This shift hours calculator checks a timesheet in seconds. Enter the start and finish times and the breaks, and it shows the time on site, the paid hours, how many of those are ordinary hours, how many go beyond your ordinary-hours threshold, and how many fall inside a night window.
Most pay disputes in traffic control start with the hours, not the rate. A shift that crosses midnight, a break that was or wasn't paid, or a docket rounded the wrong way can all change a pay packet. This tool gives you the hours in decimal form, ready to check against a payslip, a docket or a client invoice.
How it's worked out
- Time on site = finish − start. If the finish is earlier than the start, the shift is read as finishing the next day. A start and finish at the same time is read as 24 hours.
- Paid hours = time on site − unpaid breaks. Paid breaks are recorded for reference and don't change the paid hours, because they're already inside the time on site.
- Ordinary hours = paid hours up to your threshold (7.6 hours by default).
- Beyond threshold = paid hours − threshold, if that's more than zero.
- Night window hours = the part of the time on site that falls inside the window you set (18:00 to 06:00 by default). It works across midnight and counts the whole time on site in the window, including any unpaid break taken there.
- Finish is shown with "next day" when the shift goes past midnight.
If the time on site is longer than 12 hours, it reminds you to check your fatigue limits.
The calculator works out hours, not dollars. Which rate applies to ordinary, overtime and night hours depends on the award or agreement that covers the worker.
Shift hours calculator example: a night shift
A controller starts a night job at 18:00 and finishes at 05:00 the next morning, with a 30-minute unpaid meal break and a 20-minute paid crib break.
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Time on site | 18:00 to 05:00 = 11 hours |
| Unpaid breaks | 30 minutes |
| Paid hours | 10.5 hours |
| Ordinary hours | 7.6 hours |
| Beyond the 7.6-hour threshold | 2.9 hours |
| Inside the 18:00–06:00 night window | 11 hours |
| Finishes | 05:00 next day |
The paid crib break doesn't reduce the paid hours. All 11 hours on site sit inside the night window, so any night loading in the award or agreement applies to the whole shift, depending on how it defines a night shift. The 2.9 hours past the threshold may be overtime, again depending on the award or agreement.
A day shift
The same controller works 06:00 to 16:30 with a 30-minute unpaid break:
- Time on site: 10.5 hours.
- Paid hours: 10 hours.
- Ordinary: 7.6 hours. Beyond the threshold: 2.4 hours.
- Night window: 0 hours, because the shift sits outside 18:00 to 06:00.
Note that a 06:00 start is before the award's usual 7:00 am start for ordinary hours. Under the Building and Construction General On-site Award, a 6:00 am start is possible by agreement. Whether the first hour is ordinary time or not depends on that agreement.
What the award says about hours and breaks
Traffic controllers doing on-site construction work are usually covered by the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 (MA000020), in the civil construction stream. Controllers outside construction may fall under the Miscellaneous Award, and many crews are on enterprise agreements. Key points from MA000020:
| Rule | What the award says |
|---|---|
| Ordinary hours | 38 a week averaged over a 4-week cycle, worked 7:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday to Friday |
| Daily hours | 8 hours a day, with 7.6 paid and 0.4 accruing towards a rostered day off (RDO) |
| Meal breaks | No more than 5 hours without a meal break |
| Overtime crib | After 2 or more hours of overtime, a paid 20-minute crib break |
| Casual loading | 25% |
| Casual minimum | 4 hours per engagement |
| Civil construction night shift | 115%; permanent nights 130%; 150% if night shifts don't run 5 in a row |
| General building night shift | 150% |
The two shift streams matter. Civil construction and general building pay different night loadings, so check which applies before you work out pay. Our guide to traffic controller hourly rates, overtime and allowances and the one on paying traffic controllers correctly explain each.
State differences
The award is national, so the hours rules above apply in every state for workers it covers. What changes between states:
- Public holidays. Each state and territory has its own public holidays, and award public holiday rates apply on them. Check the date against your state's list.
- Enterprise agreements. Many controllers are on agreements, such as the Victorian CFMEU traffic control agreement, with their own hours, rates and allowances.
- Contract rules. Principal contractors and road authorities can set their own limits on shift length and work hours.
- Fatigue codes. In NSW, SafeWork NSW's Code of Practice on managing the risk of fatigue at work commenced on 20 February 2026.
Using it to check dockets and payslips
- Match the docket. Compare the start, finish and breaks on the client's docket with the worker's timesheet. The digital docket gets both signed on the day. Our guide to digital timesheets and dockets covers the paperwork.
- Check the minimum. A casual engaged for less than 4 hours is still paid 4 hours under the award.
- Check the breaks. Was the break really unpaid? Was a meal break taken within 5 hours?
- Look at the total week. Long shifts add up. The fatigue checker shows hours in any 7 days and the rest between shifts.
Once you have the hours, the traffic controller pay calculator turns them into a pay breakdown.
When to get professional advice
The calculator gives hours, not legal or payroll advice. Get help when:
- you're not sure which award or agreement covers a worker
- you think you've been underpaid, or a worker says they have
- a shift crosses a public holiday, a weekend or a change of rates
- you're setting up payroll for a new traffic control business
The Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay Calculator and your industry association can both help. For employers, a payroll professional or accountant who knows the construction awards is worth the cost.