4 On 4 Off Annual Leave Planner
Plan annual leave around a 4-on-4-off rota and find leave dates that connect rostered-off blocks into longer continuous breaks.
Why four-on/four-off leave is different
A four-on/four-off rota repeats every eight calendar days, so the four working days and four rostered-off days continually move through normal weekdays and weekends. A leave date that creates an excellent break in one part of the year may be much less efficient a few weeks later.
What the optimiser searches
The planner marks four cycle days as rostered work and four as rostered off. It then tests blocks of calendar dates and counts how many rostered work shifts would need to be booked as leave to make each block continuous.
Example planning question
Instead of asking “when are the bank holidays?”, a rotating-shift worker can ask “where can four leave shifts connect my existing rostered-off periods into the longest break?” The answer depends on the exact cycle position, which is why the anchor date matters.
Use the leave balance and rota dates supplied by your employer. Work Decisions UK only models the calendar pattern you enter and does not determine employment rights, leave deductions or approval.
Optimise your actual dates
The useful part is not a generic example calendar. Your position within the repeating cycle changes the best leave dates, so the optimiser asks for one date you know is day 1 of your cycle and generates the planning year from that anchor.