A FIFO roster is written as time on site, then time off. A 2:1 roster is two weeks on site and one week at home, 8:6 is eight days on and six days off, and 2:2 is two weeks on and two weeks off. The second number is the one that shapes your home life: it decides how often you sleep in your own bed, and how much room you are paying for while you are away.
This guide turns the common rosters into real days, then looks at what each one means when you rent a room in Perth or share your house with a FIFO worker.
What do the numbers in a FIFO roster mean?
The first number is your swing: the time you spend on site. The second is your R&R: rest and recreation, the time you get back home. Most rosters are counted in weeks. A few are counted in days, and 8:6 is the best known of those.
- 2:1 means 14 days on site, 7 days off. People also say "two and one".
- 8:6 means 8 days on site, 6 days off. People say "eight and six".
- 2:2 means 14 days on, 14 days off. This is an even-time roster.
- 1:1 means 7 days on, 7 days off. Also even time, with a shorter swing.
- 3:1 means 21 days on, 7 days off. A more compressed roster.
- 5:2 means 5 days on site and the weekend at home.
DIDO stands for drive-in drive-out. The roster is written the same way, you just get to site by road instead of by plane. The rest of the vocabulary is in what does FIFO mean?.
How much time do you actually spend at home?
Here is the arithmetic for each roster. The last column is the most nights you could spend at home, before travel is counted.
| Roster | Days on site | Days off | Full cycle | Nights at home (at most) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2:1 | 14 | 7 | 21 days | 1 in 3 |
| 8:6 | 8 | 6 | 14 days | about 43% |
| 2:2 | 14 | 14 | 28 days | half |
| 1:1 | 7 | 7 | 14 days | half |
| 3:1 | 21 | 7 | 28 days | 1 in 4 |
| 5:2 | 5 | 2 | 7 days | 2 in 7 |
Two things change the real figure.
- Travel days. Some employers fly you out on work time, others on your own time. If your fly-in and fly-out days come out of your R&R, a seven-day break is closer to six days at home. Ask before you sign.
- Shift pattern. A swing can be all day shift, all night shift, or a mix. Coming off nights, your first day home is mostly sleep.
On a 2:1 roster the cycle repeats about 17 times a year (365 days divided by 21). That is about 17 trips to the airport and 17 trips back, which is why distance to the airport matters more to a FIFO worker than distance to the city.
Which FIFO roster is best for life at home?
There is no single best roster, but the official guidance leans one way. Western Australia's code of practice for FIFO workplaces says rosters should leave enough time for rest, recovery and recreation, and that even-time and shorter rosters, such as one week on and one week off or eight days on and six days off, are linked to better mental health and wellbeing outcomes. It also says that more compressed rosters can lead to fatigue, and that a person's stage of life may influence the roster they prefer.
FIFO code of practice (WorkSafe WA)worksafe.wa.gov.au
The research behind that guidance points the same way. A study funded by the WA Mental Health Commission, which surveyed and interviewed more than 3,000 FIFO workers and partners, found that workers on even-time and shorter rosters (it names 2:2, 8:6 and 5:2) had the best mental health.
FIFO mental health research summarytransformativeworkdesign.com
Both sources were checked in October 2026. Neither tells you which roster to take. That depends on the job, the pay and who is waiting at home. What they do tell you is that time at home is not a perk. Count it when you compare two offers.
What does your roster mean for the room you rent?
This is where the second number turns into money and logistics.
You pay for a room you are not in. On 2:1 you are home one night in three. On 2:2, one night in two. Some hosts price that in. In Perth room ads, hosts say things like "because you're barely home" when they explain a lower rent, and others offer a discount for the weeks they are away themselves in exchange for a favour such as dog-sitting. It is fair to ask. It is also fair for a host to say no: your room is still yours while you are on site, and nobody else can use it.
Your things stay when you leave. You need a room that locks or a household you trust, somewhere to leave a car for two weeks, and a plan for mail and parcels. Sort this out before your first swing, not from the airport. The moving to Perth checklist puts it in order.
Flights are early and late. If you fly out of Perth Airport, the trip there is part of every swing. Terminals 3 and 4 connect to Redcliffe Station on the Airport Line by the free Route 292 bus, and Redcliffe is about 15 minutes by train from the city, according to the Public Transport Authority (checked October 2026). Ask your employer which terminal your flights use before you choose a suburb: the options are compared in where to live in Perth as a FIFO worker. Suburbs around the airport, such as Redcliffe, Belmont and Cloverdale, cut the early-morning run.
Airport Line and Route 292 (Public Transport Authority)pta.wa.gov.au
Pets need a plan. If you have a cat or a dog, the household is looking after it for every swing. Say so in your first message, not after you move in.
What should you tell a host about your roster?
Hosts who advertise to FIFO workers usually ask for the same three things: a bit about you, your work schedule and your lifestyle. Give them the facts they need to plan.
- Your roster in plain words: "2:1, two weeks away, one week home".
- Day shift, night shift or both, and whether you sleep during the day when you are back.
- Whether your roster is fixed or likely to change with your next contract.
- Your move-in date and how long you expect to stay.
- Car, pets, and anything you need to leave in the house while you are away.
A host can work with almost any roster. What they cannot work with is a surprise. If you want a short template for the conversation about cleaning, bills and guests, see share house rules that actually work.
What does a FIFO housemate mean for a host?
For hosts, the roster is the selling point. A housemate on 2:1 uses the kitchen, the bathroom and the washing machine one week in three. The house is quieter, and the rent arrives every week. That is why Perth hosts write "ideal for FIFO" in their ads.
It cuts both ways, so set expectations early.
- The room is theirs for the whole cycle, including the weeks they are on site.
- R&R is recovery time. The first day back is often sleep, sometimes in the middle of the day.
- Bills: agree whether they are included in the rent or split, and whether being away changes the split.
- Decide who to contact, and how, if something happens to the room while they are away.
If you have a room that suits someone who is away half the time, you can list a room and mark the household as FIFO-friendly.
How Kipmates handles rosters
Kipmates is a room-share marketplace launching in Perth. Your roster is a field on your profile, and hosts can mark a household as FIFO-friendly and say which rosters suit it. Listings show the weekly rent and the move-in date, and the first conversation happens in on-platform messaging. You can browse rooms once you know your dates.
FAQ
What does an 8 and 6 roster mean?
An 8:6 roster is eight days on site followed by six days off, a 14-day cycle. You are home for up to six nights in every fourteen, about 43% of the time, before travel days are counted. WA's FIFO code of practice names it as an example of a shorter roster linked to better mental health and wellbeing outcomes.
What does a 2:1 FIFO roster mean?
A 2:1 roster is two weeks on site and one week off, a 21-day cycle. You are home for at most one night in three, and the cycle repeats about 17 times a year.
What is an even-time roster?
An even-time roster gives you as much time off as time on site. 2:2 (two weeks on, two weeks off) and 1:1 (one week on, one week off) are even-time rosters. You are home for about half the year.
Is 2:2 better than 2:1?
For time at home, yes: half of your nights instead of a third. WA's code of practice and the research funded by the WA Mental Health Commission both link even-time and shorter rosters to better mental health outcomes. Pay, role and site are a separate question, and only you can weigh them.
Do travel days count as days off?
It depends on your employer. Some rosters include travel in work time, others take it out of your R&R. Ask before you accept an offer, because it changes how many nights you really spend at home.
Do FIFO workers pay less rent because they are away?
There is no rule. Rent for a room is agreed between you and the host. Some Perth hosts offer a lower rent to FIFO workers because they use the house less, and many do not. Ask, and get the answer in writing.
Sources
Checked October 2026.
- Mentally healthy workplaces for FIFO workers in the resources and construction sectors: code of practice, WA Commission for Occupational Safety and Health, 2019, section 5.3.
- Impact of FIFO work arrangements on the mental health and wellbeing of FIFO workers, Centre for Transformative Work Design, funded by the WA Mental Health Commission.
- Free bus service to help tourists and locals better connect to the Airport Line, Public Transport Authority of Western Australia.
