ShiftLens

Days off: the weekly rest rules

Workers have the right to an uninterrupted 24 hours without any work each week, or 48 hours each fortnight. Under-18s should get 48 hours off each week.

ShiftLens provides guidance, not legal advice. This guide is a summary for England, Scotland and Wales. Some rules have exceptions, and contracts or workforce agreements can change some of the details. For advice on your situation, contact Acas or an employment solicitor.

Adults: 24 hours a week

An adult is entitled to at least 24 hours in a row without work in each week. Unless an agreement says otherwise, the week runs from midnight between Sunday and Monday.

If the employer decides to, they can use a fortnight instead: either two separate periods of 24 hours, or one of 48 hours, in each 14 days.

The weekly rest generally shouldn't include the 11 hours' daily rest, unless there are objective, technical or work-organisation reasons. One way to read that is that a day off between two shifts should give about 35 hours in a row (24 plus 11). That figure is our own reading; the law doesn't give a number.

Under-18s: 48 hours a week

A young worker is entitled to 48 hours off in each week. There's no fortnightly option. Where it's justified for technical or organisational reasons, it can be cut, but never below 36 hours in a row. It can also be broken up when their work is split up over the day or is of short duration.

Examples

  • A Saturday close at 11pm, then Monday at 10am. That's 35 hours off in a row, which covers the weekly rest.
  • Seven shifts in a row, Monday to Sunday. No 24-hour break that week. It's only all right if the fortnightly option is in use and the other week makes up for it.
  • A 17-year-old with only Sunday off. Usually well under 48 hours, and often under 36.

Exceptions for adults

The same exceptions as for rest between shifts can apply to adults: shift workers changing shift, work split up over the day, some special cases, people who decide their own hours, and collective or workforce agreements. They should then usually get the same amount of rest later on.

How ShiftLens checks this

  • An adult week with no 24 hours off in a row is marked “Check this”. If the fortnightly option would cover it, you get a note instead.
  • An under-18 week with less than 36 hours off in a row is marked “Action needed”, and 36 to 48 hours is “Check this”.

Rest that runs from Sunday into Monday counts towards both weeks. ShiftLens only checks weeks the rota fully covers.

Check your rota for this

ShiftLens finds the longest stretch off in each Monday-to-Sunday week for every person, and flags weeks that fall short. It's free, there's no sign-up, and your rota never leaves your browser.

Check your rota

Sources

gov.uk: rest breaks at work; gov.uk: rest breaks for young workers; Working Time Regulations 1998, regulation 11; regulation 22; regulation 24