Breaks between shifts
The time between finishing one shift and starting the next is set by the award or agreement, not by a single national rule. How to find it, and the rosters that most often run into it.
General information only, not legal advice. Rules differ between awards, agreements, contracts and states, and what applies depends on the employee. Check the official source, and ask a workplace relations professional when it matters.
The short answer
The National Employment Standards do not set a minimum break between shifts. Many awards and agreements do, and some say what follows when the break is not given.
The length of the break, and when it applies, differs between awards. A late close followed by an early open is the roster that most often runs into it.
| Roster pattern | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| A late close followed by an early open | The overnight gap is the shortest in the week |
| Overtime at the end of a shift | Some awards measure the break from when the overtime ends |
| A night rotation moving onto days | The changeover can squeeze the gap |
| A split shift | The gap inside a day is a different rule from the break between days |
Official sources
Check the rule against these, in their current versions, before relying on it.
| Source | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Fair Work Ombudsman: find my award | The award clause on breaks between work periods |
| Fair Work Ombudsman: hours of work | Maximum weekly hours, reasonable additional hours and averaging |
Worked examples
General examples of where to look. They are not advice about any particular employee.
| Situation | What to check |
|---|---|
| A bartender closes at 1:00 and is rostered to open at 9:00 | The eight hour gap against the award’s break between shifts |
| A night rotation ends Thursday morning and day shifts start on Friday | The changeover gap, and any rule on rotating rosters |
| A cook works two hours of overtime after a close | Whether the award measures the break from the end of the overtime |
Employer checklist
- Find the break between shifts in each award you use
- Check every close that is followed by an open
- Check changeover days on rotating rosters
- Where a break is short, check what the award says follows
- Keep the roster that was worked, not only the one planned
What Roster Flow records, and what it does not decide
- The published roster, and every change to it with who made it and when
- Clock ins and outs, and breaks started and ended, as they happen
- Split shifts and rotating patterns laid out on the roster
- The minimum break between shifts for any employee
- What is owed when a break is short
Review log
13 September 2026: written by Roster Flow from the structure of the National Employment Standards and modern awards.
18 September 2026: every statement on this page checked against the official sources it names, by Roster Flow. It is general information, not advice from a workplace relations professional.
What that check covers, and what to confirm for your own situation:
- That the National Employment Standards set no break between shifts
- The break between shifts in the common awards, and what applies when it is not given
- That every source link opens the current version of the source
Questions
What do the rules say about breaks between shifts?
The National Employment Standards do not set a minimum break between shifts. Many awards and agreements do, and some say what follows when the break is not given.
Is there more to breaks between shifts than that?
The length of the break, and when it applies, differs between awards. A late close followed by an early open is the roster that most often runs into it.
Does Roster Flow decide breaks between shifts for me?
No. It does not interpret an award and it does not work out what anybody is paid. The minimum break between shifts for any employee stays with the business and its own advisers, and this page is general information rather than advice about your situation.
Where do the rules on breaks between shifts come from?
Fair Work Ombudsman: find my award, covering the award clause on breaks between work periods. Fair Work Ombudsman: hours of work, covering maximum weekly hours, reasonable additional hours and averaging. Read them in their current versions before you rely on anything here, because they change.