Contract Hourly Calculations

When a contract in FireServiceRota is set with a Yearly Target, the system automatically breaks that figure down into smaller tracking periods (weekly, monthly, and quarterly).

A common point of confusion is why these targets aren't always "round numbers" or why they seem to fluctuate. The short answer: The system calculates targets based on the exact number of days in the period, not by simply dividing by 12 or 52.

How are the targets calculated?

To ensure 100% accuracy over a 365-day (or 366-day) year, the system determines a daily rate first.

The Daily Rate: Your yearly target is divided by the total number of days in that specific calendar year.

The Period Target: The daily rate is then multiplied by the number of days in the specific week, month, or quarter you are viewing.

Why do the numbers vary?

1. Monthly Variations

Months have different lengths. Because the calculation is day-based, a month with 31 days will always have a higher target than February.

January (31 days): Higher target.

February (28/29 days): Lower target.

April (30 days): Middle-range target.

2. Weekly Variations (Across Year-End)

Most weeks have 7 days, but if a reporting week is split across two different contract years or if you are looking at a partial week at the start of a contract, the target will reflect only the active days within that period.

3. Leap Years

In a leap year, your daily rate will be slightly lower than in a standard year because the yearly target is spread across 366 days instead of 365.

Why do we do it this way?

If we simply divided a 1,000-hour yearly target by 12, every month would show a target of 83.33 hours. However, over a 31-day month, you have more opportunities to work than in a 28-day month.

By using pro-rata daily calculations, FireServiceRota ensures that:

Your progress tracking remains fair and achievable based on the actual time available.

The sum of all monthly targets exactly matches your yearly contractual obligation.

There are no "missing hours" at the end of the year due to rounding errors.

Note: If you notice a sudden shift in your targets, check if your contract was recently renewed or if the period you are viewing overlaps with a Leap Day (February 29th).