Fair chore rotation generator: how to check a rota is even
Fair does not mean random. A fair chore rotation is one where you can count the turns afterwards and find that nobody got more of the bad jobs than anyone else. This page shows the rule a generator can use, a worked example and a three-step check you can run on any rota, including one you drew up yourself.
The rule
In week w, chore number c goes to person number (c + w) modulo the number of people. In plain words: each chore has exactly one person a week, and each chore moves on by one person every week. Over any run of weeks, two people's counts for the same chore differ by at most one.
Worked example: 4 people, 5 chores, 4 weeks
Ana, Ben, Cleo and Dev have five chores. With more chores than people, one person takes two chores each week, and that person changes every week.
| Week | Bins | Kitchen | Bathroom | Vacuum | Hall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ana | Ben | Cleo | Dev | Ana |
| 2 | Ben | Cleo | Dev | Ana | Ben |
| 3 | Cleo | Dev | Ana | Ben | Cleo |
| 4 | Dev | Ana | Ben | Cleo | Dev |
Ana has the bins and the hall in week 1, Ben has both in week 2, Cleo in week 3 and Dev in week 4. Over the four weeks each person does five chores, one of each kind, and has exactly one double week.
Three steps to check any rota
- Count per chore. For each chore, count how often each person has it. The counts should differ by one at most.
- Count per person. Add up each person's chores and weeks off. Small gaps are normal when the number of weeks does not divide evenly.
- Look for clumps. Make sure nobody gets the worst chore in two weeks running unless the house is tiny.
Fairness also depends on the chores weighing about the same. A rotation shares turns equally; it cannot make a one-hour job equal to a five-minute one, so balance the list first.
Free and Pro sizes
The free version makes rotas for up to 4 people and up to 4 weeks, which covers this example. Five or more people, or a run past four weeks, need the paid Chore Rota Pro licence, which covers up to 12 people and up to 26 weeks and nothing above that. Each housemate gets a personal link and a calendar (.ics) file.
Privacy: the schedule lives only in the link. Anyone with the link can read the names and chores in it, and nothing is stored on a server. See the privacy page.