How many hours' rest are required between shifts in the UK?

Eleven consecutive hours between the end of one working day and the start of the next, for adult workers, under the Working Time Regulations 1998. Under-18s are entitled to 12 hours.

Is the 20-minute rest break paid?

Not automatically. The law requires the break to be given and uninterrupted when a shift exceeds 6 hours, but whether it is paid depends on the contract. The break must be genuinely free of duties - covering a phone or till during it does not count.

Can an employer make someone work with less than 11 hours between shifts?

Only in limited situations where rest can be postponed, and then equivalent compensatory rest must be given soon afterwards. Rest cannot be bought out with extra pay, and a worker's agreement does not make a short gap lawful.

What is the maximum number of hours per week in the UK?

An average of 48 hours a week over a 17-week reference period, unless the worker has signed a voluntary opt-out. Night workers are limited to an average of 8 hours' work in any 24-hour period.

How many hours' rest between shifts?

Eleven hours between shifts, 24 in the week, 20 minutes inside a long day - the rules that quietly make half the rotas in hospitality unlawful.

By Abi Thomas · Guide · Rotas & working time · Updated 8 August 2026 · 6 min read

In short

Adult workers are entitled to 11 consecutive hours' rest between finishing one shift and starting the next, plus 24 hours' uninterrupted rest each week (or 48 hours per fortnight), and a 20-minute break when a shift runs over 6 hours. These come from the Working Time Regulations 1998 and apply now - unlike rota-notice rules, which the UK still doesn't have.

The 11-hour rest rule: how many hours between shifts?

Eleven. The gap is measured from the end of one working day to the start of the next, so a shift finishing at 22:00 can't be followed by one starting before 09:00 (gov.uk). This is the rule that quietly breaks the classic “close then open” pattern in hospitality and retail:

The clopen problem

Late shift ends 22:00 Friday
Early shift starts 07:00 Saturday
Gap: 9 hours - two hours short. Not compliant.
Fix: start no earlier than 09:00, or give the early shift to someone else.

What are all the working time rest rules?

Working Time Regulations 1998 rest entitlements for adult workers.
Entitlement	The rule
Daily rest	11 consecutive hours between working days
Weekly rest	24 hours uninterrupted per week, or 48 hours per fortnight
Rest break in a shift	20 minutes uninterrupted when the shift exceeds 6 hours
Maximum average week	48 hours averaged over 17 weeks, unless the worker signs an opt-out
Night workers	average 8 hours' work in any 24, and a free health assessment

Under-18s get more: 12 hours' daily rest, 48 hours' weekly rest, a 30-minute break after 4.5 hours, and they can't opt out of the weekly hours limit.

Is the 20-minute break paid?

Not automatically. The Working Time Regulations require the break to be given and to be uninterrupted - away from the workstation - but not that it's paid. Whether it's paid is a contract question, and most employers pay for short breaks in shift work simply because unpaid 20-minute gaps are more trouble to administer than they're worth. What you can't do is have someone “on break” while still covering the phone or the till: an interrupted break isn't a break.

Can rest be missed if the rota is tight?

Only in narrow circumstances. Some sectors and shift-change situations allow rest to be postponed, but then compensatory rest must be given - an equivalent period of rest, taken soon afterwards, not paid off in cash. Rest entitlements aren't something a worker can be paid to skip, and “we were short-staffed” isn't one of the exceptions.

How does this interact with rota changes?

There's currently no statutory minimum notice for changing a rota in the UK - the contract governs, and reforms are expected but not yet in force (see rota change notice and can my employer change my shifts?). But rest rules bite regardless of notice: a last-minute swap that leaves someone nine hours between shifts is unlawful even if they agreed to it, because you can't consent your way out of daily rest the way you can the 48-hour cap.

Where does this sit in UK rota law?

The rest rules are the hard floor under every rota: whatever the contract says about shift changes, the 11 hours between shifts, the weekly rest and the 20-minute break stand. For the notice side - how much warning a rota change needs - see rota change notice, and our weekly rota template has the rest checks built into the sheet.

What should employers do in practice?

Check the gaps when you publish, not when someone complains. The rota template has the check built into it.
Watch the 17-week average, not just the week. Two 60-hour weeks in a busy month can be fine; a pattern of them isn't. Keep timesheets - the timesheet template tallies hours and flags the minimum wage position too.
Keep opt-outs voluntary and in writing, with the right to withdraw on notice. An opt-out extracted as a condition of getting shifts isn't worth the paper.
Give the extra hours back properly - through pay or TOIL, not goodwill: TOIL vs overtime pay.

Keep reading: All 66 HR guides · 30 free templates · 24 calculators

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