How each method counts
Every college agrees on the principle: training time is pro rata, so 80% for a year counts as 0.8 of a year, and time out of training does not count. They differ in the arithmetic, which is why the same pattern can give dates a few days apart.
| Method | Unit | Each period counts | Then |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCoA (anaesthetics), workbook v4.5 | Days, 365 a year | (finish − start) × WTE, rounded up for each row | A date within six days of the February or August changeover moves to the Tuesday before it |
| RCEM (emergency medicine), 2026 calculator | Months, 72 for the programme | (finish − start + 1) × WTE ÷ (365 ÷ 12) | The rest is projected at 30.4 days a month; no changeover rule |
| RCPCH (paediatrics), progression guide 2025 | Days, 365 a year | (finish − start) × WTE | Days still needed ÷ the WTE you expect to work; no changeover rule |
| Simple pro rata (other specialties) | Days, 365 a year | Each calendar day × WTE | Training ends the day the total is reached |
For intensive care medicine, physician specialties, obstetrics and gynaecology, surgery, psychiatry and general practice, the college publishes no counting formula: completion dates are set by the deanery or the college's training body. The calculator uses simple pro rata for these and says so.
Emergency medicine changed how it defines full time in August 2025: from ST3, the training percentage is the average hours actually worked against a 40-hour week, in 10% bands, not the contracted WTE.
Read more in our guide to how LTFT and time out change a CCT date, with worked examples.
Frequently asked
Does annual leave count as training?
Yes. Annual and study leave are part of training time. Annual leave that builds up during maternity or parental leave also counts in the RCoA's calculator.
Why is my date a Tuesday?
In the RCoA method, a date within six days of the changeover moves to the Tuesday before the first Wednesday of February or August, so training ends the day before the next rotation starts.
How do I see what a change would do?
Under the result, open "What if…" and choose when the change would start, the new working pattern and how long it lasts. The new date is shown beside your plan's, with the difference. "Use this as my plan" adds the change to your rows.
Can I share the result?
Yes. "Copy a link to this" puts the dates and pattern in the link itself, after the # sign, which browsers never send to a server. Anyone with the link sees the same calculation.
Is this the official calculator?
No. It reproduces the counting in the colleges' published spreadsheets, and the answer is an estimate. Your Training Programme Director and deanery confirm your date.
- RCoA CCT date calculator and managing CCT dates
- RCEM Emergency Medicine Training Calculator 2026 and defining full-time training as 40 hours (v1.6)
- RCPCH guide to training progression (March 2025)
- The Gold Guide, 11th edition (COPMeD, 2026)
- Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians: calculating completion dates
- RCGP: time out of training