What you can do in Shifts
Your office team uses Shifts to create and manage the schedule. You can:
View shifts in a list, weekly calendar, or timeline, or view your recurring schedules.
Create a single shift or a recurring schedule. A recurring schedule repeats on the days you choose.
Assign a caregiver, offer them a shift, or add them as tentative while you confirm the details.
Edit one shift or a series of recurring shifts.
Cancel, restore, delete, or archive shifts.
Adjust billing and pay rates, check shift profit, and send caregivers reminders to finish their shifts.
Follow the steps below for each task. The frequently asked questions at the end can help with common issues.
Getting to the Shifts area
In the left sidebar, under Operations, click Shifts.
Choose one of the four tabs at the top of the page:
Tab | What you can do |
Table | Search a list of shifts for a date range. Choose which columns to show and use filters, including EVV status. Click Export to download Care Notes as a PDF or a Spreadsheet as a CSV file. |
Calendar | View a week of shifts, with one row for each caregiver or client. |
Timeline | View the same week on a timeline that shows all 24 hours of each day. The length of each shift shows how long it lasts. |
Schedules | View recurring schedules grouped by client and service. Open a schedule to edit it or change its caregiver assignment. |
Careswitch remembers the tab you used last and opens it the next time you visit Shifts.
What the shift colors mean
Color | Status | What it means | Example |
Orange | Unassigned | No caregiver is assigned. |  |
Yellow | Offer Pending | One caregiver has received an offer but has not replied. |  |
Violet | Tentative | A caregiver has been added but has not been notified. |  |
Dark gray | Open | The shift is posted for caregivers to claim. |  |
Blue | Scheduled | A caregiver is scheduled for the shift. |  |
Cyan | In Progress | The shift has started. |  |
Pink | Late | The start time has passed, but the caregiver has not clocked in. |
|
Green | Completed | The shift is finished. |  |
Red | Incomplete | The end time has passed, and nobody clocked in. |  |
Amber | Canceled | The shift has been canceled. |  |
Light gray | Archived | The shift has been archived. |
|
Using the Calendar view
On the Shifts page, click Calendar.
Use Group by to show a row for each of your Employees or Clients.
Use Display to choose People with shifts for that week or Everyone.
When you group by Employees, the Absences checkbox shows requested and approved absences. This checkbox is selected by default.
Click Filter to narrow the results by Shift Status, Shift Method, Billing, or Payer Type. When you group by Employees, you can also filter by Employee Role.
The number on Filter shows how many filters are in use.
Click Clear next to a filter to remove it. Click Clear at the bottom to remove all filters.
To filter by EVV status, use Table View.
Use the search box to find a caregiver or client.
Use the arrows beside the date range to move between weeks. You can also click the date range and choose a day to open that week.
Click a shift to open it. Move your mouse over a shift to see quick actions such as Unassign, Ask Assistant, or Offer Shift.
To create a shift, click an empty cell on the day and row you want.
In a client row, the form fills in the client and date.
In an employee row, the form fills in the date. After you save, Configure Assignment opens with that caregiver selected.
To move a future shift, drag it to another day. Careswitch asks you to confirm, then opens the edit form with the new date.
Using the Timeline view
Timeline shows all seven days of the week, including all 24 hours of each day, in your workspace's time zone. Each shift is shown at its actual length. This makes it easier to see overlapping shifts, shifts that follow each other, and overnight shifts.
On the Shifts page, click Timeline. It uses the same Group by, Display, and Filter settings as Calendar.
Look for the shaded column marked Today. A vertical line shows the current time.
When you group by Employees, dashed areas marked Unavailable show when each caregiver is not available. To also show absences, turn on Absences under Display. Requested absences appear in amber.
Use the toolbar's zoom out button, slider, or zoom in button to change the view. You can also hold Ctrl on Windows or Cmd on Mac while scrolling.
Click a shift to open it. To create a shift, click an empty spot in a client row at the date and time you want.
You cannot drag shifts in Timeline.
Creating a shift
Before you start
Every shift must have a client and one of that client's services. A service appears in the shift form only when all of these requirements are met:
It has a signed care plan. See Intake, Assessments, and Care Plans.
It has a start date, has not ended, and is not archived. See Adding a Service.
The client is active, has an address, and is not a sales lead.
The service determines the shift method: Hourly, Live-In, or Visit-Based. The method appears beside the service name and in the form heading, such as "Schedule Hourly Care."
New shifts start as Unassigned (orange). After creating the shift, assign a caregiver in a separate step. See Putting a caregiver on a shift.
Create a shift manually
On the Shifts page, click Create Shift in the top-right corner, then choose Manual.
Choose the Client. Use this form for either a single shift or a recurring schedule.
Choose the Service.
If you see Service Setup Required or Some Services Need Setup, click Complete setup → to finish setting up the service.
If the service has more than one payer policy, you will see Specify policy?
Leave it off to let Careswitch select the correct policy.
Turn it on and choose a policy under Select Policy to set that policy for the shift.
Enter the Start Date, Start Time, and End Time. You can choose times in 5-minute increments. Shift Duration shows how long the shift lasts. If the end time is the same as or earlier than the start time, the form marks the shift as Overnight.
To repeat the shift, turn on Repeats. See Setting up a recurring schedule.
Review the Bill Rate. The form uses the service's rate for this shift method. You can choose another rate that has already been set up, or choose Custom and enter a Bill Rate Name and Bill Rate Amount for this shift or schedule.
Third-party payers (Medicaid, VA, and others): Careswitch automatically bills the policy's rate. You do not need to change it here. The Bill Rate in this form is used only if the third-party policy no longer applies.
If no bill rate is set up for this shift method, you will see Bill Rate Setup Required. Click Configure bill rates → to add a rate. You must set up a rate before you can save.
You may also see Post-Midnight Bill Rate for overnight shifts or Bill Rate by Weekday for weekly schedules. These appear when the service uses different rates for those times or days.
Add any optional settings you need:
Bill Modifier adjusts the bill rate, such as adding a weekend premium. This field appears only if your workspace has bill modifiers.
Pay Modifier adjusts the caregiver's pay for these shifts. Choose an existing modifier or choose Custom to enter one for this shift or schedule.
Gross Profit Calculation and Net Profit Calculation help you track shift profit. See Scheduling for profitability.
Click Save. If the client already has a visit at the same time, Careswitch warns you. You can go back to make changes or click Save anyway.
After you save, the new shift opens so you can assign a caregiver. For a recurring schedule, the first shift opens.
Create a shift with the Assistant
Click Create Shift → Assistant and describe the shifts you need.
You can type or use the microphone. For example:
"Schedule personal care for John Smith every weekday from 9am to 1pm starting next Monday."
"…and apply the Weekend Differential pay modifier."
The Assistant asks for any missing or unclear details, such as the client, service, times, or policy to bill. It then creates the shifts. On the Schedules tab, this option is called Looper.
If Assistant does not appear, your role does not have permission to use it. Choose Manual, or ask an admin about Roles and permissions.
Keep these pay modifier rules in mind:
A schedule can have only one pay modifier.
Holiday modifiers are added automatically. You cannot select them by name.
Pay modifiers do not apply to salaried caregivers.
You cannot change pay for shifts whose payroll is already processing or paid.
Live-in shifts
If the service has a live-in policy:
The schedule repeats weekly and includes every day. There is no Repeats switch.
Enter the Start Time. Careswitch sets the End Time using the Paid Work Hours in your live-in policy under Settings → Policies → Live-Ins.
Setting up a recurring schedule
A recurring schedule repeats shifts on the days you choose.
On the Create Shift page, turn on Repeats.
Under Repeats Every, enter a number and choose Day, Week, or Month.
For a weekly schedule, select the days under Repeats on. Set the start and end times for each day. To use the same times for all selected days, click Copy [day]'s time to all days. A moon icon marks shifts that continue past midnight.
To set an end date, enter Repeats Until. If you leave it blank, the schedule ends when the service ends.
Careswitch creates shifts up to one year ahead and adds more as time passes. To learn how to change a recurring schedule, see Recurring shifts and editing a whole series.
Putting a caregiver on a shift: Schedule, Offer, or Tentative
Choose the option that matches what you need:
Option | What happens | Status | When to use it |
Schedule | The caregiver is assigned right away. They receive a push notification, an email, and a message in their in-app inbox. | Scheduled | You are ready to confirm the assignment. |
Offer | The caregiver can choose Accept or Decline in the app. If they accept, they are scheduled. If they decline, the shift returns to Unassigned. | Offer Pending | You need the caregiver to agree first. |
Tentative | The caregiver is added to the shift but is not notified. The shift does not appear in their app yet. | Tentative | You are still confirming the details. |
Use Configure Assignment for Schedule or Tentative. Use Offer Shift for Offer.
Note: Clients and family members with guest access can see the caregiver's name as soon as they are added to a shift. This includes a Tentative caregiver who has not been notified. Guests see shifts that have not started as "Scheduled," or "Assignment Pending" if no caregiver has been added. See Managing Client Connections & Guest Access.
Schedule or Tentative: Configure Assignment
Open the shift and click Configure Assignment.
Under Assignment Type, choose Schedule or Tentative.
For a recurring schedule, choose which shifts to update under Affected Shifts:
This shift only updates just this shift.
This and all following unassigned shifts assigns the caregiver to this shift and later unassigned shifts. Caregivers already assigned to later shifts stay in place.
This and all following shifts applies the assignment to this shift and every later shift in the schedule.
Choose a caregiver in Employee. To get a suggestion, click Recommend with Assistant. The Assistant fills in Employee. You can keep the suggestion or choose someone else. See Caregiver matching.
Review the Pay Rate. Careswitch uses the caregiver's rate, or their territory rate if the client is in a territory. To enter a rate for this assignment, choose Custom. You can also add a Pay Modifier. See Changing a caregiver's pay rate and Territories.
If you are replacing another caregiver, choose a Reason.
Review any warnings about scheduling conflicts, overtime, or changes to pay that has already been approved. Select the checkbox to confirm you have reviewed the warning before saving.
If needed, add a Note and choose people under Notify Team Members.
Click Schedule or Tentative. The button matches the Assignment Type you selected.
Who appears in Employee: Only active caregivers in the Onboarding, Active, or Departure stage appear. Caregivers in other stages, such as candidates, do not appear. Caregivers marked as excluded for this client also do not appear. See Managing Workforce Stages and Statuses.
For Incomplete shifts: You can choose only Schedule and This shift only.
Confirming tentative shifts
To confirm a tentative assignment and notify the caregiver, use either option:
Open the shift, click Configure Assignment, and choose Schedule.
On Table, click Schedule Tentative Shifts. This button appears when the shifts shown include tentative shifts.
Schedule Tentative Shifts confirms every tentative shift in those recurring schedules, including future shifts outside your current view. It also notifies the caregivers.
Offer a shift: Offer Shift
Use Offer Shift to send an offer to one caregiver or post a shift for several caregivers to claim. This option is available for future shifts with a status of Unassigned, Scheduled, Tentative, or Offer Pending.
Open the shift and click Offer Shift. If you are in Configure Assignment, click Go to Offer.
Choose who should receive the offer:
Specific caregivers: Select caregivers by name. Choose one caregiver to send a direct offer with the status Offer Pending. Choose two or more to post an open shift for those caregivers to claim.
By category: Use filters for role, tags, status, and gender to choose a group. You must select at least one role. You can also limit the group by distance from the client, availability, and overtime. AI screening can check caregivers against the client's Care Needs.
Under Included Shifts, choose This Shift or This and All Following Shifts.
Choose How it Gets Filled
Click Offer shift or Post.
If a caregiver is already assigned, Careswitch asks you to confirm removing them first. To record why they were removed, such as a call-out, use Unassign and select a reason before offering the shift.
For an open shift, the first caregiver to accept is assigned. The offers to the other caregivers are withdrawn. You can also choose to collect interest from caregivers and select one yourself.
For details about filters, AI screening, claiming shifts, and unclaimed shifts, see Filling open shifts and handling caregiver callouts.
Unassigning a caregiver from a shift
Use Unassign when a caregiver needs to be removed because of a call-out, schedule change, client request, or another reason. You can unassign caregivers from shifts with a status of Offer Pending, Scheduled, Tentative, or Incomplete.
Open the shift and click Unassign in the caregiver section. You can also move your mouse over the shift in Calendar and click Unassign.
For a recurring schedule, choose This Shift or This and all following shifts under Affected Shifts. For an incomplete shift, you can choose only This Shift.
Select a Reason. This is required. Reasons are grouped by who needs the change:
Group | Reasons |
Caregiver | Call Out; No Call, No Show; Requested Change; Vacation; Sick Day; Training; School; Personal; Other Job; Work Injury; FMLA; Disability; Jury Duty; Other |
Client | Requested Change |
Office | Unable to Staff |
4. If needed, add a Note and choose people under Notify Team Members.
5. Click Remove.
The shift returns to Unassigned, and the reason is saved in its history. You can then assign or offer the shift again. A past shift that is already Incomplete stays Incomplete.
If the caregiver will be out for a day or longer: Record an absence on the caregiver's Schedule tab. When you approve the absence, Careswitch lists the Scheduled, Offer Pending, and Tentative shifts that overlap it. It unassigns those shifts together and records the absence reason. See Filling open shifts and handling caregiver callouts.
Editing a shift
You can edit a shift before its end time if its status is Unassigned, Offer Pending, Scheduled, or Tentative. The client's care plan must still be signed.
Open the shift from Calendar, Timeline, or Table.
Click Edit. For an unassigned shift, open More to find Edit.
Make your changes and click Save.
You can also drag a future shift to another day in Calendar, or ask the Assistant to make the change.
Editing one shift or the whole series
For a recurring schedule, choose an option under Affected Shifts:
This Shift changes only the shift you opened.
This and all following shifts changes that shift and every later shift in the series.
If you change the times, repeat pattern, or start date for all following shifts, Careswitch shows an Attention message. It removes the upcoming shifts and creates new ones using your updated details.
If you move Repeats Until to an earlier date, Careswitch deletes shifts after that new end date. See Recurring shifts and editing a whole series.
Correcting a completed shift
You cannot use Edit for completed or past shifts. Open the shift page and use the options in the section you need:
Billing section: Use Edit Bill Rate, Edit Billable Time, Edit Bill Rate Modifier, or Add Expense. You can also update mileage and travel time.
Payroll card: Update the pay rate or use Add Pay Modifier.
Care tab: Update care documentation. See Viewing a caregiver's task responses and care summary.
For more help, see Time Tracking: Choose Which Hours to Use for Billing and Payroll and Expenses, mileage, and rate modifiers on a bill.
Canceling, restoring, deleting, and archiving
Choose the action that matches what happened to the shift:
Action | What it does | Can you undo it? |
Cancel | Marks the shift as Canceled because the visit will not happen. The shift stays on the schedule with the caregiver still assigned. You can still bill the client or pay the caregiver if needed. | Yes. Use Restore. |
Delete | Removes a shift that has not been worked, billed, or paid. | Upcoming visits can be brought back from the client's removed visits. |
Archive | Permanently closes a completed or in-progress shift that should not be billed or paid. | No. Archiving is permanent. |
Canceling a shift
Open the shift, click More, then Cancel Shift.
Select a Reason. This is required.
If you still want to pay the caregiver, select I wish to still pay the caregiver for this shift.
If needed, add a Note and choose people under Notify Team Members.
Click Continue.
You cancel shifts one at a time. To stop a recurring series, move Repeats Until to an earlier date. You can also ask the Assistant to cancel a client's upcoming shifts.
You cannot cancel a shift while it is posted as an open shift. You also cannot cancel it once any of its charges or pay have been billed or paid.
Restoring a canceled shift
Open the canceled shift, click Restore, then click Continue.
Careswitch removes the shift from any open invoice it is on.
If the shift is upcoming, the caregiver is unassigned. You must assign a caregiver again.
Restore is not available once the shift's charges or pay have been billed or paid.
Deleting a shift
Open the shift, click More, then Delete. For a recurring schedule, choose This Shift or This and all following shifts.
You can delete shifts with a status of Unassigned, Offer Pending, Scheduled, Tentative, Canceled, or Incomplete, unless any of these conditions apply:
The shift is on an invoice or claim.
Its pay is approved, processing, or paid.
Its EVV visit has been sent to Sandata. Use Cancel Shift instead so the EVV visit is voided correctly.
Archiving a shift
Use Archive for a completed or in-progress shift that is not on an invoice and should not be billed or paid, such as a shift entered by mistake.
Open the shift, click More, then Archive. Enter an Archive Reason.
Archiving removes the shift from the caregiver's schedule, removes its pay, and prevents any further edits.
Archiving cannot be undone. To view archived shifts, go to Shifts and filter by Archived.
Incomplete shifts and reminding caregivers
These statuses help you see when a shift needs attention:
Late: The scheduled start time has passed, but the caregiver has not clocked in.
Incomplete: The end time has passed, and nobody clocked in.
In Progress: The caregiver clocked in but has not clocked out. The shift stays In Progress even after its end time.
Careswitch automatically sends clock-in and clock-out reminders. It also sends alerts for missed clock-ins and clock-outs. See Notifications.
To send a reminder yourself:
In Calendar or Table, filter by Shift Status → Incomplete, Late, or In Progress.
Open the shift and click Notify Caregiver. You may need to open More to find it.
Choose Push Notification, Email, and/or SMS. All three are selected by default.
Click Notify.
If the caregiver worked but could not clock in or out, an office user can use Mark In Progress or Mark Completed to update the shift. See Clock-in and clock-out troubleshooting.
Setting up rate modifiers
Rate modifiers adjust bill rates or caregiver pay for things like weekends, holidays, or specialty care. Set them up once, then select them when needed.
Go to Settings → Rate Modifiers.
Click Add Pay Modifier or Add Bill Modifier.
Enter a Modifier Name, select a Modifier Type, and enter the Amount.
For pay modifiers, choose Multiplier, Added to Rate, or Added to Total.
For bill modifiers, choose Multiplier or Added to Rate. You can also add a Billing Code (HCPCS Modifier) for claims.
Save the modifier. You can then select it in Bill Modifier or Pay Modifier when creating or editing a shift, or when configuring its assignment. You can also add a modifier from the shift page.
Holiday modifiers: The Holidays section lists standard US holidays. Click a holiday to set its Pay Rate Multiplier and Bill Rate Multiplier. You can also set a start time.
Careswitch automatically adds holiday modifiers to shifts that overlap the holiday.
You do not select them on each shift. Holiday pay of 1.5x or more is treated as an overtime premium.
Scheduling for profitability
Careswitch can show how much profit a shift is expected to make. This feature is optional. Set up profit calculations before using it.
Go to Settings → Financial Targets and click Add Gross Profit or Add Net Profit. Set the deductions and your team's profit target.
When creating or editing a shift, select Gross Profit Calculation and/or Net Profit Calculation. If only one calculation applies, Careswitch selects it automatically.
Open the shift to see Gross Profit and Net Profit below the service details. Until the shift is completed, the amounts are marked Projected. Gross profit appears green or red to show whether it meets your target.
Profit estimates also appear in Configure Assignment so you can compare caregivers before assigning one.
Using AI to schedule safely
Careswitch's AI, Looper, helps with scheduling in two places:
The Assistant is a side panel. Use it to create shifts from a description, get caregiver suggestions, make quick edits, and handle call-outs.
Command Center is a full page. Use it for larger tasks with several steps.
Use Read-Only Mode to let the AI review information and plan changes without making them. This can help you review a large change first.
In Assistant, you can turn Read-Only Mode on or off at any time.
In Command Center, you choose the mode when starting a session. It stays the same for the whole session. To make changes after reviewing a read-only session, start a new session.
AI changes affect your actual schedule. Review them before confirming. Looper asks for confirmation before broad changes, such as canceling or removing visits for many clients or changing past visits.
After a change, the Assistant shows a What changed summary. You can bring back visits it removed by mistake. Other changes do not have a general undo option.
For a call-out: You could ask, "Maria called out for the rest of the week." The Assistant reviews her upcoming shifts and ranks possible replacement caregivers for each one. It waits for you to approve the replacements before making changes.
See Meet the AI Assistant and Command Center and How to Use Command Center and the Assistant Effectively.
Frequently asked questions
Why isn't my service showing up when I create a shift?
Check that the service has a signed care plan and a start date, has not ended, and is not archived. The client must be active, have an address, and not be a sales lead.
Once you finish the required setup, you can select the service. A missing bill rate does not hide the service, but you must add a rate before saving the shift.
When should I use the Timeline instead of the Calendar?
Use Timeline to see overlapping, back-to-back, and overnight shifts. It also helps you check whether a shift fits within a caregiver's available hours.
Use Calendar for a compact weekly view, to drag shifts to another day, or to print the schedule.
What's the difference between an offer and an open shift?
An offer goes to one caregiver, who can accept or decline. An open shift goes to several caregivers, and the first to accept gets the shift.
In Offer Shift, choose one person under Specific caregivers for a direct offer. Choose two or more, or use By category, to post an open shift.
Can a tentative caregiver see the shift?
No. The caregiver is not notified, and the shift does not appear in their app until you schedule it. Clients and family members with guest access can still see the tentative caregiver's name.
What happens if an offer isn't accepted, or a tentative shift isn't confirmed, before the shift starts?
Careswitch does not automatically confirm the assignment. Make sure the shift has a confirmed caregiver before relying on it for coverage.
An offer to one caregiver stays open. They can accept it until the shift ends.
An open shift that nobody claims expires at its start time and returns to Unassigned.
Any shift with no clock-in becomes Incomplete after its end time.
Why does Careswitch ask for a reason when I unassign a caregiver?
The reason is saved in the shift's history. This helps your team understand whether the change was due to a caregiver call-out, a client request, or an office staffing decision.
Why can't I edit this shift?
You can use Edit only before the shift's end time and when the status is Unassigned, Offer Pending, Scheduled, or Tentative. The client's care plan must also be signed.
For a completed shift, use the options on the shift page. See Correcting a completed shift.
Why can't I cancel or delete this shift?
Cancel is unavailable if any charges or pay have been billed or paid, or if the shift is posted as an open shift.
Delete is unavailable if the shift is on an invoice or claim, its pay is approved, processing, or paid, or its EVV visit has been sent to Sandata. For a submitted EVV visit, cancel the shift so the visit is voided correctly.
If the shift is on an invoice or claim, remove it first. See Creating, reviewing, and sending invoices. Pay that has already been paid is locked. Contact Support if you need help.
I canceled a shift by mistake. How do I get it back?
Open the canceled shift, click Restore, then Continue. If the shift is upcoming, the caregiver is unassigned when it is restored. Assign a caregiver again afterward.
Restore is unavailable once the shift's charges or pay have been billed or paid.
Why doesn't a caregiver show up in the Employee list?
Only active caregivers in the Onboarding, Active, or Departure stage can be assigned. Caregivers marked as excluded for this client do not appear either.
Check the caregiver's stage and the client's Connections tab. Move the caregiver to an eligible stage if needed.
Why don't I see profit figures on my shift?
Profit tracking is optional. Set up calculations in Settings → Financial Targets, then select Gross Profit Calculation and/or Net Profit Calculation on the shift.
Why don't I see the "Assistant" option under Create Shift?
Your role does not have permission to use the Assistant. Choose Manual, or ask an admin to update your role.