HitchDaysShort answer
A 20/10 rotation schedule is 20 days at work followed by 10 days off, repeating every 30 days. You work two thirds of the time, about 243 days a year, and go home about 12 times a year. Because 30 days is not a whole number of weeks, each hitch starts two weekdays later than the one before: a hitch that starts on a Monday is followed by one that starts on a Wednesday.
How a 20/10 adds up
| Question | Answer for 20/10 |
|---|---|
| Full cycle | 30 days: 20 on, 10 off |
| Share of the year at work | Two thirds |
| Days on per year, on average | 243.5 (365.25 x 20 / 30) |
| Days on in one calendar year | 240 to 245, depending on where in the cycle January 1 falls |
| Trips home per year | About 12.2 |
| Crew change on the same weekday? | No. Two weekdays later each cycle; back on the same weekday after 7 cycles (210 days) |
The two-thirds share is the same as a 2 and 1 (14/7) and a 28/14. What changes is how the time is cut up: a 14/7 sends you home about 17 times a year for a week, a 20/10 about 12 times for 10 days, and a 28/14 about 9 times for two weeks. Same days at work, different number of trips and goodbyes.
A worked 20/10 calendar from November 2026
First hitch day Monday, November 2, 2026. Day 20 of the hitch is Saturday, November 21; the first home day is Sunday, November 22; the next hitch starts 30 days after the first one, on Wednesday, December 2.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Hitch | On hitch (days 1 to 20) | Home (days 1 to 10) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon Nov 2 to Sat Nov 21 | Sun Nov 22 to Tue Dec 1 |
| 2 | Wed Dec 2 to Mon Dec 21 | Tue Dec 22 to Thu Dec 31 |
| 3 | Fri Jan 1, 2027 to Wed Jan 20, 2027 | Thu Jan 21, 2027 to Sat Jan 30, 2027 |
| 4 | Sun Jan 31, 2027 to Fri Feb 19, 2027 | Sat Feb 20, 2027 to Mon Mar 1, 2027 |
| 5 | Tue Mar 2, 2027 to Sun Mar 21, 2027 | Mon Mar 22, 2027 to Wed Mar 31, 2027 |
| 6 | Thu Apr 1, 2027 to Tue Apr 20, 2027 | Wed Apr 21, 2027 to Fri Apr 30, 2027 |
| 7 | Sat May 1, 2027 to Thu May 20, 2027 | Fri May 21, 2027 to Sun May 30, 2027 |
| 8 | Mon May 31, 2027 to Sat Jun 19, 2027 | Sun Jun 20, 2027 to Tue Jun 29, 2027 |
| 9 | Wed Jun 30, 2027 to Mon Jul 19, 2027 | Tue Jul 20, 2027 to Thu Jul 29, 2027 |
| 10 | Fri Jul 30, 2027 to Wed Aug 18, 2027 | Thu Aug 19, 2027 to Sat Aug 28, 2027 |
| 11 | Sun Aug 29, 2027 to Fri Sep 17, 2027 | Sat Sep 18, 2027 to Mon Sep 27, 2027 |
| 12 | Tue Sep 28, 2027 to Sun Oct 17, 2027 | Mon Oct 18, 2027 to Wed Oct 27, 2027 |
| 13 | Thu Oct 28, 2027 to Tue Nov 16, 2027 | Wed Nov 17, 2027 to Fri Nov 26, 2027 |
Reading it: Thanksgiving, November 26, is home day 5, and Christmas Day is home day 4 of the next break, so this crew is home for both. New Year's Day 2027 is day 1 of a hitch, a travel day for many people. Shift the first hitch day by a few days and every one of those answers changes, which is why it is worth checking your own dates.
The same three months, colored the way HitchDays colors them:
November 2026
December 2026
January 2027
- Hitch days
- Home days
Open this example in the rotation calculator and change the first hitch day to yours.
Why the crew change day moves on a 20/10
A week is seven days. Four weeks is 28, so a 30-day cycle is two days longer than four weeks, and every hitch starts two weekdays later than the last. Starting from Monday, November 2, 2026:
| Hitch | First hitch day |
|---|---|
| 1 | Monday, November 2, 2026 |
| 2 | Wednesday, December 2, 2026 |
| 3 | Friday, January 1, 2027 |
| 4 | Sunday, January 31, 2027 |
| 5 | Tuesday, March 2, 2027 |
| 6 | Thursday, April 1, 2027 |
| 7 | Saturday, May 1, 2027 |
| 8 | Monday, May 31, 2027, back on a Monday |
So on a 20/10 you cannot plan by weekday ("I'm always home by Friday"). Plan by date, or let something count for you. One side effect people like: a 30-day cycle stays close to the calendar month, so the hitch starts on nearly the same date each month: one day earlier after each 31-day month and two days later after February.
How to work out your own 20/10 dates
Find one first hitch day you're sure of. Ask how your company counts the travel day; it decides whether every date is right or one off.
Add 20 days for the first home day. Day 1 plus 20. The day before is the last hitch day.
Add 30 days for each next hitch. Never add 20 or 10 alone to find a hitch start.
Check one date you remember, such as a past crew change, against your list.
In a spreadsheet, with the first hitch day in B1 and a date in A2: =IF(MOD(A2-$B$1,30)<20,"Hitch","Home"). The 14/14 calendar guide shows how to fill a whole year with this kind of formula.
Common mistakes on a 20/10
- Assuming the same weekday. That works for 14/14 and 28/14, not 20/10.
- Planning by "the 2nd of every month". It holds for a while, then a 31-day month pushes it back a day, and February pulls it forward.
- Calling the first hitch day day 0. If day 1 is November 2, day 20 is November 21.
- Mixing up 20/10 with 2 weeks on, 1 off. Same share of the year, but 14 and 7 days, with a different calendar.
Questions about 20/10 rotations
How many days a year do you work on a 20/10?
243.5 days on average, two thirds of the year. In one calendar year the count is between 240 and 245, depending on where in the cycle January 1 falls. The example on this page works 245 days in 2027.
Is 20/10 the same as 2 weeks on, 1 week off?
No, although the share of the year is the same. 2 and 1 is 14 days on and 7 off in a 21-day cycle that keeps the same weekday. 20/10 is 20 on and 10 off in a 30-day cycle that moves two weekdays each time.
What does 20/10 mean on a job posting?
Usually 20 days on site or on the rig and 10 days at home. The posting or offer letter should say whether travel days count as work days or come out of the 10 days off, which changes how many nights you are actually home.
How often do you go home on a 20/10?
Every 30 days, which works out to about 12 times a year, for 10 days each time.
Keeping a 20/10 on your iPhone
HitchDays, the iPhone app this site is for, takes a custom rotation of 20 days on and 10 off. Give it one first hitch day and it colors every month and shows the days until you're home on the first screen, with the moving weekday worked out for you. The countdown and this week and next on the calendar are free.