Rest break calculator
Type in the length of the working day and see what the Working Time Regulations require — and what else has to hold on that day.
What a prompt in time saves you
A breach report next month only tells you which rule you already broke. In irot Time the break prompt appears on the terminal before the six-hour point, and the rota draft will not place a shift inside somebody’s eleven hours. The limits in full · How rotas work.
Questions we get
Does the 20-minute break have to be paid?
The Working Time Regulations do not require it to be paid; whether it is paid is a matter for the contract. What they do require is that it is uninterrupted, that it can be taken away from the workstation, and that it is a break during the working day rather than at the start or end of it.
Is it 11 hours between shifts or 12?
Eleven for adults (regulation 10(1)), twelve for workers under 18 (regulation 10(2)). Note that Spain requires twelve for everyone — if you operate in both countries, the rota rule is not the same.
Can staff work more than 48 hours a week?
Only if they have agreed in writing to opt out (regulation 5). The agreement can be ended by the worker on not less than seven days’ notice unless it says otherwise, and any agreed notice period cannot exceed three months. You must keep an up-to-date register of everyone who has opted out (regulation 4(2)).
What is different for under-18s?
Almost everything: 8 hours a day and 40 a week as hard caps that cannot be averaged or opted out of (regulation 5A), 12 hours’ daily rest, 48 hours’ weekly rest, and a 30-minute break once the day exceeds four and a half hours.
Free for up to 3 employees, forever
Thirty days with everything included, AI assistant and all, no card and no automatic renewal. When the trial ends, companies with up to 3 employees simply keep working for free. And within the first 60 days you get your money back if it does not fit.
Questions? Write to time@irot.com. We answer on working days, usually by the next one.