Free fortnightly staff roster (Excel)
Two Monday-start weeks on one sheet, each totalling separately. Built for the fortnightly pay cycle most New Zealand shift teams run on.
Fortnightly staff roster
Excel format (.xlsx) • Ready to download
No signup required. Works with Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice.
This roster template is a planning tool, not legal or payroll advice. It does not calculate holiday pay, alternative days or minimum wage for you. Check Employment New Zealand, or take advice, before relying on a roster for compliance. It does not constitute legal, HR, or professional advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your business, workforce, or circumstances.
Build this roster online instead
The spreadsheet works until you are chasing availability and recalculating hours by hand. Build and share the same roster in the browser — free, no signup.
What's in this template
A fortnight that still reads week by week
Fourteen day columns
Two Monday-to-Sunday blocks, so a fortnight is two whole weeks rather than an arbitrary 14 days.
Per-week totals
Each week totals on its own as well as together. Agreed hours are usually weekly, so the weekly figure is the one to compare.
Alternating weekends
The common fortnightly shape, already laid out for a sample team.
PH and ALT codes
Public holidays often fall in only one week of a fortnight, and the alternative day earned is easy to lose in a combined total.
Agreed hours per week
Compared against each week rather than the fortnight, which is how the agreement is normally written.
The shared code legend
Identical to every other template on this shelf.
Two weeks, two totals
Each week keeps its own total. Agreed hours in a New Zealand employment agreement are usually expressed per week, so a fortnight figure that averages out can still hide a week rostered well past what was agreed.
| Name | W1 Mon | W1 Sat | W1 hrs | W2 Mon | W2 Sat | W2 hrs | Agreed/wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aroha Ngata | 8 | OFF | 32 | 8 | 8 | 40 | 32 |
| Tama Wiremu | 8 | 8 | 38 | AL | AL | 16 | 38 |
Aroha is rostered 40 hours in week two against 32 agreed. Across the fortnight she averages 36 and it looks unremarkable — which is exactly why the weekly subtotals exist. Eight hours beyond agreed hours needs a compliant availability provision behind it.
How to build a fortnightly roster
Four steps
1. Set the first Monday
Week two follows from it, so the two blocks cannot drift apart when the sheet is copied forward.
2. Lay out the repeating pattern first
If weekends alternate, set that before anything else and fill weekdays around it.
3. Total each week separately
Two SUM ranges, not one. Compare each against weekly agreed hours.
4. Mark public holidays before publishing
Anniversary day and Matariki move each year. Check the dates rather than copying last year’s fortnight.
Both weekly totals and a fortnight total are already in the template.
Who uses this template
New Zealand teams on a fortnightly cycle
Aged care
Alternating weekends are close to standard, and the fortnight is the natural planning unit.
Security and facilities
Patterns that repeat over two weeks rather than one.
Transport and logistics
Fortnightly pay runs where planning and paying share a cycle.
Only need one week? The weekly roster is the same sheet over seven days.
Or roll the pattern forward automatically
A fortnightly roster is the same sheet copied and edited, forever. RosterElf repeats the pattern, carries leave across it, and flags a public holiday landing mid-fortnight before you publish.
Rostering in software
Patterns that maintain themselves
Recurring shifts
Repeating patterns that roll forward on their own instead of being copied each week.
See recurring shiftsRostering software
Build the roster once, publish it to phones, and let swaps update it without a reprint.
See rosteringAI rostering
Generate a first-draft roster from availability, skills and cover requirements.
See AI rosteringLeave and hours
What a fortnight has to reconcile with
Leave management
Holidays Act annual holidays, sick leave, bereavement leave and alternative days in one place.
See leave managementTime and attendance
Clock-in records that show what was actually worked, not just what was planned.
See time trackingWorkforce analytics
Rostered cost against actual, by site and by week, in NZD.
See analyticsFortnightly roster FAQ
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Because agreed hours in a New Zealand employment agreement are normally weekly, and so is the comparison that matters. A fortnight total of 72 hours could be two 36-hour weeks or a 32 and a 40 — only the second one raises a question about hours beyond what was agreed, and only per-week subtotals show it.
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Use two copies rather than extending the sheet. The weekly SUM ranges are anchored to the two blocks and adding columns will not extend them.
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Code it PH on the day. If it would otherwise have been a working day for that person and they work it, add ALT to their alternative-day balance — the entitlement attaches to the day, not the pay period, and it does not expire.
Before you download
General information only — not legal advice
This document is a general HR template provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and may not reflect the latest changes in legislation or apply to every workplace situation. RosterElf Pty Ltd and the template provider accept no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this document. Users should seek independent legal advice and customise the template to ensure it complies with all relevant laws, employment agreements and workplace requirements.