What is a 9/80 work schedule?
A 9/80 work schedule fits 80 hours into 9 working days across 2 weeks instead of 10. Employees work eight 9-hour days and one 8-hour day, then take the tenth day off, usually every other Friday. Pay and total hours stay the same. For hourly staff in the US, the payroll workweek has to be defined carefully.
What does a 9/80 work schedule mean?
9/80 work schedule A compressed 2-week pattern. The 9 is the number of working days, the 80 is the number of hours. Eight days run 9 hours and one runs 8 hours, which is 72 plus 8, so the tenth day is off.
You will also see it written 9-80, 9x80 or 980. US federal agencies call the same pattern a 5/4-9 compressed work schedule. The day off is usually every other Friday, but any fixed day works as long as it does not move.
How does a 9/80 schedule work? An example 2-week calendar
A 9-hour day might run 7:30 to 17:30 with an hour for lunch. The 8-hour day is shorter, and the second Friday is off.
| Day | Week 1 | Week 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 9 hours | 9 hours |
| Tuesday | 9 hours | 9 hours |
| Wednesday | 9 hours | 9 hours |
| Thursday | 9 hours | 9 hours |
| Friday | 8 hours, for example 8:00 to 17:00 with an hour for lunch | Off |
| Hours on the calendar | 44 | 36 |
80 hours over 9 working days. Many teams alternate which Friday each group takes so the office stays covered.
The catch
On the calendar, week 1 is 44 hours. US federal law counts overtime one workweek at a time and does not allow averaging across 2 weeks, so an hourly employee would be owed 4 overtime hours unless the workweek is defined differently.
How payroll keeps a 9/80 schedule at 40 hours a week
This is the setup for non-exempt (hourly) staff under the US Fair Labor Standards Act, from the Department of Labor, Fact Sheet 23. Other countries set their own working-time rules.
- Know the rule Covered non-exempt employees are owed overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek, at no less than 1.5 times the regular rate. Nothing in federal law pays extra for a long day as such.
- Use the definition of a workweek A workweek is a fixed, recurring period of 168 hours. It does not have to match the calendar week: it may begin on any day and at any hour. Seven consecutive 24-hour periods, starting wherever the employer sets the start.
- Start the workweek at the midpoint of the 8-hour day For an 8:00 to 17:00 Friday with lunch at 12:00, the workweek runs Friday 12:00 to the next Friday 12:00. This is standard payroll practice built on the workweek rule, not a rule of its own. 4 Friday hours close one workweek, 4 open the next.
- Write it down and keep it fixed Records must show the time and day the workweek begins, hours worked each day and total hours each workweek. Once set, the start stays fixed whatever the hours worked.
- Change it only permanently The start may be changed only if the change is meant to be permanent and is not designed to evade overtime. In the switch-over week the old and new workweeks overlap, so compute pay both ways and pay the greater amount.
The 9/80 work week in payroll: 44 and 36 become 40 and 40
Same 80 hours, regrouped into 2 payroll workweeks that each start halfway through the 8-hour Friday.
| Hours counted | Workweek A | Workweek B |
|---|---|---|
| Starts | Friday 12:00 | The next Friday 12:00 |
| Friday afternoon at the start | 4, the second half of the 8-hour Friday | 0, this is the Friday off |
| Monday to Thursday | 36 | 36 |
| Friday morning at the end | 0, this is the Friday off | 4, the first half of the next 8-hour Friday |
| Total hours in the workweek | 40 | 40 |
| Overtime owed if nothing else changes | None | None |
Example boundary. The boundary is the midpoint of the 8-hour day, whatever the clock times are.
What breaks the split, and what to settle in the policy
The 40 and 40 split holds only while the pattern holds. Each of these puts it at risk.
- Swapping the off Friday for the working Friday puts 44 hours in 1 workweek
- Starting early or finishing late on the 8-hour day moves hours across the boundary
- Lunch has to fall at the boundary on the 8-hour day, not an hour either side
- Any hours worked beyond the schedule are overtime as usual
- Decide whether a day of PTO is 8 or 9 hours, matching the scheduled day
- Decide holiday hours, and what happens when a holiday lands on the day off
- Exempt salaried staff sit outside FLSA overtime, so the split is about hourly staff
- Keep records of the workweek start, daily hours and weekly totals
State rules: where a 9-hour day is overtime by itself
Federal law has no daily overtime, but some states do. California pays 1.5 times the regular rate after 8 hours in a workday and double time after 12. Employers there generally reach a 9/80 through an alternative workweek: up to 10-hour days inside a 40-hour week, adopted by secret ballot on a two-thirds vote, after a noticed meeting 14 days earlier, and reported to the state within 30 days.
Those election rules sit in the IWC wage orders and differ by industry, so read the order covering yours and take advice first. Alaska counts overtime after 8 hours a day unless a written flexible work hour plan is approved by and filed with its labor department; ask whether 9/80 schedules qualify. Nevada's daily rule reaches only staff paid under 1.5 times its minimum wage.
9/80 schedule vs 4/10 vs a standard week
| Standard 5 x 8 | 9/80 | 4/10 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hours per cycle | 40 per week | 80 per 2 weeks | 40 per week |
| Working days in 2 weeks | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Longest regular day | 8 hours | 9 hours | 10 hours |
| Scheduled weekdays off a year, beyond weekends | 0 | Up to 26 | Up to 52 |
| Payroll workweek setup | None needed | Workweek split at the 8-hour day | None needed, each week is 40 |
| In daily-overtime states | No issue | 9-hour days need an alternative workweek | 10-hour days need an alternative workweek |
Day counts assume the off day is a weekday and no holiday lands on it.
Is a 9/80 schedule worth it?
Do
- The work is project-based and can pause for 1 weekday without anyone waiting
- People value a whole weekday off more than an hour back each evening
- Teams can alternate Fridays so someone is always in
- Payroll can hold a fixed mid-Friday workweek and record it properly
Do not
- The role needs the same cover 5 days a week and staffing is already thin
- 9-hour days collide with childcare pickup, school runs or a long commute
- Hourly staff regularly swap days or pick up extra hours
- The state counts overtime daily and no alternative workweek is in place
The 9/80 schedule in 5 lines
- 80 hours in 9 working days, with 1 day off every 2 weeks
- Same total hours and same pay as a standard 40-hour week
- For hourly staff, the workweek is split at the midpoint of the 8-hour day
- Daily-overtime states such as California need an approved alternative workweek
- PTO and holiday hours are policy for private employers, so write them down
Holidays and paid time off on a 9/80
Federal law does not require pay for time not worked, holidays and vacation included, so for private employers this is a policy decision. Write down whether a day of leave draws 8 or 9 hours, and what happens when a public holiday falls on the scheduled day off.
Federal employees are the one group with a codified answer. On a compressed schedule, a holiday covers the hours scheduled that day, so 9 hours on a 9-hour day. When it lands on a non-workday, the employee gets an in lieu of holiday, normally the preceding workday, with exceptions set out by the Office of Personnel Management.
Hiring for a role with a 9/80 schedule
If the role comes with every other Friday off, say so in the first message, not the third.
The Cognitive does not schedule shifts or run payroll. It helps you hire. AI candidate sourcing turns a one-line brief into a ranked shortlist, then email sequences go out from your own mailbox and stop the moment a candidate replies. A concrete perk belongs in that first line.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a 9/80 work schedule?
It is a 2-week schedule in which a full-time employee works 80 hours in 9 days instead of 10: eight 9-hour days and one 8-hour day, with the tenth day off. Total hours and pay match a standard 40-hour week. The day off is usually every other Friday.
What does 9/80 mean?
The 9 is the number of working days and the 80 is the number of hours in each 2-week cycle. You will also see it written 9-80, 9x80 or 980. US federal agencies call the same pattern a 5/4-9 compressed work schedule.
How does a 9/80 schedule work?
In week 1 you work 9 hours Monday to Thursday and 8 hours on Friday. In week 2 you work 9 hours Monday to Thursday and take Friday off. Then the cycle repeats. Some employers use Monday as the day off, or alternate groups so someone is always in.
Do you get overtime on a 9/80 schedule?
Not from the schedule itself, if it is set up correctly. Federal law owes hourly employees overtime over 40 hours in a workweek and does not allow averaging 2 weeks. Employers define the workweek to start halfway through the 8-hour day, so each workweek holds exactly 40 hours. Hours beyond the schedule are overtime as normal.
Is a 9/80 schedule legal in California?
Yes, with extra steps for hourly staff. California counts overtime after 8 hours in a day, so each 9-hour day owes an hour of daily overtime unless a valid alternative workweek is in place. That is adopted by at least a two-thirds secret-ballot vote and reported to the state within 30 days. Rules differ by wage order, so check yours and take advice.
What is the difference between a 9/80 and a 4/10 schedule?
A 4/10 is four 10-hour days every week, so 1 weekday off every week and each week is exactly 40 hours on its own. A 9/80 uses 9-hour days and gives 1 weekday off every 2 weeks. The 4/10 buys more days off with longer days. The 9/80 needs the split workweek for hourly staff.
How do holidays and PTO work on a 9/80 schedule?
For private employers this is policy, because federal law does not require pay for time not worked. Decide in writing whether a day of leave is 8 or 9 hours and what happens when a holiday lands on the day off. For US federal employees it is set: holiday pay covers the hours scheduled that day, and a holiday on a day off moves to the preceding workday.
Does a 9/80 schedule apply to salaried employees?
Anyone can work the pattern. The overtime setup matters only for non-exempt employees. Staff who meet the federal tests for the executive, administrative or professional exemptions are not owed federal overtime, and the Department of Labor is clear that a job title alone does not decide that.
Is a 9/80 schedule worth it?
It depends on what the longer day costs you. You get up to 26 scheduled weekdays off a year for the same pay, and 1 fewer commute every 2 weeks. In exchange, 8 days in every 10 run 9 hours, which is harder around childcare, school runs and long commutes.
Which employers use a 9/80 schedule?
US federal agencies run it under the name 5/4-9 compressed work schedule. In the private sector it shows up most in engineering, aerospace, manufacturing and other project-based work, where a weekday off does not leave customers waiting. It suits coverage roles less well unless teams alternate Fridays. If you offer it, name it in the job description and the first outreach message, because a fixed day off is a perk candidates can picture.
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