The 2-2-3 schedule explained
This guide lays out HoursPad's 2-2-3 preset day by day, counts the hours with 12-hour shifts, and shows why the weeks come out uneven. Employers use the name in different ways, so change the preset to match yours.
Example: HoursPad's 2-2-3 preset has 7 shifts in 14 days. With 12-hour shifts that is 84 h per cycle, or 42 hours a week on average.
Estimate based on what you entered. Not legal or payroll advice; check it against your employer's records.
How to use it
- Pick the first day of your cycle and mark it on a calendar.
- Lay out the pattern: work 2, off 2, work 3, off 2, work 2, off 3.
- Multiply the shifts in the cycle by the hours in a shift.
- Split the days into workweeks to see each week's total.
HoursPad's 2-2-3 preset, day by day
This is HoursPad's preset, not a definition of the name. The pattern, W for a shift and a dash for a day off, is: W W - - W W W - - W W - - -. After 14 days it repeats.
| Date | Day | Shift? |
|---|---|---|
| 2027-01-03 | Sun | 12 hours |
| 2027-01-04 | Mon | 12 hours |
| 2027-01-05 | Tue | off |
| 2027-01-06 | Wed | off |
| 2027-01-07 | Thu | 12 hours |
| 2027-01-08 | Fri | 12 hours |
| 2027-01-09 | Sat | 12 hours |
| 2027-01-10 | Sun | off |
| 2027-01-11 | Mon | off |
| 2027-01-12 | Tue | 12 hours |
| 2027-01-13 | Wed | 12 hours |
| 2027-01-14 | Thu | off |
| 2027-01-15 | Fri | off |
| 2027-01-16 | Sat | off |
Counting the hours
Count the W days: 7. Multiply by 12 hours: 84 h in 14 days. Divide by two to get a weekly average of 42 hours. That average hides the fact that the first seven days have 5 shifts and the next seven have 2.
Why the weeks are uneven
The cycle is 14 days, but the workweek is 7. If the first workweek starts on day one, the first week holds 5 shifts (60 hours) and the second holds 2 (24 hours). Move the start of your workweek and the split changes. This matters because the federal rule counts overtime per workweek:
- The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S.C. § 207) sets overtime pay at not less than 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, for employees it covers who are not exempt.
- Under federal regulations, a workweek is a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours, which is seven consecutive 24-hour periods.
Using only that federal threshold and a Sunday workweek start, HoursPad finds 20 h of the 84 h cycle is over the 40-hour threshold, all of it in the long week. This is an example calculation, not a statement of what any employer pays.
Make your own
Build the calendar in the 2-2-3 schedule calendar, or lay out any cycle in the rotating shift calendar maker. Add up your 12-hour shifts on the nurse time card calculator. For how a long week counts toward the threshold, read how overtime works.
Questions
What does 2-2-3 mean?
HoursPad's 2-2-3 preset is a 14-day cycle: work 2 days, off 2, work 3, off 2, work 2, off 3. HoursPad cannot confirm an official definition of the name, so change the preset to match your employer's.
How many hours is a 2-2-3 schedule?
With 12-hour shifts, the HoursPad preset has 7 shifts in 14 days, which is 84 hours, or 42 hours a week on average. Shorter or longer shifts change that in the same proportion.
Do some weeks have more shifts than others?
Yes. In the preset, when the first workweek starts on the first day of the cycle, one week has 5 shifts and the next has 2. Which week is long depends on where your workweek starts.
Is there overtime on a 2-2-3 schedule?
HoursPad adds up each workweek and compares it with the federal weekly threshold, which is quoted on this page. Whether overtime applies to a particular job is not something HoursPad can say.
Official sources
-
29 U.S.C. § 207(a)(1) (opens in new tab), U.S. Government Publishing Office (U.S. Code).
“for a workweek longer than forty hours unless such employee receives compensation for his employment in excess of the hours above specified at a rate not less than one and one-half times the regular rate at which he is employed.”
Checked November 11, 2026. Rules change; verify with the source. -
Overtime Pay (Wage and Hour Division) (opens in new tab), U.S. Department of Labor.
“Unless exempt, employees covered by the Act must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than time and one-half their regular rates of pay.”
Checked November 11, 2026. Rules change; verify with the source. -
29 CFR § 778.105 Determining the workweek (opens in new tab), Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR).
“An employee's workweek is a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours—seven consecutive 24-hour periods.”
Checked November 11, 2026. Rules change; verify with the source.
These are summaries of what the official sources say, not legal advice. Laws change and exceptions apply. Check with your employer or your state labor department about your own job.