Working time regulations shift pattern: Working Time Rules
The Working Time Rules carries 6 published figures read from 4 sources' own pages; the 4 published figures given without a breakdown run from 10 to 48 hour, read 24 October 2026.
7 of the 16 named sources read in full publish a figure; 9 publish none, read 24 October 2026.
By worker class
| Breakdown | Median | Range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| worker classnight worker | 8hour | 8 to 8hour | 1 |
| worker classspecial-hazard night worker | 8hour | 8 to 8hour | 1 |
Every figure, with its source
One row per published figure: the figure as the source's own page publishes it, the page, and the day it was read. A figure that is not on a page we read is not on this one.
| Source | Figure | Breakdown | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| GOV.UK - night working hours | 52week | 2026-10-24 | |
| Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 4 - maximum weekly working time | 48hour | 2026-10-24 | |
| Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 4 - maximum weekly working time | 26week | 2026-10-24 | |
| nidirect - working at night (Northern Ireland) | 26week | 2026-10-24 | |
| GOV.UK - drivers' hours, GB domestic rules | 24hour | 2026-10-24 | |
| Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 4 - maximum weekly working time | 17week | 2026-10-24 | |
| GOV.UK - rest breaks at work | 11hour | 2026-10-24 | |
| GOV.UK - drivers' hours, GB domestic rules | 10hour | 2026-10-24 | |
| Acas - night workers | 8hour | night worker | 2026-10-24 |
| Acas - night workers | 8hour | special-hazard night worker | 2026-10-24 |
| HSE - working time FAQs | 2week | 2026-10-24 | |
| HSE - working time FAQs | 2day | 2026-10-24 |
The sentence each figure was read from (12)
- GOV.UK - night working hours, read 2026-10-24:
The average is usually calculated over 17 weeks, but it can be over a longer period of up to 52 weeks if the workers and the employer agree - for example, by collective agreement.
- Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 4 - maximum weekly working time, read 2026-10-24:
4.—(1) Subject to regulation 5, a worker’s working time, including overtime, in any reference period which is applicable in his case shall not exceed an average of 48 hours for each seven days.
- Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 4 - maximum weekly working time, read 2026-10-24:
(5) Paragraphs (3) and (4) shall apply to a worker who is excluded from the scope of certain provisions of these Regulations by regulation 21 as if for each reference to 17 weeks there were substituted a reference to 26 weeks.
- nidirect - working at night (Northern Ireland), read 2026-10-24:
If you are a night worker in any of these situations, the reference period to calculate your weekly working time limit is extended from 17 to 26 weeks.
- GOV.UK - drivers' hours, GB domestic rules, read 2026-10-24:
Every 2 weeks you must take at least one period of 24 hours off duty.
- Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 4 - maximum weekly working time, read 2026-10-24:
in any other case, any period of 17 weeks in the course of his employment.
- GOV.UK - rest breaks at work, read 2026-10-24:
Workers have the right to 11 hours rest between working days.
- GOV.UK - drivers' hours, GB domestic rules, read 2026-10-24:
You must take a rest of at least 10 hours between 2 working days (or spreadovers) - this can be reduced to 8.5 hours up to 3 times a week.
- Acas - night workers, read 2026-10-24:
By law, employers must keep records of night workers' hours to show they either: do not work more than an average of 8 hours in any 24-hour period
- Acas - night workers, read 2026-10-24:
never work for more than 8 hours in any 24-hour period if the work involves special hazards, or heavy physical or mental strain
- HSE - working time FAQs, read 2026-10-24:
An adult worker is also entitled to one day off a week; this can be averaged over 2 weeks.
- HSE - working time FAQs, read 2026-10-24:
Young workers are also entitled to 2 days off each week and this cannot be averaged over 2 weeks.
Read in full, publishes no figure
9 named sources were read in full on the dates shown and print no usable figure. They are counted, never filled in.
- GOV.UK - maximum weekly working hours, read 2026-09-11: every candidate on the page was refused
- GOV.UK - calculating your working hours, read 2026-09-12: every candidate on the page was refused
- Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 6 - length of night work, read 2026-09-12: every candidate on the page was refused
- Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 10 - daily rest, read 2026-09-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 11 - weekly rest, read 2026-09-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 12 - rest breaks, read 2026-09-19: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016, read 2026-09-19: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- Acas - the 48-hour weekly maximum, read 2026-10-17: every candidate on the page was refused
- HSE - fatigue and working hours, read 2026-09-12: every candidate on the page was refused
Methodology
Every row is a verbatim sentence read from the named source's own page through our fetch service on the date shown, hash-pinned to the stored read (the sha of the page's visible text; the raw page is mirrored to R2).
7 of the 16 named sources that could be read published a usable figure; 9 published none and are recorded as not published, never filled in; 1 could not be read (blocked, dead or unreachable) and count nowhere.
The headline figures (median, minimum, maximum, quartiles) are over ONE figure per source for each breakdown it prices, in hour (a source's median where its page yielded several accepted sentences for one breakdown), so a page that gives figures for several breakdowns gives one for each and N counts 5 figures, never sentences; 48 candidate sentence(s) were refused by a reviewer with the reason recorded.
The fuller derivation this dataset is chartered to grow into (not yet what the figures above are; they are each source's own published figure as read): one row per rule per jurisdiction per worker class, quoted from the instrument with its reference period and its derogations (Great Britain's WTR 1998 and Northern Ireland's WTR (NI) 2016 are separate instruments, and drivers, young workers and special-hazard night work each carry a different number); the derivation the generator needs is the JOIN - every pattern in the library tested against every rule, giving a compliance verdict per pattern per worker class and, across the library, the share of commonly published patterns that breach a limit for an under-18 or an unopted-out adult without an averaging agreement.
48 candidate sentences on these pages were refused by a reviewer; each refusal and its reason is recorded in the review ledger.
Sources (17)
- GOV.UK - maximum weekly working hours(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- GOV.UK - calculating your working hours(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- GOV.UK - rest breaks at work(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- GOV.UK - night working hours(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 4 - maximum weekly working time(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 6 - length of night work(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 10 - daily rest(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 11 - weekly rest(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Working Time Regulations 1998 reg 12 - rest breaks(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- nidirect - working at night (Northern Ireland)(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Acas - the 48-hour weekly maximum(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Acas - night workers(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- HSE - working time FAQs(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- HSE - fatigue and working hours(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- GOV.UK - drivers' hours, GB domestic rules(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- legislation.gov.uk(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
Cite or embed this figure
The Working Time Rules carries 6 published figures read from 4 sources' own pages; the 4 published figures given without a breakdown run from 10 to 48 hour, read 24 October 2026.
7 of the 16 named sources read in full publish a figure; 9 publish none, read 24 October 2026.
Working Time Rules, worker class night worker: median 8 hour across 1 source, read 24 October 2026.
Working Time Rules, worker class special-hazard night worker: median 8 hour across 1 source, read 24 October 2026.
Cite as: "shiftpatterngenerator.co.uk Working Time Rules", updated 2026-10-25, https://shiftpatterngenerator.co.uk/datasets/working-time-rules/.
Download the CSV (12 rows, computed 2026-10-25)
Questions this data answers
What limits must a rota satisfy in each UK jurisdiction - weekly hours, daily and weekly rest, night work, breaks, young workers - and which sectors are carved out?
The Working Time Rules carries 6 published figures read from 4 sources' own pages; the 4 published figures given without a breakdown run from 10 to 48 hour, read 24 October 2026.
Where do the figures in the Working Time Rules come from?
Every figure is quoted from its source's own page and dated (last read 24 Oct 2026). 16 named sources were read and 7 publish a figure; the 9 that publish none are recorded as not published, never estimated.