Overtime Live 2026: On-Call Days, Recurring Patterns & Yearly Goals for UK Shift Workers
Overtime Live just landed its most significant update yet — and if you work shifts in the NHS, police, security, or any other UK 24/7 role, these new features are going to change how you track your time and your money.
- On-Call Days can now be logged separately from worked shifts, with automatic pay calculation for call-outs — essential for NHS on-call rotas
- Recurring Shift Patterns let you set a rotation once and have it auto-populate your schedule for months or years
- Push Notifications fire the moment your shift starts, so live earnings tracking begins without you having to open the app
- Shifts now sync directly to your phone calendar, putting your rota alongside your personal appointments
- Yearly Goals (e.g. “Thailand Holiday” or “Home Deposit”) track your overtime progress toward a real financial target
- Live earnings appear on the Stats screen in real time, alongside improved custom rate controls
On-Call Days — Log Your On-Call Shifts
On-call working has always been a blind spot in shift tracking apps. You might spend an entire weekend on-call for the NHS, only get called out twice, and still end up with a chaotic record of part-shifts and interrupted rest. Overtime Live now solves this with a dedicated On-Call Days log type.
When you log an on-call period, you record the full window you are available, then log any call-outs that happen within it as sub-events. The app calculates your on-call allowance separately from your call-out pay, so your earnings record reflects exactly what you are owed — not just the hours you were physically at work.
Under Agenda for Change, on-call allowances are calculated differently depending on your band, the frequency of your rota, and whether you are required to attend in person or work remotely. Overtime Live’s new On-Call Days log handles all of these distinctions so your payslip check is accurate.
For police officers, paramedics, and security workers who receive a standby or availability allowance, On-Call Days gives you a clear, auditable record of every hour you were on standby — the kind of documentation that matters if you ever need to query your pay or support a formal grievance.
Recurring Shift Patterns — Set It and Forget It
If you work a rotating pattern — a 4-on-4-off, a continental, an NHS Band 5 two-week rotation — you used to have to log every shift by hand. With Recurring Shift Patterns, you define your rotation once and the app automatically fills in your schedule going forward, for months or years if needed.
For UK NHS nurses and police officers whose annual leave calculations depend on accurate shift records, this feature removes the largest single source of record-keeping errors: forgetting to log individual shifts during a busy week.
Calendar Sync and Direct Shift Export
The 2026 update brings a significantly improved calendar sync, and a brand-new ability to add shifts directly into your phone’s native calendar — iOS Calendar or Google Calendar on Android.
This means your shift schedule now lives alongside your personal appointments, family commitments, and GP bookings in a single place. You no longer need to cross-reference the Overtime Live app and your phone calendar to see your week at a glance.
Calendar sync works in both directions: shifts you log in Overtime Live appear in your phone calendar, and when your rota pattern generates shifts automatically, those also flow through to your calendar without any extra steps.
Push Notifications — Start Tracking on the Dot
Live activity tracking has always been Overtime Live’s headline feature — watching your earnings tick up in real time as you work. But it only works if you remember to start tracking when your shift begins.
The new Push Notifications fix that. The moment your logged shift start time arrives, Overtime Live sends a notification to your lock screen. One tap and your live earnings counter starts. For night shift workers arriving at a busy ward or a custody suite, removing that friction matters.
| Notification Type | When It Fires | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Shift Start | At your logged shift start time | Prompts you to begin live earnings tracking |
| On-Call Alert | When an on-call period begins | Activates your on-call log and standby timer |
| Goal Milestone | When you hit 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% of a Yearly Goal | Celebrates your progress toward a savings target |
Get Every New Feature Now
On-Call Days, Recurring Patterns, Push Notifications, and Yearly Goals are all live. Free to download on iOS and Android.
Live Earnings, Custom Rates & Yearly Goals
The Stats screen has been rebuilt for this update. Your live earnings now appear in real time while a shift is active — you can open the Stats screen mid-shift and see exactly what you have earned so far, broken down by base pay, enhancements, and overtime.
Custom rate improvements give you more granular control over how your pay is calculated. If you work a mixed pattern — standard days, unsocial evenings, weekend enhancements, and occasional overtime — you can now define each rate independently and the app will apply the correct rate to each shift type automatically.
Yearly Goals — Shift Work With a Purpose
The headline addition to the Stats screen is Yearly Goals. You name a target — “Thailand Holiday”, “Car Deposit”, “New Laptop” — set a financial figure, and the app tracks your overtime earnings against it in real time throughout the year.
For UK shift workers grinding through extra shifts to fund something specific, this feature turns abstract earnings data into a visible, motivating target. Every extra shift takes you one step closer. When you hit a milestone, the app celebrates it.
Yearly Goals work particularly well for NHS and police workers who take on additional shifts during the winter period or around bank holidays — times when unsocial hours enhancements mean your overtime is worth significantly more than your basic rate.
Which UK Shift Workers Benefit Most?
| Role | Key New Features | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| NHS Nurses & Doctors | On-Call Days, Recurring Patterns, Custom Rates | AfC on-call allowances are complex; accurate logging protects you at payslip check |
| Police Officers | Recurring Patterns, Calendar Sync, Push Notifications | Rotating rotas with cancelled rest days need an auditable personal record |
| Paramedics & Fire | On-Call Days, Yearly Goals, Live Stats | On-call shifts and standby allowances are often underclaimed without proper tracking |
| Logistics & Warehouse | Recurring Patterns, Push Notifications, Yearly Goals | Fixed rotating patterns and volume-based overtime make goal-tracking highly motivating |
| Security Guards | Push Notifications, Calendar Sync, Custom Rates | Variable site rates and overnight supplements need per-shift custom rate support |
| Retail & Hospitality | Yearly Goals, Live Stats, Push Notifications | Seasonal workers benefit from real-time earnings visibility and goal targets |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is On-Call Days in Overtime Live?
How do Recurring Shift Patterns work?
Does Overtime Live send push notifications when a shift starts?
What are Yearly Goals and how do I set one?
Can I add Overtime Live shifts to Apple Calendar or Google Calendar?
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