A night shift has two dates. Writing only “22:00–06:00” leaves out a useful detail: when the shift ended. Keep the start date and end date with the times, even if your paper rota shows the whole shift under the day it began.
You can follow the same approach in a notebook, a spreadsheet or Rostivio.
Write both dates first
Make separate columns for the planned start, planned finish, actual start and actual finish. Use complete date-and-time entries, then add unpaid-break minutes and the time zone.
Here is a fictional example with no clock change during the shift:
| Record | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Start | September 17, 22:00 | September 17, 22:00 |
| Finish | September 18, 06:00 | September 18, 06:30 |
| Unpaid break | 30 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Duration less the entered unpaid break | 450 minutes / 7.5 hours | 480 minutes / 8 hours |
The planned finish remains September 18 at 06:00. The actual finish is a separate September 18 entry at 06:30. That preserves the extra 30 minutes without rewriting the original rota.
Do not assume an earlier-looking finish time always means “add one day.” Check the actual date, especially after a long shift, a schedule change or a correction made later. If you are unsure, leave the record unresolved until you can check it.
Check breaks and clock changes
Enter the unpaid break that belongs to the record you are making. A planned 30-minute break and an actual 15-minute break are different inputs. A paid break should not also be deducted as unpaid time.
A daylight-saving change can make simple clock-time subtraction misleading. Keep the work location's time zone with the entry and check the elapsed duration shown for the specific dates. A repeated local time may need its UTC offset to distinguish the two occurrences. Do not assume every overnight shift has the same length, or that a particular payroll rule can be inferred from the clock change.
Enter the shift in Rostivio
First-time setup includes a work profile, shift templates and a rotation. Complete that setup, including the relevant time zone, before recording the example in the calendar.
- Open Calendar, select the shift and choose View shift details.
- Open Actual work and enter the actual start date and time.
- Set the actual end to the correct following date and finish time. Review both dates before saving.
- Enter the unpaid-break minutes. Leave Paid minutes override blank for a straightforward elapsed-time calculation.
- Choose Save actual work, then check the duration and the difference from the plan.
Manual actual-work records and basic gross estimates are free. Rostivio keeps a personal record based on your entries; it does not automatically confirm your attendance with an employer.
Keep a reusable worksheet
Download the free blank CSV worksheet or open the fictional examples. The examples include the night shift above. These website files have no formulas and do not collect completed records. They are separate from the app's optional Pro exports.
If you prefer to keep the plan and actual record on your iPhone, download Rostivio on the App Store. Core records work offline without an account; optional Pro purchases and restores require a connection.