UK6 on / 4 off2027

6 on 4 off annual leave planner for 2027

A complete six-shift leave request can connect two four-date rest blocks into 14 continuous calendar days away. Anchor the cycle to one date you know and compare proposed 2027 leave windows against your real rota.

Find proposed leave shifts

Cycle strip10–23 Jan

6 proposed leave shifts14 days clear

Your repeating cycle

Anchor the first of six work dates.

Choose a date you know is cycle day one: the first of six consecutive dates on which the model says you work. The planner repeats six work dates followed by four rest dates, forwards and backwards from that anchor.

First date of a six-shift working block Use cycle day one, not simply any date you work. Leave shifts available Enter shifts, not hours. Your employer’s recorded balance controls. Shortest break worth showing Calendar days from the first date away to the last.

Which UK bank-holiday calendar applies?

England & Wales Scotland Northern Ireland

How should bank holidays be treated?

Follow my rotaA bank holiday is not automatically a rest date. Treat them as extra dates offUse this only when your employer confirms that treatment.

The model’s scope

Six work dates, then four rest dates.

For calculation, “6 on 4 off” means a repeating ten-calendar-date cycle: six consecutive work dates followed by four consecutive rest dates. Because ten days does not align with a seven-day week, both work and rest blocks move across weekdays, weekends and bank holidays.

The model decides whether a calendar date is rostered work or rest. It does not decide which of the six shifts is early, late or night. The order and times of early, late and night shifts remain employer-specific, as do relief periods, training days, overtime and local variations.

Overnight-shift date conventions are also employer-specific. Some rotas label a night by its start date and others by the date on which most hours fall. Use the same convention as your live duty roster when choosing the anchor and checking proposed leave shifts.

Exact worked example

Six proposed leave shifts can create 14 continuous days away.

Suppose Monday 4 January 2027 is the first of six consecutive working shifts. That makes 4–9 January the work block, followed by this exact opportunity:

10–13 JanuaryRostered off4 dates
14–19 JanuaryRequest six shifts6 proposed leave shifts
20–23 JanuaryRostered off4 dates

Result: 14 continuous calendar days away, from 10 to 23 January 2027, using six proposed leave shifts from 14 to 19 January. This is exact for the stated anchor and the simple six-work/four-rest model; a different cycle-day anchor produces different dates.

Who this may help

Rotating response and control work is one real audience.

Official police sources show why a six-on/four-off planning model is useful, but they also show why no planner should claim every rota is identical. Gwent Police’s force contact and control page describes a six-on/four-off guide with day, afternoon/evening and evening/night shifts.

A 2026 Dyfed-Powys Police disclosure says response officers generally follow six on/four off within a ten-week rota, covering morning, afternoon and night shifts. Leicestershire Police Careers says Response typically uses six on/four off while noting that shift patterns vary with department and operational requirements.

Those pages establish a genuine audience, not a universal template. Your employer’s published duty roster, contract, local agreements and leave records are the source of truth.

Before requesting leave

Confirm the dates and the cost locally.

This is a rota-planning tool, not an entitlement calculator. Employers may deduct leave in hours, shifts or another locally defined unit. A bank holiday is not necessarily a rest date for a shift worker, and the calendar option must match your actual employment terms.

Check the official GOV.UK bank-holiday dates and Acas guidance on bank holidays and Christmas. Acas explains that an employer can include bank holidays within statutory annual leave and that there is no general statutory right to time off on bank holidays.

Every result here is a proposed set of dates to request. It does not change your balance or replace your employer’s leave process. Wait for your employer’s decision before treating the time as available or making non-refundable commitments.

Choose the right planner

Use the route that matches your cycle.

If your cycle is four work dates followed by four rest dates, use the 4-on-4-off annual leave planner. If you work a compressed fortnight with one regular day off, use the 9-day-fortnight annual leave planner.

For the same fixed weekdays every week, start with the fixed-week 2027 annual leave planner. For calculation boundaries, bank-holiday handling, privacy and known limitations, read the methodology.