Skip to content

By rostering system

Deputy roster to your phone calendar

Deputy has a built-in calendar link and an .ics download for staff. Here is what Deputy's help centre says to do, and how to bring the shifts into Shift It.

Vendor menus change and employers set them up differently. Steps checked against Syncing your Deputy schedule with your own calendar application on .

What it is

About Deputy.

  • Deputy is workforce scheduling software. Your employer's administrators decide which features staff can use, and calendar sync is one they can switch off.
  • For staff, Deputy's help centre describes three ways to get shifts into a personal calendar: a calendar (webcal) link, the iOS app, and a one-off .ics file.

Step 1

Get your roster out of Deputy.

These steps come from the vendor's own help pages, listed under Sources.

Calendar link from the Deputy website

Stays up to date

  1. Log in to the Deputy website and click your Profile.

  2. Click "Add your Shifts to your personal calendar app".

  3. In the window that opens, choose a Web Cal Link for an ongoing sync, or the .ics download for a one-off copy.

  4. For the Web Cal Link, click "Copy Link".

  5. Google Calendar (on the web): next to Other Calendars click the + sign, choose "Add by URL", paste the link and click "Add Calendar".

  6. Apple Calendar on a Mac: choose File > New Calendar Subscription, paste the link and click Subscribe.

  7. Outlook: Deputy points to Microsoft's guide for subscribing to a calendar in Outlook on the web.

  • Deputy lists typical update times: Google Calendar every 8 to 24 hours, Outlook up to 24 hours. Apple Calendar uses whatever refresh setting you choose.
  • Once added, the link keeps updating as shifts change in Deputy. How fast depends on your calendar app, not on Deputy.

Source: [1]

Deputy iOS app

Stays up to date

  1. In the Deputy iOS app, go to the Home screen and tap "Upcoming Shifts".

  2. Tap the Calendar icon, then tap "Subscribe" when the Calendar app opens.

  3. Your Deputy calendar then appears in the subscribed calendars list in the Calendar app.

  • You only subscribe once. To change how often it updates, go to Settings > Calendar > Accounts > Fetch New Data on your iPhone.
  • Deputy says the Android app does not have this. Android users can log in to the Deputy website in a mobile browser and use the calendar link method instead.

Source: [1]

One-off .ics file

One-off file

  1. From the same Deputy window, download the .ics file (Deputy's wording is that this adds your current shifts only).

  2. Or, in a Deputy shift notification email, click "Sync to my Calendar" at the bottom of the email.

  3. Open the downloaded .ics file. On a Mac it imports into Apple Calendar. On Windows it opens in the calendar program you choose, such as Outlook.

  • Deputy is clear that this is a one-time import, not an ongoing sync. You would need to repeat it after each roster change.

Source: [1]

Step 2

Bring it into Shift It.

Shift It reads the calendars on your phone, so a roster feed in your calendar app is a roster Shift It can import.

  1. Get the roster into your phone's calendar

    Use the steps above. Shift It reads the calendars on your phone, so your shifts need to show up in your calendar app first.

  2. Start an import and choose your calendar

    In Shift It, pick the option for shifts that are already in your calendar ("My shifts are in my calendar"). Allow calendar access when it asks.

  3. Pick the calendar and the dates

    Choose the calendar your roster is in and set the date range. It starts at today and runs four weeks ahead, so widen it if your roster covers more. You can also filter by a word in the event title.

  4. Review, then accept

    Shift It lists what it found before it saves anything. Remove anything that is not a shift. If the shifts overlap ones already in Shift It, the review screen shows what changed, what is new and what is gone.

Good to know before you import

  • On iPhone, the iOS app method puts a Deputy calendar straight into the Calendar app, which is the quickest route into Shift It.
  • On Android, set up the calendar link in Google Calendar first, then check the Deputy calendar shows up in Shift It's list of calendars.
  • Shift It reads your calendar once, when you import. It is not a live sync, so import again when your roster changes.
  • All-day events and events longer than 24 hours are skipped.
  • Each shift takes its start time, end time and title from the calendar event. Location is not carried over.
  • Shift It cannot open .ics files directly. Add the file to your calendar app first, then import from the calendar.

If your employer sends you a spreadsheet instead, Shift It can import that too. See importing from a file.

Common problems

When Deputy and your calendar do not agree.

There is no "Add your Shifts to your personal calendar app" option

Deputy's help centre says system administrators can allow or deny calendar sync for team members in Business settings. If you cannot see it, ask your manager whether it has been turned off.

Changes take hours to show up

That is the calendar app, not Deputy. Deputy says Google Calendar can take 8 to 24 hours to refresh a subscribed link. On iPhone you can set the fetch frequency yourself.

The .ics file did not keep updating

It will not. Deputy describes the .ics download as a single import of your current shifts. Use the calendar link or the iOS app subscription if you want updates.

Shift It finds no shifts

Check the date range on the import screen covers the shifts, the right calendar is ticked, and the events are not all-day events. Shift It skips all-day events.

Common questions

Deputy roster questions, answered.

What people search for, with straight answers.

How do I add my Deputy roster to my iPhone calendar?

Deputy's help centre describes subscribing from the Deputy iOS app: Home, then Upcoming Shifts, then the Calendar icon, then Subscribe. You can also copy the calendar link from your Profile on the Deputy website. Menus differ by employer setup.

Does Deputy sync to Google Calendar?

Yes, through a calendar (webcal) link. Copy it from your Profile on the Deputy website and add it in Google Calendar with "Add by URL". Deputy says Google can take 8 to 24 hours to refresh it.

Can I export my Deputy roster to Excel?

The Deputy help article we checked covers calendar links and .ics files for staff. We did not find a public staff guide for an Excel export. If your employer sends you a spreadsheet, Shift It can import that instead.

How do I get Deputy shifts into Shift It?

Get them into your phone's calendar first using Deputy's calendar link or iOS app, then use Shift It's calendar import. Shift It reads the calendar once, so import again when your roster changes.

Sources

  1. Syncing your Deputy schedule with your own calendar application, Deputy help centre (Article last edited 16 July 2026). Read .

Using a different system? Humanforce, Tanda, Employment Hero, back to the import guide.