In fly-in fly-out (FIFO) work, the roster pattern is everything — it sets how long you’re away, how much recovery you get, how much you earn, and how sustainable the job is long-term. Australian mining, oil and gas, and remote construction operators run a handful of standard rotations, usually written as “days on / days off” (like 8/6) or “weeks on / weeks off” (like 2/1). This guide explains the common FIFO roster patterns in plain English, shows how the days stack up over a year, and covers how rosters interact with pay under the Mining Industry Award and with fatigue-management obligations. If you build these rosters, purpose-built rostering software takes most of the pain out of managing swings, coverage and compliance.
Quick summary
- The notation:
“8/6” = 8 days on then 6 off; “2/1” = 2 weeks on then 1 week off (i.e. 14/7)
- Best for money:
Longer swings like 2/1 maximise paid days on site — the traditional high-earner roster
- Best for balance:
8/6 is the most popular for work-life balance; even-time (2/2, 1/1) suits families
- Pay floor:
The Mining Award sets minimums; most sites pay above it via an enterprise agreement
What is a FIFO roster?
A FIFO roster is the fixed rotation of time on site and time at home for fly-in fly-out workers. Because the workforce is flown to a remote site and housed in camp accommodation, work is organised into swings (a block of consecutive days on site) followed by R&R (rest and recovery days at home).
Rosters are written as two numbers — the days (or weeks) on, then the days (or weeks) off. So a 7/7 roster is 7 days on, 7 days off; a 2/1 roster is 2 weeks on, 1 week off. Most swings run 12-hour shifts, and many sites rotate crews between day shift and night shift within or across swings, which is where fatigue management becomes critical.
Common FIFO roster patterns explained
There’s no single “standard” FIFO roster — the pattern depends on the site’s remoteness, the commodity, shutdown cycles, and the operator’s enterprise agreement. These are the rotations you’ll see most often in Australia:
| Roster | Meaning | On-site share | Approx. days on site/year | Typically suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/1 | 2 weeks on, 1 week off (14/7) | ~67% | ~243 | Maximising earnings; workers without heavy home commitments |
| 8/6 | 8 days on, 6 days off | ~57% | ~209 | Work-life balance; the most popular all-round roster |
| 7/7 | 7 days on, 7 days off (even time) | 50% | ~182 | Predictable routine; families |
| 5/2 | 5 days on, 2 days off (often DIDO/residential) | ~71% | ~260 | Sites close to town; a near-normal work week |
| 4/1 | 4 weeks on, 1 week off | ~80% | ~292 | Very remote sites; older-style high-earning rosters (less common now) |
| 2/2 | 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off (even time) | 50% | ~182 | Long recovery blocks; parents and long commutes |
Two quick clarifications that trip people up:
- 2/1 and 14/7 are the same roster — one is written in weeks, the other in days.
- The days-on-site figures are approximate. Real rosters lose and gain days to travel, public holidays, shutdowns and crew changeovers, so treat them as a guide, not a payroll calculation.
Which FIFO roster is best?
“Best” depends on what you’re optimising for — take-home pay, family time, or recovery. Australian FIFO surveys consistently land on the same trade-offs:
Best for money
Longer swings (2/1, 4/1) put you on site more days per year, so total paid hours — and site allowances — are higher. Historically the go-to for workers chasing maximum earnings.
Best for balance
8/6 is repeatedly rated the most popular roster: swings are short enough to stay connected at home, and six days off is a genuine break rather than a quick turnaround.
Best for families
Even-time rosters (7/7, 2/2) give equal time home and away with a predictable rhythm, which many parents and partners find easier to plan life around.
There’s no universally correct answer — the same 2/1 roster that suits a single worker banking cash can be unsustainable for a parent of young kids. The best operators treat roster design as a retention lever, not just a coverage decision: the wrong pattern drives turnover, and turnover on a remote site is expensive.
FIFO rosters, pay and the Mining Award
Roster pattern drives pay because it determines how many ordinary, shift, weekend and public-holiday hours you work. Under the Mining Industry Award 2020 (MA000011), afternoon and night shifts attract a 15% loading, Sunday ordinary hours are paid at 200% and public holidays at 250% — so a swing that lands more nights and weekends pays more per hour worked. Our Mining Award pay guide breaks down the rates, shift loadings and the underground allowance in full.
The important caveat: the Award is the legal floor, not typical FIFO pay. Most large mining operators run an enterprise agreement (EBA) that sets rates and allowances well above the Award — which is why advertised FIFO wages of $58-$75/hr and $120k-$200k+ packages sit far above the Award minimum — see how much mining and FIFO workers earn for the full breakdown. If you want to know exactly which agreement covers a site, see our guide on how to find an enterprise agreement.
Fatigue, compliance and roster design
Long swings and rotating night shifts make fatigue the defining safety risk of FIFO work. Under Work Health and Safety law, the operator (as the PCBU) has a duty to manage fatigue so far as is reasonably practicable — and roster design is the primary control. Common evidence-based guardrails from Safe Work Australia and the mining regulators include:
Roster design guardrails for fatigue
-
Minimum 12 hours between consecutive shifts so workers can realistically get 7-8 hours’ sleep
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Limit consecutive night shifts (often to about four) and finish night shifts by early morning
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Build in recovery after night runs and long swings before rotating back
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Consult workers and HSRs on roster changes — fatigue risk assessment is a shared process, not a top-down roster drop
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Document it in an auditable fatigue management plan tied to the roster
This is where a manual spreadsheet roster becomes a liability. Award-aware rostering software can flag breaches — insufficient breaks between shifts, too many consecutive nights, or hours that tip into overtime — before a roster is published, and accurate time and attendance records give you the audit trail regulators expect. For the wider picture on trimming wage waste from swing rosters without cutting coverage, see our guide to roster optimisation techniques.
How rostering software handles FIFO patterns
FIFO rosters are repetitive but unforgiving: one crew changeover error or a missed break rule can cost a shift’s coverage or trigger a compliance issue. Purpose-built rostering software helps by:
- Templating swings so a 2/1 or 8/6 rotation can be published across crews in minutes rather than rebuilt by hand
- Applying award and agreement rules automatically — shift loadings, weekend and public-holiday penalties, overtime — via award interpretation
- Warning on fatigue and cost risks before publishing
- Feeding accurate hours to payroll so on-site time flows straight through to payroll without manual re-keying
Get the roster pattern right and the rest of the workforce operation — pay accuracy, fatigue compliance, and retention — gets a lot easier.
Build and manage FIFO swing rosters without the spreadsheet. RosterElf templates your rotations, applies Mining Award and enterprise-agreement rules automatically, and warns on fatigue and cost risks before you publish — with a foundation for auto-scheduling.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best FIFO roster?
There’s no single best roster — it depends on your priority. The 8/6 roster (8 days on, 6 off) is the most popular for work-life balance in Australian FIFO surveys. Longer swings like 2/1 (2 weeks on, 1 off) are considered best for maximising earnings, while even-time rosters like 7/7 and 2/2 suit workers with families who value predictable, equal time at home.
What does a 2/1 FIFO roster mean?
A 2/1 roster means 2 weeks on site followed by 1 week off at home — the same as a 14/7 roster written in days. Workers spend roughly two-thirds of the year on site, which is why 2/1 is traditionally regarded as the best FIFO roster for money.
What is the difference between 8/6 and 2/1 rosters?
An 8/6 roster is 8 days on, 6 days off — shorter swings and a meaningful break, putting workers on site around 57% of the time (~209 days/year). A 2/1 roster is 2 weeks on, 1 week off (~67% on site, ~243 days/year), so it means more paid days and higher earnings but longer stretches away from home. 8/6 is generally rated better for balance, 2/1 better for money.
How many days a year do FIFO workers work?
It depends on the roster. As a rough guide: a 7/7 roster is about 182 days on site a year, 8/6 about 209, and 2/1 (14/7) about 243. Actual figures vary with travel days, public holidays, shutdowns and crew changeovers, so treat them as estimates rather than exact payroll numbers.
Which FIFO roster pays the most?
Rosters with the most days on site generally pay the most, because you work more ordinary, shift, weekend and public-holiday hours. Longer swings like 2/1 and 4/1 top the list. Bear in mind that actual FIFO pay is usually set by an enterprise agreement above the Mining Industry Award minimum — see our Mining Award pay guide for the award floor and how shift loadings and penalties add up.
How do fatigue rules affect FIFO rosters?
Under Work Health and Safety law, employers must manage fatigue as far as is reasonably practicable, and roster design is the main control. Typical guardrails include at least 12 hours between shifts, limiting consecutive night shifts (often to four), building in recovery after long swings, consulting workers on changes, and keeping an auditable fatigue management plan. Award-aware rostering software can flag breaches before a roster is published.
