SHIFT PAY GUIDE
The 2-2-3 (Panama) Schedule, Explained — With a Free Generator
Updated August 27, 2026 · First published August 13, 2026
The 2-2-3 — also called the Panama schedule — is the most popular 12-hour rotating pattern in the US. Work 2, off 2, work 3; then the pattern flips. You're never on more than three days in a row, and every other weekend is a full 3-day weekend. Here's exactly how it works, what a year of it adds up to, and what it does to your paycheck.
The 14-day cycle
The full cycle is two weeks: ON-ON-off-off-ON-ON-ON, then off-off-ON-ON-off-off-off. That's 7 shifts in 14 days — 84 hours on twelves, which is why 2-2-3 jobs quote an '84-hour biweekly' schedule. Averaged out it's 42 hours a week, but you never work an average week: one week is 36 hours (three twelves) and the next is 48 (four).
Four crews cover the clock: two on days, two on nights, offset so someone is always on. Crew A works when crew B is off, and crews C and D mirror them on the opposite shift. Because the cycle is exactly two weeks, your on/off days repeat on the same weekdays every other week — which is what makes it easy to plan around.
Fixed vs rotating 2-2-3 (Pitman)
The daily on/off template is the same everywhere; what varies is whether your crew stays on one shift. On a fixed 2-2-3 (what most people mean by Panama), crews A and B are always days and C and D are always nights — you know forever whether you're a day person or a night person. On a rotating version, usually called Pitman, the crews swap between days and nights every two weeks, making the full rotation 28 days: two weeks of days, two weeks of nights.
The names are used loosely in the wild — plenty of departments call their fixed version 'Pitman' — so ask the practical question when you interview: do crews rotate between days and nights, and how often? Fixed crews are easier on sleep; rotating crews spread the night differential and the night burden across everyone. Our schedule pages cover both the fixed 2-2-3 and the rotating Pitman with month calendars and .ics export.
A year of 2-2-3: hours and overtime
The numbers below are computed from the cycle, not copied from a forum. The overtime range exists because weekly hours depend on which day your employer's workweek starts: with the best alignment the cycle splits into 36- and 48-hour weeks; with the worst it splits into 24- and 60-hour weeks, and the extra overtime in the 60-hour week is real money.
| 2-2-3 on 12-hour shifts | Value |
|---|---|
| Cycle | 14 days · 7 shifts · 84 hours |
| Average hours per week | 42 |
| Scheduled hours per year (52 weeks) | 2184 (vs 2,080 on a 40-hour job) |
| Weekly hours, best workweek alignment | 36 / 48 |
| Weekly hours, worst workweek alignment | 24 / 60 |
| Weeks over 40 hours per year | 26 |
| Overtime hours per year at a 40-hour threshold | 208–520 |
| Longest stretch on / longest break | 3 days / 3 days |
Computed by cycleStats from the cycle definition, scanning every possible workweek start. The 2-2-3 schedule page shows the same numbers with a month calendar.
Why people like it (and what to watch)
The wins: every other weekend fully off, never more than three consecutive shifts, and a rhythm your family can memorize — 'this is our long weekend' every two weeks. The catches: the 48-hour weeks are genuinely long, especially on nights, and if your crew rotates day/night, the flip weeks are rough on sleep.
Watch the workweek alignment above. Two people on identical 2-2-3 crews at different employers can see very different overtime because one employer's workweek starts Sunday and the other's starts Wednesday. It's worth asking payroll which day your workweek begins.
The pay math
Under federal weekly OT rules, the 48-hour weeks include 8 overtime hours, and the 36-hour weeks include none — your paychecks alternate sizes. With a night differential on top (say +$4/hr), the OT hours on night crews pay 1.5× the differential-included rate, and a biweekly check on a 2-2-3 always contains exactly one heavy week and one light week.
This alternating pattern is exactly what ShiftCheck's rotation autofill was built for: stamp the 2-2-3 across your month, and the app shows each week's OT and both paycheck sizes before payday does.
Living on it: sleep and weekends
Three twelves in a row is the hardest part of the cycle — by the third night most people are running on the differential and coffee. The two-day breaks are enough to recover if you protect the first sleep; the three-day breaks are where the schedule earns its reputation. Night crews on a fixed 2-2-3 do best keeping a consistent sleep window even on days off, rather than flipping to a day schedule for every long weekend.
The weekend math is the selling point: over any two weeks you work one Friday–Saturday–Sunday and have the other completely off. Mark the off weekends a year ahead with the generator or the .ics export, and you'll find people plan weddings around you. The trade is that the working weekend is a full one — three twelves, Friday through Sunday — so the pattern suits people who'd rather have alternating whole weekends than a day here and there.
DO THE MATH FOR YOUR NUMBERS
FAQ
How many hours a year is a 2-2-3 schedule?
About 2184 scheduled hours (42 hours/week average × 52 weeks) — versus 2,080 for a standard 40-hour job. Under a 40-hour weekly rule, 208–520 of those hours are overtime depending on your workweek alignment.
Is every other weekend really off?
Yes — the 14-day cycle guarantees one Friday-Saturday-Sunday completely off every two weeks (and you work the other weekend).
What's the difference between 2-2-3 and Pitman?
The daily on/off template is identical. In common use, 2-2-3 or Panama means fixed day and night crews on a 14-day cycle, while Pitman usually means the crews rotate between days and nights every two weeks (a 28-day cycle). Employers use the names loosely, so ask whether your crew rotates.
Is 2-2-3 an 84-hour schedule?
Yes — 7 twelve-hour shifts per 14-day cycle is 84 hours per two weeks, split 36/48 in the best case.
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