Set up a 24/48 firefighter-style rota in PayCheck AI and export it for your crew

Step 1 — Plan your 24/48 pattern

A 24/48 rota repeats every three days: one 24-hour shift followed by two days off. The simplest way to represent this in a day-based rotation is a repeating block of three days: Work / Off / Off. Before you start in the app, decide which day of the week you want the cycle to start on and whether you need alternations for day/night or station moves.

Make a quick paper sketch of the first two weeks so you can check how dates fall around weekends and public holidays. Remember that local rules, union agreements or employer policies can change overtime thresholds, night allowances and public-holiday pay — you’ll configure those later in PayCheck AI if you’re on Pro.

Step 2 — Create a custom day-based rotation in PayCheck AI

Open PayCheck AI and choose to create a new rotation. Use the custom day-based rotation option so you can specify a repeating sequence by day rather than individual shift presets.

Set a three-day repeat block and label day 1 as “24h On” and days 2 and 3 as “Off”. For the “24h On” entry, set the shift length to 24 hours. If your service splits a 24-hour shift into distinct day and night pay rules, create a single 24-hour shift and use PayCheck AI’s Pro pay rule options (daily/weekly overtime thresholds, night window allowances, weekend/public-holiday allowances) where appropriate.

Step 3 — Populate shift lengths, roles and notes

For the shift length, enter 24. If your service includes additional staged hours (for example, guaranteed standby hours or an additional paid block for drills), add those as separate shifts on the same day so PayCheck AI can include them in the monthly totals.

Add role names or station identifiers in the shift description so crew members see which assignment it is when you export. Private shift notes and medical details remain private and are not shared on the team calendar.

Step 4 — Estimate gross pay for a sample month (worked example)

PayCheck AI can estimate gross pay for a selected calendar month using the shifts you entered. The example below uses hypothetical pay numbers to show the steps — treat these as examples only.

Example inputs (hypothetical): base hourly rate = $25/hr; night allowance = $5/hr for hours between 22:00–06:00 (configured on Pro); weekend allowance = 10% of hourly rate for shifts that fall on Saturday/Sunday.

For March (31 days) with a 24/48 rota starting on March 1 as a 24h on-day: you will have 10 or 11 on-days depending on where the cycle lands. Suppose PayCheck AI shows 11 on-days for March. Gross base pay = 11 shifts × 24 hours × $25 = $6,600. If 8 of those shifts include night hours eligible for the $5/night allowance and those night windows total 8 hours each, night allowance = 8 shifts × 8 hours × $5 = $320. If 3 of the 24h shifts include weekend days and qualify for 10% weekend uplift, weekend pay = 3 shifts × 24 hours × $25 × 10% = $180. Estimated gross pay (before taxes/deductions) = $6,600 + $320 + $180 = $7,100.

Use PayCheck AI’s month selector to review the shift list and the app’s gross-pay estimate. If you’re on a Pro trial or subscription you can also enable daily/weekly overtime thresholds and public-holiday allowances (flat, per-hour or percentage) to reflect local rules. Remember: PayCheck AI gives estimates — it does not calculate taxes or guarantee legal payroll accuracy. Where local agreements differ, adjust the rules manually.

Step 5 — Export a printable calendar and provide a sample CSV/ICS

Once your rotation looks correct for the month, export the schedule. PayCheck AI supports CSV and ICS exports. CSV is useful if you want to open the data in a spreadsheet; ICS is ideal for sharing with calendar apps.

Below is a short example CSV content you can copy into a file named firefighter_24_48_sample.csv and open in Excel or Google Sheets. Columns are Date, Start, End, Title, Notes. This sample assumes a 24h shift starting at 07:00 for the on-days.

Sample CSV (first 6 rows):

Date,Start,End,Title,Notes 2026-03-01,07:00,07:00+1,24h On,Station A 2026-03-02,, ,Off, 2026-03-03,, ,Off, 2026-03-04,07:00,07:00+1,24h On,Station A 2026-03-05,, ,Off, 2026-03-06,, ,Off,

Step 6 — Create and share a read-only calendar subscription

PayCheck AI can publish a private read-only calendar subscription for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook. The subscription refreshes from PayCheck AI but is read-only for recipients — they can’t edit your source schedule.

To share it, create the calendar subscription and copy the subscription link. Distribute that link to your crew by email or QR code. Team features: if you use a team in PayCheck AI, a team owner’s calendar can automatically sync into personal calendars of team members as a read-only copy. Team members see assigned shifts and recorded absences; private personal settings and private notes are not visible. If you’re on Pro and want shifts extracted from a scanned rota PDF or image, upload it for one-time AI extraction and approve the shifts before import.

Step 7 — Use team features for crew coordination

If you manage a crew, create a team and invite members by link or QR code. Team members appear with profile names and can request open shifts, request takeover, submit vacation requests, or record sick days. Planners and owners can approve or reject requests.

You can leave shifts unassigned if you want volunteers to pick them up. Remember that PayCheck AI does not automatically assign workers or analyse staffing gaps; planners must manage assignments manually. Team owners can choose to have their personal shift calendar automatically copied into members’ main calendars as read-only.

Practical checklist

• Decide the 3-day repeat start date for your 24/48 cycle
• Create a custom day-based rotation with a 3-day block: On / Off / Off
• Set the 24-hour shift length and add role/station in the shift description
• Configure pay rules (night window, weekend and public-holiday allowances) on Pro if needed
• Preview a month and use PayCheck AI’s gross-pay estimate to check totals
• Export CSV and/or ICS for distribution; copy sample CSV into a spreadsheet to print
• Create a private read-only calendar subscription and share the link or QR code with crew
• Use team invites for approvals, shift requests and absence management

Frequently asked questions

Can I create a 24/48 rota that alternates day and night blocks?

Yes. Use the custom day-based rotation to define a 3-day block and put a 24-hour ‘On’ shift that contains the role or notes indicating day/night split. If you need different pay rules for night hours, configure a night-window allowance on Pro so the app applies the allowance to hours falling in that window.

Will PayCheck AI calculate taxes or final take-home pay?

No. PayCheck AI can estimate gross pay for the month using the shifts and configured allowances, but it does not calculate taxes, withholdings or legal payroll amounts. Use the gross estimate for planning and cross-check with payroll or accounting tools.

How do calendar subscriptions refresh and can crew edit them?

Calendar subscriptions created in PayCheck AI refresh from the app but are read-only for recipients. They sync to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook as a one-way feed — crew members cannot edit the source schedule from their calendars.

Can I import a paper rota into PayCheck AI?

If you have a rota PDF or image and are on an active free Pro trial or paid Pro subscription, you can upload it for one-time AI shift extraction. You must review and approve extracted shifts before they are imported into your calendar.

Does PayCheck AI automatically assign shifts or detect staffing gaps?

No. The app does not automatically assign workers or analyse staffing gaps. Team planners must publish and assign shifts manually and manage approvals for requests or swap proposals.