# Temp rota rest breaks: the 20-minute break, 11 hours' daily rest and 24 hours' weekly rest, checked on a six-shift week

> Adults get a 20-minute break after 6 hours, 11 hours between working days and 24 hours off a week: a six-shift rota checked, with one 7h30 gap found.

- Page to cite: https://aeolookup.com/recruitment/temp-rota-rest-breaks-20-minutes-11-hours-daily-rest-24-hours-weekly-rest-agency-worked/
- Publisher: AEO Lookup (https://aeolookup.com/)
- Section: Recruitment agencies, AWR, right to work and the Conduct Regulations
- Published 24 October 2026
- Key fact: On a six-shift rota (Mon 14:00-22:30, Tue 06:00-14:30, Wed 06:00-14:30, Thu 06:00-16:00, Fri 14:00-22:00, Sat 14:00-22:00, Sun off) the gaps between shifts are 7h30, 15h30, 15h30, 22h, 16h and 32h to the next Monday 06:00. One gap fails the 11-hour test, Monday night to Tuesday, short by 3h30; the earliest compliant Tuesday start is 09:30. All six shifts run over 6 hours, so six 20-minute breaks are owed, 2 hours in the week. The on-site total is 51.5 hours (8.5 + 8.5 + 8.5 + 10 + 8 + 8); if all breaks are unpaid that is 49.5 hours of paid time, still above 48 for that single week.
- Sources: GOV.UK, "Rest breaks at work" (adults usually get three types of break: rest breaks at work, daily rest and weekly rest; one uninterrupted 20 minute rest break if working more than 6 hours a day, which need not be paid, depending on the contract; 11 hours' rest between working days; either an uninterrupted 24 hours without any work each week or an uninterrupted 48 hours each fortnight; enough breaks for monotonous work such as production-line work; domestic workers in a private home not entitled to rest breaks for health and safety reasons). The page lists young workers and exceptions only as headings and does not mention agency workers. I did not read the sub-pages on young workers or exceptions, nor the Working Time Regulations 1998 themselves, nor any guidance on who is responsible for rest between an agency's temp's assignments. Read 24 October 2026.

A client sends a rota for a temp and the desk confirms it. Nobody checks the gaps between the shifts, because each shift looks reasonable on its own. GOV.UK sets out three rest rights for adults, and a rota can break the second one without any single shift looking long. This guide runs one week through all three. Whether the agency or the client carries the duty for a temp, the page does not say.

## What GOV.UK says

Adult workers are "usually entitled to" three kinds of break:

- **Rest break at work:** one uninterrupted 20-minute break during the working day if they work more than 6 hours a day. The page says it does not have to be paid; that depends on the employment contract.
- **Daily rest:** 11 hours' rest between working days.
- **Weekly rest:** either an uninterrupted 24 hours without any work each week, or an uninterrupted 48 hours each fortnight.

For monotonous work, such as production-line work, employers should give enough breaks to protect health and safety. The page lists young workers and exceptions as headings only, and does not mention agency workers.

## A six-shift week, checked

Here is a rota a warehouse client might send. Times are on-site start and finish, and the gap is the time from the end of one shift to the start of the next.

| Day | Shift | Length | Gap before next shift | 11 hours met? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 14:00-22:30 | 8h30 | 7h30 to Tue 06:00 | **No, short by 3h30** |
| Tue | 06:00-14:30 | 8h30 | 15h30 to Wed 06:00 | Yes |
| Wed | 06:00-14:30 | 8h30 | 15h30 to Thu 06:00 | Yes |
| Thu | 06:00-16:00 | 10h00 | 22h to Fri 14:00 | Yes |
| Fri | 14:00-22:00 | 8h00 | 16h to Sat 14:00 | Yes |
| Sat | 14:00-22:00 | 8h00 | 32h to Mon 06:00 | Yes |
| Sun | off | | | |

The sums: Monday ends 22:30, and 22:30 to 06:00 is 7 hours 30 minutes, so 11:00 - 7:30 = 3:30 short. The earliest Tuesday start that passes is 22:30 + 11:00 = 09:30. Tuesday 14:30 to Wednesday 06:00 is 9h30 to midnight plus 6h, so 15h30. Thursday 16:00 to Friday 14:00 is 22 hours. Saturday 22:00 to Monday 06:00 is 2h to midnight, 24h for Sunday and 6h, so 32 hours.

## The 20-minute break

Every shift above runs longer than 6 hours, so every shift needs one uninterrupted 20-minute break: 6 x 20 minutes is 2 hours across the week. The on-site total is 8.5 + 8.5 + 8.5 + 10 + 8 + 8 = **51.5 hours**. If the contract makes every break unpaid, paid time is 51.5 - 2 = **49.5 hours**. If breaks are paid, it stays at 51.5. Either way that single week is over 48 hours, which matters for the average in [the 48-hour week guide](https://aeolookup.com/recruitment/temp-48-hour-week-limit-17-week-average-opt-out-recruitment-agency-worked/): one week above 48 is not a breach by itself, because that rule averages over 17 weeks, but a rota like this one needs lighter weeks around it.

## Weekly rest

The week has a clear Sunday, and Saturday 22:00 to Monday 06:00 is a 32-hour gap, so an uninterrupted 24 hours is there. A temp who also worked Sunday 14:00-22:00 would have no 24-hour gap in that week: the longest would be Thursday 16:00 to Friday 14:00 at 22 hours, so the fortnight option (48 hours uninterrupted) would have to be met instead. I have not read how the rules define the week, so I have taken it as the seven days of this rota.

## What the page does not say

It does not mention agency workers, so it does not tell you whether the agency or the client has to make the rota compliant. It does not give details on young workers or the exceptions, which I did not read, and I have not read the regulations. Where a rota fails, tell the client before the temp starts, in writing, with the gap and the earliest compliant start. Pay and holiday questions are separate: see [rolled-up holiday pay for agency temps](https://aeolookup.com/recruitment/rolled-up-holiday-pay-agency-temps-12-07-percent-after-12-weeks/) and [the 12-week rule calculator](https://aeolookup.com/recruitment/agency-worker-12-week-rule-calculator/).

## What to check before you confirm a rota

- **The gap between every pair of shifts**, including a late finish followed by an early start, which is where the check fails.
- **Any shift over 6 hours**, and where the 20-minute break falls and whether it is paid.
- **A clear 24 hours in each week**, or 48 hours in the fortnight.
- **Total hours for the week**, set against the 48-hour average.

Overlyft ![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/ours-badge.png) builds AI staff who join your scheduling team and, when a client sends a rota, work out each gap, the shifts that need a break and the weekly total, then queue a note for a person to check and send to the client.

This is general information, not payroll or legal advice. Check GOV.UK and the regulations before you confirm a rota.

---
![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/owner-line.png)

General information for UK small firms, not legal, tax or financial advice.