Break & working hours checker
Enter a shift and check it against the UK Working Time Regulations: the 20-minute rest break for shifts over 6 hours, 11 hours' rest between shifts, and the 48-hour working week. Includes the stricter rules for under-18s — plain-English guidance, no login.
Example
8.5-hour day shift
Shift
09:00–17:30
Break taken
20 min
Calculated result
Rest break
Met
Over 6h?
Yes
Guidance only. Under-18s and rest between shifts are checked too.
Break & working hours checker
UK Working Time Regulations · guidance only
Looks compliant
Rest break
A 8.5-hour shift needs at least a 20-minute uninterrupted break. 20 min entered — that's covered.
Plain-English guidance based on the Working Time Regulations 1998, not legal advice. It doesn't cover every exception (special shift rules, sector agreements, opt-outs). Check GOV.UK or ACAS for decisions.
Working time rules
Where rest rules get breached by accident
Rest breaks, rest between shifts and weekly-hour limits are easy to breach by accident when you're building a rota quickly. A one-off check helps, but staying compliant across a whole team, week after week, needs the rules visible while you schedule.
Long shifts with no proper break
A busy day runs over 6 hours and the 20-minute break quietly never happens.
Too little rest between shifts
A late close and an early open can leave less than the 11 hours' rest required.
The 48-hour week creeps up
Extra cover across a fortnight pushes average weekly hours over the limit without anyone noticing.
Under-18s have stricter limits
Young workers need earlier breaks, more rest and lower weekly hours — easy to miss.
Problems surface as complaints
The first sign of a breach is often a grievance, not a warning while planning.
Spreadsheets don't flag rules
A rota grid happily lets you schedule something the regulations don't allow.
The rules
UK rest break and working hours, in brief
The core Working Time Regulations minimums for adults, with stricter limits for under-18s. Plain-English guidance, not legal advice.
20-minute uninterrupted break when a shift is more than 6 hours (adults).
11 hours' rest between the end of one shift and the start of the next (adults).
24 hours off a week, or 48 hours a fortnight, uninterrupted.
48-hour average working week over 17 weeks, unless opted out in writing.
Under-18s: 30-minute break over 4.5 hours, 12 hours' daily rest.
Under-18s: normally 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, no opt-out.
Temporary fix
Why a one-off check isn't enough
Checking a single shift is great for settling a question or sense-checking a plan.
The risk builds across a full rota and a fortnight — rest between shifts and average weekly hours are where breaches hide.
Weekola keeps the rota, hours and rest periods together, so problems are easier to catch while you schedule.
Connected workflow
How Weekola helps you stay compliant
Weekola keeps working patterns in one place, so rest breaks, rest between shifts and weekly hours are easier to keep on top of than in a spreadsheet or a chat.
Rota
See the shifts you're planning and the gaps between them in one view.
Hours
Worked hours add up so weekly totals don't creep past the limit unseen.
Rest days
Days off and leave show alongside the working week.
Attendance
Compare planned shifts with the hours people actually worked.
Records
Keep a clear history of shifts and hours if a question comes up.
Young workers
Keep under-18s' patterns visible so stricter limits aren't missed.
Related links
Keep going from the calculator
Common questions
Break entitlement checker FAQ
- How long a break am I entitled to at work?
- Under the Working Time Regulations, an adult worker is entitled to an uninterrupted 20-minute rest break when they work more than 6 hours in a day. The break should be during the shift, not at the start or end. Many employers offer more, but 20 minutes is the legal minimum.
- Do I get a break on a 6-hour shift?
- The statutory break applies when a shift is more than 6 hours. A shift of exactly 6 hours or less carries no legal rest-break requirement, though offering a break is good practice.
- How much rest is required between shifts?
- Adults are entitled to 11 consecutive hours of rest in each 24-hour period — so normally at least 11 hours between the end of one shift and the start of the next. Young workers under 18 are entitled to 12 hours.
- What is the 48-hour working week?
- On average, workers should not work more than 48 hours a week, calculated over a 17-week reference period. Adults can choose to opt out in writing. Young workers are limited to 40 hours a week and cannot opt out.
- Are the rules different for under-18s?
- Yes. Young workers are entitled to a 30-minute break when they work more than 4.5 hours, 12 hours' daily rest, and are normally limited to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week with no opt-out.
- Does the break have to be paid?
- The Working Time Regulations don't require rest breaks to be paid — that depends on the contract. This checker looks at whether the break meets the legal minimum length, not whether it's paid.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. It's plain-English guidance based on the Working Time Regulations 1998 and doesn't cover every exception, such as special shift-work rules, sector agreements or specific opt-outs. Check GOV.UK or ACAS for decisions.
- How does Weekola help with rest breaks?
- Weekola keeps the rota, hours and rest periods in one place, so rest-break and rest-between-shift problems are easier to spot while you build the schedule — instead of after someone raises it.
Weekola
Build rotas that respect rest breaks
Rest breaks and rest periods are hard to police by eye. Weekola keeps the rota, hours and rest together so problems are easier to catch before they become complaints.