For 48/96, confirm whether the anchor is the first or second day of a 48-hour block.
Use payroll documents for the pay estimate
Collect the department's work period, scheduled hours, excluded time, overtime threshold and premium rules. A calendar tool can organize dates, but only those documents can define the pay calculation.
What to collect before you calculate
- Duty-cycle anchor date
- Work-period length
- Kelly days
- Compensable-hour rules
- Overtime threshold
- Department premium rules
Use your own rates and rules
Run the numbers, save the breakdown and compare it with your policy or pay stub.
Generate a 24/48 or 48/96 calendar →