A rota tells you when you were scheduled to work. Your actual record tells you what happened. If you start early, finish late or take a different unpaid break, keeping both records makes the change easier to explain later.
Start with a notebook or spreadsheet. You do not need an app to keep a useful personal record.
Keep the plan, then add the actual times
For each shift, write down:
- The planned start and finish, including their dates.
- The planned unpaid-break minutes.
- The actual start and finish, including their dates.
- The actual unpaid-break minutes.
- The time zone and a short note if something changed.
Leave the planned finish untouched when you record a later actual finish. If a time is uncertain, mark it as unknown instead of copying the schedule and calling it confirmed. You can correct the record when you have better information.
A 30-minute difference, clearly recorded
This fictional example uses one continuous work period with a 30-minute unpaid break:
| Record | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Start | September 17, 07:00 | September 17, 07:00 |
| Finish | September 17, 15:30 | September 17, 16:00 |
| Unpaid break | 30 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Duration less the entered unpaid break | 480 minutes / 8 hours | 510 minutes / 8.5 hours |
The actual record contains 30 more minutes. That difference does not, by itself, establish a legal overtime entitlement or a particular overtime rate.
For a basic illustration only, applying USD20 per hour to every recorded hour gives USD160 for the plan and USD170 for the actual record, before deductions. This example excludes premiums, bonuses and other adjustments. It is not a prediction of take-home pay or confirmation of what an employer owes.
Record the same shift in Rostivio
On first use, complete the welcome flow, work profile, shift templates and rotation setup before reaching the main calendar. Set the profile's currency, time zone and pay-period details to match the records you intend to keep.
- Open Calendar, select the shift and choose View shift details.
- Open Actual work. Enter the actual start, actual end and unpaid-break minutes.
- For this simple example, leave Paid minutes override blank so the duration is calculated from the times and unpaid break.
- Choose Save actual work, then review the planned and actual values together.
Do not edit the planned shift merely to make it match the actual finish. Manual actual-work recording and basic gross estimates are free. Pro is optional for advanced pay rules, CSV/PDF/ICS exports and Home Screen widgets.
Try one record
Download the free blank CSV worksheet or see the fictional completed examples. The website worksheet is an ordinary spreadsheet file with no formulas; enter or check totals yourself. It is separate from Pro exports and is not an app-import template. No email or upload of your work records is needed.
Prefer an iPhone app? Download Rostivio on the App Store. Start with one completed shift and check whether keeping the plan beside the actual record helps your routine.