Work, pay & shifts
Annual Hours for Part-Time and Compressed Schedules
The 2,080-hour year assumes five eight-hour days every week. Plenty of schedules don’t look like that: part-time weeks, four ten-hour days, the 9/80 schedule, or three twelve-hour shifts. The annual total is still weekly hours times weeks, but getting the weekly hours right — especially for schedules that alternate — is where the mistakes happen.
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Part-time weeks
| Hours a week | Hours a year (52 weeks) | Share of 2,080 |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 1,040 | 50% |
| 24 | 1,248 | 60% |
| 30 | 1,560 | 75% |
| 32 | 1,664 | 80% |
Compressed schedules
- 4×10: four 10-hour days is 40 hours a week, so 2,080 a year — the same as five 8-hour days, worked in 208 days instead of 260.
- 9/80: eight 9-hour days and one 8-hour day every two weeks is 80 hours a fortnight — 2,080 a year over 26 fortnights.
- 3×12: three 12-hour shifts is 36 hours a week, or 1,872 a year.
Schedules that alternate
When weeks differ — 36 hours one week and 48 the next, as on some 12-hour rotations — average them first: (36 + 48) ÷ 2 = 42 hours a week, and 42 × 52 = 2,184 hours. Multiplying either single week by 52 would be off by 312 hours.
Days off on a compressed week
A day off is worth the hours of that day, not eight. On a 4×10 schedule, 10 paid holidays are 100 hours, not 80, so hours actually worked come to 1,980 rather than 2,000.
Part-Time and Compressed Hours FAQ
- How many hours a year is 20 hours a week?
- 1,040 over 52 weeks — half of 2,080.
- Does a 4×10 schedule work more hours than 5×8?
- No. Both are 40 hours a week and 2,080 a year; the 4×10 schedule fits them into fewer days.
- How many hours a year is a 9/80 schedule?
- 2,080 — 80 hours every two weeks for 26 fortnights.
- How many hours do three 12-hour shifts a week add up to?
- 36 a week, or 1,872 a year.
- How do I count a holiday on a 10-hour-day schedule?
- At 10 hours. A day off is worth the length of the day you would have worked.
Related guides
- Work Hours in a YearWhy 2,080 is the standard full-time year, why most years actually hold 2,088 weekday hours, and which figure to use for what.
- Paid vs Worked HoursWhy a 2,080-hour year has fewer hours actually worked, how paid and unpaid time off change each figure, and which one a calculation needs.
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