LPN and LVN shift differential

Typical LPN / LVN differentials

Ranges are the lowest and highest figures in the linked contracts, statutes and employer postings, not averages; your employer's rate is set by its own contract or policy. Figures reported only on Indeed or Reddit are described in the text as self-reported and never used in this table.

Price your own week

Preloaded with the national median wage and a mid-range differential from the table; change any field.

How overtime works for LPN / LVNs

LPNs follow the same federal rules as RNs. The default is time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek under 29 U.S.C. 207(a) with no daily overtime. Hospitals and nursing homes, which count as residential care establishments, may instead adopt the 8-and-80 system under 207(j), paying overtime after 8 hours in a day or 80 in 14 days, but only with a prior agreement or understanding with the affected employees (DOL Fact Sheet #54). California pays daily overtime at 1.5× after 8 hours and 2× after 12. In every case the regular rate that overtime is built on must include night, evening and weekend differentials (29 CFR 778.207(b)). Federal law sets the pay rule but not a limit on hours; New York Labor Law 167 is the notable state law banning mandatory overtime for nurses, and it covers LPNs.

Where LPN differentials sit relative to RNs

At hospitals LPNs usually share the RN differential schedule. The University of Vermont Medical Center (VFNHP, 2024–27, Article 23) pays LPNs the identical amounts: three dollars for evenings, six dollars and fifty cents for nights and $3.50 for weekends, up from $2.30, $4.75 and $2.75 in the prior schedule. Where a policy scales by job class, LPNs land in a middle tier: the University of Rochester's clinical tier, which includes LPNs, pays $2.00 evening, $3.75 night and $5.75 for weekend nights, against $1.00, $1.75 and $2.75 in its general tier.

State systems tend to use percentages. Connecticut's NP-6 (1199) contract for state employees pays fifteen percent of Step Two for evening and night shifts and five percent for weekends. The VA extends its RN premiums to LPNs and nursing assistants on the same basis under 38 U.S.C. 7454(b)(1): 10% for nights between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. and 25% for weekend hours.

Nursing-home chains generally do not publish their LPN differentials, and we found no contract or posting with a range we could cite. Expect smaller flat amounts than the hospital figures above, ask for the number in writing before accepting an offer, and check whether it is paid on the whole shift or only on hours inside the window.

Stacking, holidays and add-ons

Weekend and night stack. The UVMMC contract says both applicable differentials will be paid, which makes a weekend night worth $10.00 an hour over base there; Rochester's $5.75 weekend-night rate against $3.75 for a weekday night is the same idea expressed as a combined tier. UVMMC also pays $3.00 an hour for charge and $2.50 for precepting, and both are pay for hours worked, so they feed the overtime rate too.

Holiday premiums are contractual, not legal: the FLSA requires no extra pay for holiday work. Connecticut's NP-6 pays time and one-half for all hours worked on a holiday in addition to regular pay, and the VA pays double time. If your employer pays straight time on holidays, that is legal under federal law; it is a negotiating point, not a wage claim.

Negotiating and checking your paystub

What to look for on an offer letter and on the first paystub with overtime.

• —Ask whether LPNs are on the RN differential schedule or a lower tier; at hospitals it is often the same schedule, and the contract or policy will say.
• —On a percentage model, confirm which rate the percentage applies to; Connecticut pegs it to a fixed step, not your own rate.
• —If you work 40 hours in long-term care on the 8-and-80 system, a 12-hour shift carries 4 daily overtime hours; check that the employer actually elected 8-and-80 rather than assuming it.
• —Overtime lines should show a rate above your base when you earned a differential that week; if the overtime rate equals exactly 1.5× base, the differential was left out.

FAQ

Sources

1. BLS OES Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (29-2061), May 2025 national median
2. VFNHP / University of Vermont Medical Center CBA 2024–27, Art. 23
3. VFNHP / UVMMC prior Article 23 shift differentials (FY24)
4. University of Rochester shift differential policy
5. Connecticut NP-6 / 1199 state employees contract 2021–25, Art. 19
6. 38 U.S.C. 7454: VA LPN and nursing assistant premium pay
7. DOL Fact Sheet #54: hospital and residential-care overtime (8 and 80)
8. 29 CFR 778.207: shift differentials in the regular rate
9. 29 U.S.C. 207 (FLSA overtime)
10. New York Labor Law 167: mandatory overtime for nurses
11. DOL: holiday pay is not required by the FLSA

BLS medians are the May 2025 national OES estimates. Contract figures are as written in the linked agreements on the date above; check the current agreement for your employer. Last reviewed 2026-08-27.