Quick answer
- For most teams, the monthly shift roster is the one to use: employees down the side, days 1 to 31 across, a shift code in each box, and counts that fill in.
- Overtime is never monthly. The overtime check splits the month into workweeks, which is how the FLSA counts hours over 40.
- All 7 templates are free Excel files with a printable PDF and no sign-up. Change the month and the dates update; they also open in Google Sheets.
A monthly employee schedule template shows a whole month of shifts on one page, so employees can plan their lives and managers can see coverage, time off and hours before the month starts. This page is for US managers of hourly and shift teams, especially in healthcare, senior living, security, field service and any business with rotations or on-call duty. Below are seven free monthly work schedule templates: a shift roster, a calendar to post, a version that checks overtime by workweek, an on-call schedule, a rotating shift calendar, a staffing plan and a time off calendar. All are shown filled in for December 2026, and each Excel file updates its dates when you type a different month.
Which monthly staff schedule do you need?
| You need to | Template | What it calculates |
|---|---|---|
| Assign shifts to a team for the month | 1. Monthly shift roster | Shifts, hours and PTO per person; staff per shift per day |
| Post a month on the wall | 2. Monthly calendar schedule | The calendar dates |
| Keep a month’s hours legal | 3. Overtime check | Hours and overtime per workweek |
| Rotate on-call duty | 4. Monthly on-call schedule | On-call days and call-out hours per person |
| Run a repeating crew rotation | 5. Rotating shift calendar | The whole month from one pattern |
| Match staff to busy days | 6. Monthly staffing plan | Gaps between needed and scheduled |
| Approve time off fairly | 7. Monthly time off calendar | People off per day against a limit |
1. Monthly shift roster
Best for senior living, healthcare, security and any team that works day, evening and night shifts
Monthly employee schedule · Oak Park Assisted Living, Tulsa, OK · December 2026 · D = 7a–3p, E = 3p–11p, N = 11p–7a, blank = off · 8 paid hours per shift
| Employee | Role | T 1 | W 2 | T 3 | F 4 | S 5 | S 6 | M 7 | T 8 | W 9 | T 10 | F 11 | S 12 | S 13 | M 14 | T 15 | W 16 | T 17 | F 18 | S 19 | S 20 | M 21 | T 22 | W 23 | T 24 | F 25 | S 26 | S 27 | M 28 | T 29 | W 30 | T 31 | Shifts | Hours | PTO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linda Hayes | CNA | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | PTO | PTO | D | D | D | D | 21 | 168 | 2 | ||||||||
| Marcus Webb | CNA | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | 22 | 176 | 0 | |||||||||
| Ana Silva | CNA | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | 23 | 184 | 0 | ||||||||
| Rob Turner | CNA | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | PTO | 21 | 168 | 1 | |||||||||
| Keisha Grant | Med aide | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | 23 | 184 | 0 | ||||||||
| Paul Novak | Med aide | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | 22 | 176 | 0 | |||||||||
| Days | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Evenings | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Nights | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||
This is the classic monthly shift schedule: one row per person, one column per day. The counts at the bottom are the point. Every date should show the number of aides you need on each shift; in the example, December 24 and 25 show one day aide instead of two because Linda is on PTO, which is exactly the kind of hole you want to see in November, not on Christmas Eve. Hours per shift is one cell, so the same file works for 8-, 10- or 12-hour shifts. Approve requests with a time off request form before they go on the roster.
2. Monthly calendar work schedule
Best for small teams that want a month at a glance on the wall or the fridge
Monthly work schedule · Harbor Coffee, Santa Fe, NM · December 2026 · Open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., close 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Open: Ava, Mel Close: Tess | 2 Open: Jon, Mel Close: Rico | 3 Open: Ava, Jon Close: Tess | 4 Open: Mel, Rico Close: Jon | 5 Open: Rico, Tess Close: Ava, Jon | ||
| 6 Open: Tess, Ava Close: Mel, Rico | 7 Open: Ava, Jon Close: Rico | 8 Open: Ava, Mel Close: Tess | 9 Open: Jon, Mel Close: Rico | 10 Open: Ava, Jon Close: Tess | 11 Open: Mel, Rico Close: Jon | 12 Open: Rico, Tess Close: Ava, Jon |
| 13 Open: Tess, Ava Close: Mel, Rico | 14 Open: Ava, Jon Close: Rico | 15 Open: Ava, Mel Close: Tess | 16 Open: Jon, Mel Close: Rico | 17 Open: Ava, Jon Close: Tess | 18 Open: Mel, Rico Close: Jon | 19 Open: Rico, Tess Close: Ava, Jon |
| 20 Open: Tess, Ava Close: Mel, Rico | 21 Open: Ava, Jon Close: Rico | 22 Open: Ava, Mel Close: Tess | 23 Open: Jon, Mel Close: Rico | 24 Open: Ava, Jon Close: Tess | 25 Closed for Christmas | 26 Open: Rico, Tess Close: Ava, Jon |
| 27 Open: Tess, Ava Close: Mel, Rico | 28 Open: Ava, Jon Close: Rico | 29 Open: Ava, Mel Close: Tess | 30 Open: Jon, Mel Close: Rico | 31 Open: Ava, Jon Close: Tess |
A calendar is the friendliest monthly work schedule template for small teams. People find their name by date the way they read any calendar, and the box has room for notes such as “Closed for Christmas”. It does not total hours, so pair it with the roster or the overtime check if anyone is close to 40 in a week. Type names with Alt+Enter between lines to keep openers and closers on separate rows.
3. Monthly schedule with weekly overtime check
Best for field service and maintenance teams whose hours swing from week to week
Monthly schedule with overtime check · Northline Heating and Cooling, Fargo, ND · December 2026, workweeks Monday to Sunday · Weekly totals shown; the file has a column for every day
| Employee | Role | Week 1 11/30–12/6 | Week 2 12/7–12/13 | Week 3 12/14–12/20 | Week 4 12/21–12/27 | Week 5 12/28–1/3 | Total | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grace Hall | Technician | 40 | 40 | 46 | 40 | 32 | 198 | 6 |
| Victor Ruiz | Technician | 44 | 38 | 40 | 48 | 24 | 194 | 12 |
| Nora Fields | Dispatcher | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 200 | 0 |
Victor works 194 hours over these five weeks, an average of under 39 a week, yet he is owed 12 hours of overtime because two of those weeks run over 40. Nora works exactly 40 every week and is owed none. That is the whole lesson of this template: in the FLSA, each workweek stands alone, and a month is the wrong unit for overtime. Set the yellow date to the first day of the workweek that contains the 1st, here Monday, November 30. To price one employee’s week, use our overtime calculator.
4. Monthly on-call schedule
Best for IT, maintenance, property management and home health teams with after-hours duty
Monthly on-call schedule · Summit IT Services, Boulder, CO · December 2026 (first 10 days) · Weekly rotation, handoff Monday 8 a.m.
| Date | Day | Primary | Backup | On-call window | Called in? | Hours worked | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1 | Tue | Jamie Cole | Priya Shah | 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. | No | ||
| Dec 2 | Wed | Jamie Cole | Priya Shah | 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. | Yes | 1.5 | Server alert 11:40 p.m. |
| Dec 3 | Thu | Jamie Cole | Priya Shah | 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. | No | ||
| Dec 4 | Fri | Jamie Cole | Priya Shah | 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. | No | ||
| Dec 5 | Sat | Jamie Cole | Priya Shah | 24 hours | No | ||
| Dec 6 | Sun | Jamie Cole | Priya Shah | 24 hours | Yes | 2 | Client outage, on site |
| Dec 7 | Mon | Priya Shah | Tom Reyes | 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. | No | ||
| Dec 8 | Tue | Priya Shah | Tom Reyes | 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. | No | ||
| Dec 9 | Wed | Priya Shah | Tom Reyes | 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. | No | ||
| Dec 10 | Thu | Priya Shah | Tom Reyes | 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. | No |
Summary for December 1 to 10: Jamie Cole 6 primary days, 3.5 hours worked on calls · Priya Shah 4 primary days, 0 hours
On-call rotas are easiest as one row per day. The summary keeps the load fair over the month. The hours column matters for pay: the Department of Labor says time spent on call at the employer’s premises is work time, while on call at home generally is not unless the restrictions are heavy. Time spent actually handling a call or going in is work time either way, so it belongs on the time card and in the overtime count for that workweek.
5. Monthly rotating shift calendar
Best for 24/7 crews on a repeating rotation who want the month spelled out
Monthly rotating shift calendar · Prairie Water Utility, Wichita, KS · December 2026 · 4 on, 4 off, 12-hour shifts · Cycle day 1 was November 2, 2026
| Crew | T 1 | W 2 | T 3 | F 4 | S 5 | S 6 | M 7 | T 8 | W 9 | T 10 | F 11 | S 12 | S 13 | M 14 | T 15 | W 16 | T 17 | F 18 | S 19 | S 20 | M 21 | T 22 | W 23 | T 24 | F 25 | S 26 | S 27 | M 28 | T 29 | W 30 | T 31 | Shifts | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew A | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | 16 | 192 | |||||||||||||||
| Crew B | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | 15 | 180 | ||||||||||||||||
| Crew C | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | 16 | 192 | |||||||||||||||
| Crew D | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | 15 | 180 | ||||||||||||||||
| Day crews | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Night crews | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Rotations do not reset each month, which is where hand-made monthly calendars go wrong. Enter the day the cycle started once, keep it, and change only the month: the pattern carries on correctly into January and beyond. In the example, December gives crews A and C 16 shifts and crews B and D 15, because a 31-day month is not a multiple of the 8-day cycle. For the common 12-hour patterns, see our 12-hour shift schedule templates.
6. Monthly staffing plan
Best for stores, restaurants and clinics whose busy days change through the month
Monthly staffing plan · Bayside Grocery, Duluth, MN · December 2026 (first 7 days)
| Date | Day | Events or volume | AM needed | AM scheduled | AM gap | PM needed | PM scheduled | PM gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1 | Tue | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| Dec 2 | Wed | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4 | -1 | |
| Dec 3 | Thu | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| Dec 4 | Fri | Payday weekend begins | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 5 | -1 |
| Dec 5 | Sat | Holiday market downtown | 6 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Dec 6 | Sun | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | |
| Dec 7 | Mon | 4 | 3 | -1 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
Before you assign names, decide how many people each day needs. Use last year’s sales by day, payday weekends, local events and holidays. Then fill in the scheduled column from your roster. The example has 3 short shifts in the first week: Wednesday evening, the Friday evening that starts the payday weekend, and Monday morning, December 7. Each is short by one person, which is easy to fix now and hard to fix on the day. Positive gaps are hours you can cut. This is the monthly staff schedule view an owner looks at before approving the labor plan.
7. Monthly time off calendar
Best for approving holiday-season time off fairly, before you build the schedule
Monthly time off calendar · Cascade Outdoor Supply, Bend, OR · December 2026 · Limit: 2 people off per day · Dec 25 is a paid holiday (HOL)
| Employee | T 1 | W 2 | T 3 | F 4 | S 5 | S 6 | M 7 | T 8 | W 9 | T 10 | F 11 | S 12 | S 13 | M 14 | T 15 | W 16 | T 17 | F 18 | S 19 | S 20 | M 21 | T 22 | W 23 | T 24 | F 25 | S 26 | S 27 | M 28 | T 29 | W 30 | T 31 | PTO | Pending |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erin Walsh | PTO | PTO | PTO | HOL | 3 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marco Diaz | PTO | PTO | HOL | PTO | 3 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Beth Young | REQ | HOL | REQ | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sam Ito | UNAV | UNAV | UNAV | HOL | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dana Moss | HOL | PTO | PTO | 2 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| People off or pending | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Over the limit (2)? | OVER |
December requests pile up, and first come, first served only works if you can see the whole month. Put approved PTO and pending requests on this calendar, set the most people you can spare per day, and look for the red flags. In the example, December 24 is over the limit because Erin and Marco are on approved PTO and Beth has a pending request, so Beth’s request is the one to discuss. Track balances in a PTO tracker spreadsheet, and see our holiday pay guide for how to pay the holiday itself.
Monthly hours and overtime: what to know
Monthly schedules make two mistakes easy. The first is treating 160 hours as a full-time month. A 40-hour week averages about 173.3 hours a month (40 × 52 ÷ 12), and an actual month runs from about 160 to 184 weekday hours, depending on how many weekdays it has. December 2026 has 23 weekdays, so 184 hours.
The second is checking overtime against the month. Federal overtime is based on a fixed workweek of 168 hours, and the DOL says hours may not be averaged over two or more weeks. December 2026 starts on a Tuesday and ends on a Thursday, so with a Monday workweek it touches five workweeks, two of them shared with November and January. Count overtime in each one, including the days outside the month. That is why the overtime template shows 35 days.
| Measure | December 2026 | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Days in the month | 31 | Columns on the roster |
| Weekdays (Mon to Fri) | 23 | 184 hours for a Monday-to-Friday, 8-hour schedule |
| Workweeks touched (Monday start) | 5 | Overtime is checked in each one |
| Federal holidays | December 25 | Pay is a policy choice, not an FLSA requirement |
How to use a monthly employee schedule template
- Start with demand. Fill in the staffing plan: how many people each shift needs on each day of the month.
- Collect time off and availability early. Put approved PTO, pending requests and unavailability on the time off calendar before the month is built.
- Build the roster or the rotation. Use the shift roster for flexible teams, or the rotating calendar if crews follow a pattern. Check the coverage rows against the plan.
- Check each workweek. Copy hours into the overtime check, or look at weekly totals, before you post.
- Post it, then confirm weekly. Post the month as early as you can, and use weekly check-ins for changes. Our weekly schedule templates work well for that.
- Save each month. Name files by month and keep them at least two years.
A monthly spreadsheet becomes hard work when one change in week 1 ripples through the rest of the month. When that happens weekly, a scheduling app that repeats patterns and handles swaps will save the time.
US rules to know for monthly schedules
General principles checked on federal and state agency sites. Laws vary by state and city and change, so confirm with your state labor department.
- Overtime is weekly, not monthly. Non-exempt employees must be paid at least 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek; averaging over two or more weeks is not permitted. Hospitals and residential care facilities may use the 8-and-80 system with a prior agreement.
- On-call can be paid time. On call at the employer’s premises is work time; on call at home generally is not, unless the restrictions are heavy. Time spent handling calls or going in counts as work time.
- Holidays and vacation are not required by federal law. The DOL says the FLSA does not require pay for time not worked, such as vacations or holidays. Many states and cities do require paid sick leave; see our guide to paid time off.
- Minors have hour limits. 14- and 15-year-olds may work no more than 18 hours in a school week and 3 on a school day, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day).
- Advance notice laws exist in some places. Oregon and Seattle require covered large retail and food service employers to post schedules 14 days ahead, and Oregon includes hospitality. A monthly schedule helps you meet those rules.
- Keep schedules two years. The DOL lists work and time schedules among the records employers keep for two years, and payroll records for three.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a monthly work schedule in Excel?
Download the monthly employee schedule template and type the first day of the month at the top. The dates and weekdays fill in, and days 29 to 31 go blank in shorter months. Enter a shift code for each person and day, and the sheet counts shifts, hours and PTO per person and staff per shift per day.
Is overtime calculated monthly?
No. Under the FLSA, overtime is owed for hours over 40 in each workweek, and hours cannot be averaged across weeks. A month usually has four full workweeks plus parts of one or two more, so check each workweek. The monthly schedule with overtime check template totals all five workweeks that touch the month.
How many hours is full time in a month?
There is no single legal number. A 40-hour week averages about 173 hours a month, because a year has 52 weeks, or about 4.33 weeks per month. Counting the weekdays in a given month gives a range of roughly 160 to 184 hours. For overtime, only the hours in each workweek matter.
Should I post a monthly or a weekly schedule?
Post monthly when shifts follow a pattern, as in rotations, on-call rotas and healthcare units, because people can plan around them. Post weekly when demand changes week to week, as in restaurants and retail. Many teams plan a month and confirm it weekly. Check whether a local scheduling law sets the notice you must give.
Do employers have to pay holidays in the schedule?
Not under federal law. The Department of Labor says the FLSA does not require pay for time not worked, such as holidays or vacations. Paid holidays are a policy choice or part of a contract. Mark them on the monthly schedule so payroll codes them as holiday hours, not PTO.
Can I use these monthly schedule templates in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. The date formulas, shift counts and overtime totals work there. Dropdown lists and color rules usually carry over too; if one does not, type the codes and the totals still calculate.