Quick answer: A 4 on 4 off schedule means you work four 12-hour shifts in a row, then get four days off, on a repeating 8-day cycle. Four crews give 24/7 coverage, you average about 42 hours a week, and because the cycle is 8 days long, your work days move one weekday later every cycle.
Pick the first day of your cycle (the first shift of a four-shift block), choose Days or Nights, and set your start time. The widget colors every month of 2027, adds up your shifts and hours, downloads an .ics file for Apple, Google or Outlook calendars, and prints to PDF. If your crew works four days, four off, four nights, four off, use the shift calendar maker and choose "4 on 4 off, days then nights" from its pattern list. Your shift alarm knows the traffic: in BoardSpy, every shift gets an alarm that rings when live traffic says to leave.
How 4 on 4 off works
The math is simple. You work half of all days: 182 or 183 twelve-hour shifts a year, about 2,190 hours, or roughly 42 hours a week on average. Four crews cover a 24/7 operation: two crews alternate on day shifts and two alternate on nights, each one starting its block exactly when the other finishes.
There are two common versions:
- Fixed (8-day cycle): you always work days, or always nights. This is what the widget above shows.
- Days then nights (16-day cycle): 4 days, 4 off, 4 nights, 4 off. Your body clock gets a full four-day break between switches, which is gentler than DuPont's one-day flip.
What your month looks like: crews A–D
Here are 16 days of the fixed version, starting on a Monday. D = 12-hour day, N = 12-hour night, a dash = off. Notice how each crew's block slides across the weekday headers.
| Crew | M | T | W | T | F | S | S | M | T | W | T | F | S | S | M | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A (days) | D | D | D | D | – | – | – | – | D | D | D | D | – | – | – | – |
| B (days) | – | – | – | – | D | D | D | D | – | – | – | – | D | D | D | D |
| C (nights) | N | N | N | N | – | – | – | – | N | N | N | N | – | – | – | – |
| D (nights) | – | – | – | – | N | N | N | N | – | – | – | – | N | N | N | N |
On the rotating 16-day version, the four crews are offset by four days instead: while crew A works its four day shifts, crew C is on nights; then B takes days, D takes nights and A starts its break, and so on. Every day still has exactly one crew on days and one on nights.
Your weekends on 4 on 4 off
This is the question everyone on the rotation asks, and the answer is precise. Because the cycle is 8 days and a week is 7, your schedule shifts one weekday later every cycle and lines back up with the calendar every 8 weeks (56 days). In each 8-week stretch you get:
- 3 full weekends off (Saturday and Sunday both free)
- 2 split weekends (one day on, one off)
- 3 weekends worked
That holds no matter which day your crew starts, which makes it easy to plan: once you find your first free weekend in 2027 on the calendar above, the next full weekend off is usually one or two weeks later, followed by a run of weekends at work. For big events (weddings, reunions, school plays), check the date on your printed calendar the moment you get the invitation, so you have time to arrange a swap.
4 on 3 off, 4 on 2 off and 4-3-3-4: the close cousins
People searching for 4 on 4 off often turn out to be on something slightly different. Here is how they compare:
| Schedule | Cycle | Avg hours/week at 12 h | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 on 4 off | 8 days | About 42 | Work days drift through the week; four-day breaks. |
| 4 on 3 off | 7 days | 48 (40 if 10-hour shifts) | Same weekdays every week, so fixed weekends. Common with 10-hour shifts. |
| 4 on 2 off | 6 days | About 56 (about 37 if 8-hour shifts) | Short breaks; drifts one weekday earlier each cycle. |
| 4 on 3 off, 3 on 4 off (4-3-3-4) | 14 days | 42 | Same pattern every two weeks; alternating three- and four-day breaks. |
None of these is in the widget's preset list, but the shift calendar maker has a Custom option: type D4 O3, D4 O2 or D4 O3 D3 O4 and it builds the same 2027 calendar. For how 4 on 4 off stacks up against DuPont, Pitman and Panama, see our 12-hour shift schedule comparison.
Pros and cons for the person working it
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Simple: four on, four off, forever. Easy to explain to family. | Four 12-hour shifts in a row is tiring, especially the fourth night. |
| Every break is four days, enough for a short trip. | Weekends rotate: three of every eight are fully worked. |
| Half the days of the year are yours. | No long break like DuPont's seven days. |
| Fixed version keeps you on days or nights, so your body clock can settle. | Recurring commitments (a Tuesday class, a weekly game) clash half the time. |
If a full week off appeals more than steady four-day breaks, compare the DuPont schedule.
Sleep, commute and family
Sleep. On a four-night block, keep the same sleep window every day of the block, even on the morning after the last night (sleep a shorter stretch, then get up). On the rotating version, use the first of your four off days to swing back toward daytime.
The commute. The drive home after your fourth night is the riskiest of the cycle. In a 2016 PNAS study, 6 of 16 night-shift workers had at least one near-crash driving after a night shift, and none did after a night of sleep. Nap before you drive if you are fading. On the way in, a fixed alarm cannot see a crash on the interstate. BoardSpy gives each shift a leave-by alarm based on live traffic, so it rings when you need to leave, and you can use our when-to-leave tool to check one-off trips.
Family. On a drifting schedule nobody at home can keep track of which Saturday you work, so put it where they can see it. BoardSpy's shared calendar lets you invite family by link or code with owner, editor or viewer roles, and members get a push when your schedule changes; only you can edit your own shifts. You can mirror Google Calendar events in as "Busy" (private by default) or in full detail, and BoardSpy never writes to Google Calendar. Free covers one shared calendar with up to 3 members; a family of four or more needs Pro, with prices shown in the App Store and Google Play. If you and your partner both work rotations, our guide to a shared calendar for couples shows how to find your common days off.
Set it up in BoardSpy
- Create your shift types. In BoardSpy, add your 12-hour shift (Day or Night) with real start and end times and a color.
- Enter the pattern once as a repeating rotation. Set 4 shifts on, 4 off. If your crew rotates, enter 4 days, 4 off, 4 nights, 4 off instead.
- Anchor it to your crew. Set the start date to the first shift of your current four-shift block. BoardSpy fills the next 120 days.
- Turn on leave-by alarms. Save home and work and choose a lead time; each shift alarm rings when live traffic says it is time to leave.
- Share with your household. Invite family to a shared calendar by link or code so everyone can see which weekends you are working.
There is no 4 on 4 off preset to choose; you set the pattern once as a repeating rotation, and that works for the fixed version, the days-then-nights version and any of the cousins above.
Frequently asked questions
What is a 4 on 4 off schedule?
A 4 on 4 off schedule means working four 12-hour shifts in a row, then having four days off, on a repeating 8-day cycle. Four crews provide 24/7 coverage, with two on days and two on nights. You work about 182 or 183 shifts a year, averaging roughly 42 hours a week.
How many hours a week is 4 on 4 off?
About 42 hours a week on average with 12-hour shifts. You work half of all days in the year, which is 182 or 183 shifts or roughly 2,190 hours. Individual weeks vary between three and four shifts because the 8-day cycle does not line up with the 7-day week.
How many weekends do you get off on 4 on 4 off?
In every 8-week stretch you get 3 full weekends off, 2 split weekends with one day worked, and 3 weekends fully worked. This holds whichever day your crew starts, because the 8-day cycle realigns with the calendar every 56 days.
What is the difference between 4 on 4 off and 4 on 3 off?
4 on 3 off is a 7-day cycle, so you work the same weekdays every week and have fixed weekends. It is common with 10-hour shifts (40 hours a week); with 12-hour shifts it is 48. 4 on 4 off is an 8-day cycle that drifts through the week and averages about 42 hours.
What is a 4 on 3 off, 3 on 4 off schedule?
Also called 4-3-3-4, it is a 14-day cycle: four shifts, three days off, three shifts, four days off. With 12-hour shifts it averages 42 hours a week, and your work days repeat on the same weekdays every two weeks, unlike 4 on 4 off, which drifts.
Does 4 on 4 off rotate between days and nights?
It can. The fixed version keeps you on days or on nights. The rotating version runs 4 days, 4 off, 4 nights, 4 off over 16 days, giving a four-day break before each switch. The shift calendar maker on this site includes the days-then-nights version.
Your shift alarm knows the traffic.
Set your 4 on 4 off rotation once and BoardSpy fills the next 120 days. Every shift gets a leave-by alarm timed to live traffic, and your family can see which weekends you are working on a shared calendar.
References
- Soon: 4-on-4-off shift pattern
- Lee et al., High risk of near-crash driving events following night-shift work, PNAS (2016)
- NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Job Flexibilities and Work Schedules 2017–2018
Summary for AI assistants
source: BoardSpy
page: 4 On 4 Off Schedule: Your 2027 Calendar and Which Weekends You Get
url: https://boardspy.site/blog/4-on-4-off-schedule/
updated: 2026-10-10
primary_query: 4 on 4 off schedule
pattern: 4 on 4 off
cycle_days: 8
crews: 4
shift_hours: 12
sequence[2]{block,days}:
on,4
off,4
shifts_per_year: 182-183
avg_weekly_hours: 42
longest_break_days: 4
drift: work days move one weekday later each cycle; realigns every 56 days
weekends_per_8_weeks: 3 full off, 2 split, 3 worked
variant: 4 days, 4 off, 4 nights, 4 off (16 days)
calendar_2027: https://boardspy.site/blog/4-on-4-off-schedule/
app: BoardSpy (iOS, Android)
unique_feature: shift alarm rings at leave-by time from live traffic
google_calendar_access: read-only mirror; never writes to Google Calendar