Household chores roster
A household chores roster the whole family can see
The fridge chart only works if you’re standing in the kitchen. FairTurns puts the family’s chores on one link every phone and tablet in the house can open, and keeps count of whose turn it is so you don’t have to.
Free, with no limit on people or dates. No card.
The chore chart works until somebody says “I did it last week”
Most families start with a chart on the fridge. Somebody draws the grid on a Sunday night, everyone nods, and for a week or two the dishwasher gets emptied. Then soccer training moves to Wednesdays, Grandma comes to stay for a fortnight, the chart picks up a coffee ring, and the arguments begin: “I did the bins last week.” “No, I did.” Nobody wrote it down, so nobody can prove it, and the parent keeping the peace ends up doing it themselves.
A shared roster fixes the part a paper chart can’t. Everyone opens the same link, so the teenager at a friend’s place can check whether it’s her night for the dishes, and the count of who has done what sits in plain sight. FairTurns hands out each turn to whoever has had the fewest, so “it’s always me” becomes something you can look at together instead of argue about.
It suits a mix of ages and jobs: the eight-year-old feeds the cat, the fifteen-year-old mows, the adults take the bathroom. You decide who can do what, and the roster only gives each job to the people set up for it. If you want something on paper first, the chore chart template or the chore roster maker gets you going in a minute.
How FairTurns runs the house jobs
A team for each chore day
Bins on Monday, Washing on Wednesday, Saturday jobs: each team gets its own days and its own colour on the calendar, so the week reads at a glance.
Jobs matched to ages
Set who can do each job. The youngest only gets the jobs you’ve set them up for, and the mower stays with the older ones.
Turns handed out for you
Press Fill and each empty spot goes to whoever has had the fewest turns at that job. More on how Fill works.
Kids without email
Add children by name only. They’re on the roster and the printout without an account or an inbox. See people without email.
A link instead of the fridge
Turn on the public roster link and send it to the family chat. It opens on any phone, with nothing to install.
Holidays and school camp
Mark someone away for camp or a week at their grandparents’, and Fill leaves them off those days.
Set it up
- 01
Create the household
Create an organisation for your household and a team for each chore with its own day, such as Bins and Washing.
- 02
List the jobs
Add a position for each job done at the same time, such as Lawn and Bathroom on Saturday, with how many people it takes.
- 03
Add the family
Add the kids by name and invite any adult or older teen who wants to sign in by email.
- 04
Set the days
Click the day each chore happens, set the time and choose how it repeats.
- 05
Fill and share
Press Fill for the next three months and post the public link in the family chat.
When you want it to run itself
With Pro, anyone in the family who has accepted an invitation gets an email reminder before their turn, and can reply “I can’t make it” straight from it so the next person in line is asked. Pro is A$12 a year for the whole household, about the price of one takeaway pizza.
A$1 a month per organisation, paid 1 to 5 years at a time. See Pro and pricing
Good to know
- Start small: the three or four chores that cause the most arguments. Add the rest once the habit sticks.
- Roster the regular jobs, and add one-offs like clearing the gutters as single dates when they come up.
- Kids don’t pick their own chores; you set who can do each job and the roster hands them out. Anyone can be moved by hand.
- FairTurns shows whose turn it is; it doesn’t tick off whether the job was done. Kids added by name only don’t get emails.
- Anyone with the public link can see the names on it, so first names are plenty.
Questions
Can the kids see the roster without their own account?
Yes. Share the public roster link and it opens on any phone, tablet or laptop without signing in. Put it in the family chat or bookmark it on the family tablet.
How do we stop the same person getting the dishes every night?
Fill gives each night to whoever has had the fewest dishes turns so far, and the Turns booked chart shows how many dates each person has. If it still looks lopsided, move anyone by hand.
What if one child is away at camp?
Set their away days from the first day of camp to the last, and Fill leaves them off. Marking away doesn’t take them off a date they’re already on, so check that week and move them by hand if needed.
Can grandparents or a nanny be on it?
Yes. Add anyone by name, or invite them by email so they can sign in. There is no limit on people, teams or dates.
What does it cost?
The roster is free. Pro adds email reminders and “I can’t make it” replies for A$1 a month, paid a year or more at a time, so A$12 a year for the whole household.
Free templates and guides
Chore roster maker
List the people and the chores. Each week everyone moves on to a different job.
Chore chart template
A printable chore chart for kids: jobs down the side, the week across, a box to tick each day.
How to split chores fairly
List every job, including the invisible ones, agree the standard, then rotate or own. A method for any household.
Similar rosters
Chore roster for kids
Kids’ chores shared out by turns, children added by name with no email, and the parents in charge.
Chores for couples and adults
Two adults, or a houseful of them, sharing the housework on a roster you can all see.
Cooking and dishes turns
Whose turn to cook and whose turn to wash up, night by night, on one link the house can check.